This is Benjamin. You can read more about Benjamin's back story under our adoptable rabbits album. As you can see, Benjamin can definitely be a very sweet bunny. However, he would do best with an experienced rabbit person. He is extremely smart and would do best with a mostly free roam home or one where he can have a whole room a lot of the time. He is a complicated little guy but we know with the right person he will thrive. His foster who sent this video loves him and enjoys his big personality! โค๏ธ. Feel free to ask us more about Benjamin or our other bunnies!
We operate through donations and volunteers only with no paid employees. All funds go to rescue and care of rabbits and education. Please consider helping our bunnies in one of the following ways:
Donate on our website at https://www.hoppyheartssc.org/donate
PayPal: www.PayPal.me/hoppyheartssc
Venmo: @HoppyHeartsSC
Shop for the bunnies from our Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19Q0IWMI0797A/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2
Shop for the bunnies from our Chewy Wish List:
https://www.chewy.com/g/hoppy-hearts-sc_b113169275#wish-list
Purchase your supplies from this link at Small Pet Select and they donate a portion of the sale to us: https://bit.ly/3Pk80KR
You can also use this discount code at Small Pet Select and a portion of the sale is donated to us: RES-HHR
Leave a review on our page
Share and comment on our posts and invite your friends to like and follow our page.
Join our online auction group (or donate auction items) at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1123224088605128
Apply to foster or adopt: https://form.jotform.com/230096007721044
It has been too hot to feel like doing much of anything lately. As Billie demonstrates in the video, our bunnies at Hoppy Hearts SC are able to enjoy air conditioning. We feel this is how all domestic bunnies should live - inside as a member of the family with AC in summer and heat in winter. Heat is one of many reasons rabbits should not be kept in hutches outside or in other outside enclosures. Did you know bunnies cannot sweat? They are very susceptible to heat stroke once the temperature hits 80 degrees and over. Obviously, it is much too hot in the southern United States to keep bunnies outside.
Even inside bunnies can be at risk if, for example, your home air conditioning breaks down or you lose electricity. Know the signs of heat stroke in bunnies, including panting, lethargy, disorientation, seizures, salivation, weakness, or unusually red or pale mucus membranes around the nose and eyes. Ears will feel hot. Heat stroke requires an emergency visit to the vet but you should know first aid to keep your rabbit stable until you can get him to the vet. Following are some resources explaining rabbit heat stroke and heat stroke first aid:
https://www.best4bunny.com/heatstroke-rabbits-symptoms-treatment/
https://rabbit.org/care/warm-weather-concerns/
https://smallpetselect.com/what-are-the-symptoms-of-heatstroke-in-rabbits/
Items Needed for August Fundraising Auction!
Fall will be here before you know it! Hoppy Hearts SC's next fundraising auction August 17 through August 25 will feature a Fall theme. We are looking for donations of items with a Fall theme to use in our auction. Whether you are a crafter who enjoys making things or you have stuff you just no longer use, we need you! Please contact us here or at [email protected] to donate. We would like to have all donations for this auction in our possession no later than August 16, 2024.
Also, if you would like to check out our periodic fundraising auctions, please join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1123224088605128 and invite your friends and family! โค๏ธ๐
Friday night dinner date! It went well except Billie ate most of the food ๐. Psi did eat some also (before video started) but he is obviously such a gentleman that he lets his date eat her fill first and Billie was not about to be a shrinking violet! ๐โค๏ธ
Watch our adoptable bunnies, Waylon and Willie, playing with their forage boxes! Forage boxes are a great enrichment activity for bunnies and they are also easy to make. All you need is a cardboard box, plastic box, or similar; some material for them to dig; and something for them to forage for. The digging material can be shredded paper, pieces of cardboard, ball pit balls, etc. If you don't mind the mess, you can use bagged organic soil from a garden center with NO fertilizer or other additives. With RHDV and the potential for other contaminants, we do not recommend digging soil, etc. from outside in your yard! Hide some pellets, healthy treats, herb forage mix, or toys for them to dig for.
