How do I go about reserving Holland Lops from you?

The first step in reserving a bunny from us is to fill out an adoption application (which can be found on the contact page). Once received and if approved, you will get a phone call from me to confirm your spot on our wait list. Please see our “waitlist information” tab for more information about how our waitlist works,

Can we come visit and play with the Holland Lops before we reserve?

I am sorry but we are officially closed to the public at this time. For the safety of our herd, we are not allowing people in or out of our barn at this time. I am also happy to send videos / pictures of available buns you might be interested in so that you can get a feel for their personalities.

How often will you have litters available?

We are a small herd and love to give our mama’s a break in between litters. Because of this, we will only have a few litters available throughout the year. If you wish to adopt from us, get on our waiting list to reserve your spot. Babies will be available to our waitlist first before the public.

How much do your Holland Lops cost?

Price for our buns start at $300 and go up to $450. Price is determined by color and quality of each specific bun. Investing in a good quality, with good lines rabbit might be the single most important thing you can do when it comes to bringing home a furry friend.

If we don’t have a rabbit in our care that fits your current needs and desires, we have relationship with other local breeders who might, so stay connected. I am always happy to connect you with others if you are looking for a specific bunny, color, sex or quality.

What happens if we are a family who likes to travel? Can my bunny stay home alone for a few days?

A rabbit’s digestive system is different than most other animals. They constantly need to snack on hay throughout the day to keep things moving inside to help prevent blockage! Blockage in rabbits can be fatal and shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you like to travel, I encourage you to have a plan for your bunny. Some people take their rabbit to a boarding facility while others like to have a friend or neighbor check in on their rabbits daily to ensure they have enough water, hay and pellets to last them while you are away.

How long is your waitlist?

Our waitlist is constantly changing and evolving so I am unable to answer that question when asked. Once you are placed on our waitlist and a litter is born, I will have a better idea of where you fall on the waitlist in regards to that specific litter. We do have a solid waitlist of dedicated bunny lovers waiting for their pick of the litter so I encourage you to get on our waitlist to reserve your spot if you are interested in adopting a bunny from us.

Which bunny of yours will be the most cuddly?

This is actually a question I get the most often. Bunnies in general, are not cuddle animals. Can it happen? Yes of course it can! I actually have a few buns that will lay with me on my sofa as I faithfully pet their heads. Is this the norm? No, actually it isn’t. It absolutely does happen but as with any animal, it all depends on their personality and each bunny has a totally different personality. You can tell around 4-5 weeks of age what sort of personality a bunny MIGHT have but truthfully, it isn’t until 4-6 months when that rabbit’s personality comes out strong. Find the things your buns enjoy doing and then do it right alongside them!

Do bunnies smell?

Guys, let me tell you one simple truth! Bunnies are the cleanest animals (they clean and bathe themselves daily) and do not smell! Urine and cages smell but the bunny itself does not smell. It is the responsibility of the owners to properly care for their bunny which includes cleaning their cages often. Bunny urine has a strong bunny odor to it ... pine pellets in litter box takes away that odor. If a bunny pees somewhere outside their litter box, you will smell it. Clean it up and the smell should go away. We have a litter box in our living room for when our bunnies get free roam of our indoor space, they know where it is and they use it often. It does not smell unless it needs to be cleaned.

Can I potty train my bunny?

Your bunny can absolutely be potty trained! Bunnies like to use the potty while eating and drinking. Get a good litter box and place food and water and hay above that litter box so that the bunny needs to stand on the litter box to eat and drink. This is how you start the process of potty training. Ohio Holland Lops has so many great article about how to successfully potty train your buns, read tips and put in the time and effort, you will be thankful you did! Also, please remember that in the bunny world ... peeing inside litter box is considered potty trained! There will always be the extra poop laying around but the goal is to have the bunny peeing in their litter box 100% of the time. After your rabbit is spayed or neutered, it is possible to eliminate all poop but be realistic that before that happens, there will be poop pebbles found outside their litter box.

For our family, we set up an area that is designed for our bunnies to be in that doesn’t cause me stress and that allows for sweet interactions with our buns. When we bring a bunny inside, we shut doors to the rooms to which we don’t want them to travel in to! We have a litter box in every corner and we just expect there to be poop wherever they travel (bunny poop is easy to clean up with a broom / dust pan and makes great fertilizer! It doesn’t smell and it is easy to spot!

What’s better? A boy or girl bunny?

That is a great question, one that I am asked on a regular basis. In my home, if you were to ask this question to my husband, he would scream BOY BUNNIES! But if you were to ask me the very same question, I would scream GIRL BUNNIES! Here is my short and sweet take on the topic. Please do your own google search so you are comfortable with the decision you and your family are making.

