Studies show that rabbits with access to regular enrichment are up to 40% less likely to develop behavioral issues such as destructive chewing or aggression. Buttercup’s Bunny Boutique is a small business leading the way with thoughtfully designed toys that are crafted with care. Through innovation their products are stimulating both the minds and bodies of domestic rabbits. For rabbit owners seeking products that align with both ethical values and professional quality, this small company is a trusted partner in giving bunnies the enriched lives they deserve.
April’s Featured Business
Buttercup’s Bunny Boutique
1. What is your business?
Buttercup’s Bunny Boutique is an online shop specialized in providing handmade enrichment toys for
rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, chinchillas and other small exotic pets.
2. Tell me about yourself, your buns.
Hi! I am Michelle, the creator and sole employee of Buttercup’s Bunny Boutique. I reside in San Diego,
California with my husband, Manuel, and our toddler Gavin.
Our current fur babies are two Springer Spaniels named Tux and Kino (12 and 10 years old) and two bunnies
named Butters and Rocket (6 and 12 years old). Both Rocket and Butters are free roaming house bunnies
but not bonded. Rocket, who I have had since she was baby, is a Silver Martin/Dwarf mix and has always
been reclusive. She lives in our bedroom under the bed most of the time. Her nickname is “The Monster
that lives under the bed”. Her partner, Capone, passed away many years ago and she never wanted to bond to another bunny.
Butters came to me through Save Some Bunny Rescue as an owner relinquishment and instantly became a foster fail. He is a 15lb Flemish Giant full of attitude. He is constantly terrorizing our toddler trying to steal all his fruit. We joke he is the menace of the household, but he is a huge snuggle bug and will give you kisses.
At the time of starting Buttercup’s Bunny Boutique, we had many more bunnies, but they all have passed except for Rocket. She is the last remaining quality inspector (aka toy tester). Those who have followed us on Instagram since the beginning will remember Charlotte and Padre who are the true faces of Buttercup’s
Bunny Boutique.
3. What inspired you to start your business?
I was volunteering at a local rabbit rescue and fell in love with toys they kept in stock by Napoleon Bunaparte and Bunderland. I have always been crafty and enjoyed working with my hands, so I decided to do some research on where to buy parts and consumption safety. Many of my early toys were taste tested by my house buns: Charlotte, Padre, Bailey, Bradley and Rocket. I also shared prototypes with my bunny friends and the shelter bunnies to enjoy. It just naturally evolved from there and made my first sale on Etsy in November 2017.
4. How is your business unique?
I think you can really see my creativity when creating new toys, they clearly appear handmade. We are also one of the few shops that focuses on using hay in our toys. Not only that but I feel our prices for the quality of craftsmanship is unmatched!
5. How long have you been doing this?
I officially started doing business as Buttercup’s Bunny Boutique in July 2017 on Etsy and then launched our
current website in 2020.
6. What does a typical work day look like?
Though it might not seem like it but I work at a 9-5 job as a Research Scientist developing medical devices to test for all kinds of things from cow pregnancy to lung cancer. Most of the time I work on Buttercup’s Bunny Boutique related tasks on weekends since during the week I generally can’t start until after 8-9 pm once my son goes to sleep and chores are done.
A typical work weekend starts off by printing open orders and working on making each item by hand until
each order is filled and packaged. Along with filling regular orders, I generally have a handful of wholesale
orders in which I need to constantly work on to meet deadlines. Wholesale orders can be cumbersome
since I have to do inventory each time and determine if any additional parts need to be ordered. Depending on the wholesale order size, it might affect my current available inventory which will need to be adjusted my website accordingly.
Of course there is always the constant task list:
- Keeping accounting up to date
- Researching and designing new toys
- Updating website with new photos
- Social media post (I am terrible at this)
- Preparing of the holiday season (this generally starts in July)
- Making sure my cost to make an item is correct and adjusting prices as necessary
7. What is your biggest challenge?
Scalability in regards the number of toys I can make in a week and cost. The limiting factor when making
toys is my free time. If I get sick, go on vacation, etc… there is no one to back me up and no progress will be
made on open orders. The easiest solution would be to hire a helper, but there are two issues with this:
transfer of knowledge on how to the make the toys and cost.
No toy is “easy” to make and some are very
time consuming due to the number of steps. My profits on each toy are also pretty low and if I hire
someone, this would eat into my profits and I would likely have to raise prices. My family helps on occasion
by generally cutting parts or stuffing hay, but this is rare.
8. What are your most popular products?
That’s really tough but I would say any toys with hay or dried orange slices are a huge hit. In particular the
All Natural Hay Present Box and Orange Creme Petit Four. My personal favorite toy to make is the Mini
Cupcake.
9. What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur?
Listen to your body and don’t forget to make time for things outside of work. Entrepreneurs are notorious
for pushing themselves to limits that the human body can’t sustain in the effort to create the perfect
product or company. Find someone who will hold you accountable and isn’t afraid to tell you to go home.
Too many entrepreneurs burden themselves with so much stress that it can lead to significant health issues and create strain on their most meaningful relationships.
This is something that became much more evident after having my son and of course getting older. I can’t
do an 8-9 regular work day and then stay up until midnight filling orders every night. I need to make sure I
am always available to my son if he asks me to come play or lay down to watch a movie. I constantly remind myself, this is a side business and my family comes first at the end of the day.
10. How can people sign up for your services?
All our products are available for purchase on our website, https://buttercupsbunnyboutique.com/. You can also purchase our products for other online vendors like The Well Kept Rabbit, Moonlight Bunny Boutique, etc. We recently started working with Bun Box Society, a monthly subscription box as well. You can
purchase in-person at various rabbit rescues. We partner with and at Ohio House Rabbit Rescue’s yearly
Midwest Bunfest (generally in October).
And The Reviews Are In!
02/25/2025 The best! My bunny’s favorite toy! I love that all the ingredients are safe and natural and she can enjoy shredding it to pieces and eating the hay inside
08/06/2024 Our orders from here are always perfect!
Final Thoughts…
Small businesses such as Buttercup’s Bunny Boutique are so important to support especially since they support and give back to the rabbit community. Their orchard grass hay is purchased from local businesses in CA, wholesale/discounted pricing is available to non-profit animal rescues and shelters and a portion of all sales are donated to small companion animal rescues such as:
- Save Some Bunny Rabbit Rescue
- Save A Bunny
- Gainesville Rabbit Rescue
- Rabbit Advocates
- Zooh Corner Rabbit Rescue
- Ohio House Rabbit Rescue
- Freedom for Farmed Rabbits (AUS)
You can read about other featured small rabbit related businesses here or search for rabbit related business resources here