Learn more about forage boxes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1ZCZIoCLIQ
Our adoptable bunny, Benjamin, is showing off his binky in this video! Bunnies have the reputation of being quiet animals but they actually communicate in many ways through body language and some sounds. When a rabbit binkies, that is a communication of pure joy and happiness! ๐ฅฐ. Read more about why bunnies binky here: https://bunnylady.com/bunny-binkies/
This is Boone! He is our first post Easter dumped bunny that we posted about earlier this week. He has really started to settle in with his foster and is quickly getting over any fear he first had! Foster reports he is excellent with his litter box (remarkable considering this is likely the first time he has seen one and is not yet neutered). So far he is enjoying pets and sitting by his foster on the couch munching his daily pellets from her hand one by one from her hand. ๐. Boone is a gorgeous bunny with half blue and half brown eyes. This is called sectoral heterochromia and can be seen most commonly in Dutch rabbits (There are no health effects associated with it).
Boone had a wellness checkup and his first RHDV at the vet today. The vet thinks he is most likely under a year old. Next will be his second RHDV shot in 3 weeks and then neuter.
If you would like to donate towards Boone's expenses as well as to our other rescue and sanctuary rabbits currently in care, you may do so by:
Donating via our website (one time or recurring): https://www.hoppyheartssc.org/donate
PayPal: www.PayPal.me/hoppyheartssc
Venmo: @HoppyHeartsSC
GiveLively: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/hoppy-hearts-sc
Meet Griff! Griff is a 10 plus year old male bunny. He is extremely sweet. Griff has lived his life at an assisted living community providing cheer to the residents. He was much loved and had been there longer than some of the employees! Griff has what we believe is arthritis in his rear legs, so Hoppy Hearts SC offered to give him his retirement home. After his quarantine period, he will have the company of other bunnies and focused care for his arthritis and any other possible issues that arise in his sunset years. This sweet bunny has brought a lot of people happiness and we are honored to care for him. โค๏ธ๐
Griff will have a vet visit tomorrow morning and we will update you after that!
Billie hopes you are all having as lazy a Sunday afternoon as she is to help make up that lost hour of sleep! โค๏ธ
Miss Mabel is still patiently waiting for her forever home. Mabel's foster tells us she is quite the sweetie pie! โบ๏ธ๐ฅฐ. She loves pets as shown in this video. And to make it even cuter, when you stop petting, she licks the air like she is grooming you in thanks before hopping away. โค๏ธ. There's a video of this in the comments. She has so much love to give. If you are interested in Mabel, please fill out an application at https://form.jotform.com/230096007721044
This is the inside of our bunny room at the rescue. We also have a separate quarantine room for new intakes. Some of our bunnies are in foster homes and not housed here at the rescue. As you can see, we are a small facility and only have so much room. This is why we are working to expand our foster home network so we can help more bunnies in need.
We are dedicated to housing bunnies in the way we recommend to adopters rather than in small cages. While this does decrease the number of bunnies we can house at a time, we feel it allows them to recover from the situations from which they were rescued in a less stressful environment. We also believe it helps our rescue bunnies stay emotionally and mentally healthy during their time in rescue.
We have no paid employees and we run on volunteers and donations only. There are many ways you can help:
Donate on our website at https://www.hoppyheartssc.org/donate
PayPal: www.PayPal.me/hoppyheartssc
Venmo: @HoppyHeartsSC
GiveLively: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/hoppy-hearts-sc
Shop for the bunnies from our Amazon Wish List:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19Q0IWMI0797A/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2
Shop for the bunnies from our Chewy Wish List:
https://www.chewy.com/g/hoppy-hearts-sc_b113169275#wish-list
Purchase your supplies from this link at Small Pet Select and they donate a portion of the sale to us: https://bit.ly/3Pk80KR
You can also use this discount code at Small Pet Select and a portion of the sale is donated to us: RES-HHR
Leave a review on our page
Share and comment on our posts and invite your friends to like and follow our page.
Apply to foster or adopt: https://form.jotform.com/230096007721044
Bunny Flop
Do you know what it means when a bunny flops? It means they are super happy, relaxed, and feel completely safe in their environment! It is a great sign!
Former Hoppy Hearts SC bunny Amie is a champion flopper as shown in this video! We can understand. Her mom has set up a bunny heaven just for her! โค๏ธ๐ฅฐ. Share some examples of your bunnies in flop mode in the comments.