Does (girls) … My does are super sweet and affectionate to me because I am their person. They love me, they come to me, they trust me. They are extremely loyal to me and they want to be around me. Hormones peak in rabbits around 4-6 months of age and at that time, a doe rabbit might experience some more hormonal territorial behavior such as nipping or being protective of their space. Getting your doe spayed if she starts to show these sorts of behaviors will take away these negative behaviors.

Bucks (boys) … Our bucks are super playful and fun. In general you will find that a boy has of an easy going personality. Our boy Thumper will literally play tag with our dog Jax for fun. He is just playful and sweet all the time. Around 4-6 months of age, bucks (it can also happen with does but its more so seen with bucks) can begin marking their territory by spraying urine or pooping around a spot they want to mark. Again, this behavior can be fixed by getting your bunny neutered at 6 months of age.

Please note, that as with any animal, personality dictates behaviors. What I stated above is not a hard fast truth about boys and girls. There are some girls who are playful and fun while there are also some boys who are extremely loyal and affectionate. The personality of the bunny will grow as the bunny grows.

What do I do when I first bring home my buns?

Transitions of any kind are difficult for a bunny. Please be mindful of this the first few weeks of your bunny being home. Interact with them often but also give them time and space to get comfortable in their new environment. Be gentle. Go slow. Make sure they have only positive interactions until a level of trust is earned. Rabbits are, in general, very fragile animals. If scared or stressed, they can absolutely get sick and or die. It is important that everyone in your family knows that slowly introducing your bunny to your family is best! Trust is earned when it comes to your rabbit. Allow them time to trust you! Check out the other tab on our website titled “what to do when you bring your buns home” for more info on how to bond with your new furry friend.

Will my bunny get along well with my cat or dog?

If you have an animal of any kind (a dog or a cat or another bunny) it is your responsibility to keep your bunny safe! Here at Bend Bunny Lops, we introduce our bunnies to all things from day one of their life! They are used to load noises, kids, dogs, cats, people etc but it is important to remember that rabbits are prey animals which means, they are naturally fearful of things that could hurt them. Our babies won’t initially be fearful of your dog BUT it would be your responsibility to ensure that your dog doesn’t give your rabbit something to be fearful of. If your dog charges your rabbit, barks a lot around the rabbit or tries to hurt the rabbit, that could have an impact on the overall attitude of your bunny especially if it happens within the first few days of being home. Ensure that any time your rabbit is in the space shared with any other animals you might have, that your other animals are slow, soft and gentle with your rabbit. It might be a lot of work upfront, but it absolutely matters!

Do bunnies make good pets for kids?

Yes, absolutely they do! Bunnies are a fantastic family pet option especially for families with young children! As with any animal though, doing your research and being prepared is crucial! All bunnies have a unique personality and have needs of their own that must be met in order to provide them a loving and caring home. 

Here in our home, RESPECT for our bunnies is taught through daily interactions with our furry friends! This also means, my younger children are never allowed to be with the bunnies (including the babies) without supervision. Respect for bunnies and for their space is something I, the adult, must ensure happens each and every time there is child to bunny interaction happening. 

Often times, families search for a bunny in hopes to add a cuddly furry friend to their family with the expectation that that bunny will do exactly what they want it to do when they want to do it (cuddle with them, sleep at their feet, let them hold them etc). I’m sorry to say, this rarely is the case! Here are some important things to consider when deciding if a bunny is right for your family! 

• We have a two finger petting rule here in our house! We never confine or hold a bunny against their will. We allow our bunnies to lead our play and our interactions with them. Bunnies are prey animals which means it is our responsibility to teach our children and any child who comes in contact with our bunnies, that they must be gentle and slow with their interactions with them. If a child is loud, fast and rough with a bunny, they will feel fearful and might fear you and fear your touch. When bringing home a new furry friend, I encourage my families to lay on the floor with their bunny and allow their bunny to hop all around them, sniff and interact with you on their terms. Going slow is the key to gaining their trust.

• Bunnies need to be with their people. They are very social animals and they want to be where you are. The more time you spend with your bunny, the sweeter your bunny will be. Because we spend so much time with our buns, they come to their new homes ready to be held, cuddled and loved on! Continue that the day you bring your baby home and you won’t regret it! Time spent with your bunny is time well spent! Invest in the relationship with your bunny and it will be a very beloved addition to your entire family.

• Friends! You will very quickly become the house that the neighborhood kids want to visit. Protect your bunny always as they should be your top priority! Here at Bend Bunny Lops, we have a closed barn policy because we believe in order to have well socialized bunnies, we must protect how often and how well our bunnies are handled! That doesn’t mean we never allow our friends to snuggle and cuddle our babies! That’s an important part of what we do here too! But once again, I am the one who ensures the handling of our bunnies are appropriate and respectful at all times.