Did you know that one of the ways bunnies express themselves is by grinding their teeth? To interpret the meaning of the teeth grinding, some context is required. When bunnies are happy they can "purr", which is a sound they make by gently rubbing (or grinding) their teeth together. This can occur when they are sleeping, when they are being petted, or when otherwise relaxed. This is a good sign and completely normal.
If a bunny grinds his teeth loudly with popping or clicking sounds and also appears hunched over or shows other signs of pain, then you will want to get him veterinary attention. Context and body language matter here.
Turn up the sound on this video and listen closely to hear the relaxed teeth grinding of this bunny enjoying petting. Also note the movement of his whiskers and mouth/cheeks. That is a happy, content bunny! ๐โค๏ธ๐
We haven't updated everyone on our adoptable bunnies lately so we thought we would start with Sally! Sally was found in a Columbia PetSmart parking lot after being dumped. She walked right up to someone for help. Sally is an outgoing girl and very active. She loves tunnels and binkying! She is so happy that you can't help but smile being around her. And she is truly the best with her litterbox that we personally have ever seen! Sally has recovered well from her spay and is up to date on RHDV vaccination. She is just enjoying life and waiting on her forever family and possibly a husbun.
We operate through donations and volunteers only with no paid employees. All funds go to rescue and care of rabbits and education. Please consider helping our bunnies in one of the following ways:
Donate on our website at https://www.hoppyheartssc.org/donate
PayPal: www.PayPal.me/hoppyheartssc
Venmo: @HoppyHeartsSC
GiveLively: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/hoppy-hearts-sc
Shop for the bunnies from our Amazon Wish List:
https://www.amazon.com/.../19Q0I.../ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2
Shop for the bunnies from our Chewy Wish List:
https://www.chewy.com/g/hoppy-hearts-sc_b113169275#wish-list
Purchase your supplies from this link at Small Pet Select and they donate a portion of the sale to us: https://bit.ly/3Pk80KR
You can also use this discount code at Small Pet Select and a portion of the sale is donated to us: RES-HHR
Leave a review on our page
Share and comment on our posts and invite your friends to like and follow our page.
Apply to foster or adopt: https://form.jotform.com/230096007721044
Ever heard of bunny speed dating? It is the recommended way to find your rabbit a friend! We will have a more in depth post on bunny speed dating this evening, but for now, enjoy this video of some highlights of one of the speed dating sessions we held during the past year. These two bunnies were eventually successfully bonded.
All bunnies are required to be spayed/neutered and up to date on RHDV vaccinations before participation in speed dating sessions. Available to approved fosters/adopters only.
Be on the lookout for more information on the sessions we offer tonight! ๐
Here is the bunny we rescued from the neighborhood in Irmo! He is starting to relax a little bit more. This was the first time he allowed us to hold him and very shortly after this video, he dozed off this way. โค๏ธ. We can only imagine how much this little guy has been through. And we hope that he now feels he is safe and loved and can finally relax! He went to the vet today and got a clean bill of health and his first RHDV vaccination. Second RHDV vaccine in 3 weeks and then neuter in January!
Since last weekend we have been keeping in close touch with the very helpful residents of this neighborhood. As of now, no one has seen the other bunnies since Monday. The weather calls for rain all this weekend meaning the bunnies will likely be hunkered down somewhere. We are hoping to go out to search again this weekend but, unfortunately, we will have to play it by ear and watch the weather.
We have almost sold out of our stocking stuffers! We have one Kudzu Kringle box left for $10 shipping included. Please message us to buy. Lilith says the kudzu is delicious!
A free cookie for learning about bunnies? Sounds like a great deal! One of our main goals at HHSC is to educate people on how to properly care for domestic rabbits and bring awareness to the huge problem of unwanted bunnies being dumped in the wild. We believe education is one of the keys to preventing this. Allison Johnson of Bunbonsbakery gave a free cookie to anyone who agreed to listen to a short educational spiel on a domestic bunny topic! This video shows her in action! ๐โค๏ธ๐
Opie wanted to get in on the act too and wish everyone a safe and fun Halloween! โค๐ฐ
