Everyone say hi to Darwin! Darwin is a four-year-old Holland Lop rabbit. First-year Jillian Spiller, Darwin’s owner, got him in Ohio on the way home from a road trip in early August of 2020. They picked him up from a farm.
“I think it was called ‘Darwintin’s Farm,’ which is why we named him Darwin,” Spiller said. The farm had had a litter too late in the season, according to Spiller. They wanted to get rid of the bunnies as fast as they could.
Spiller ended up getting two rabbits from that litter: Darwin and his sister, Kirby: “My mom was convinced I would not share Darwin. So, then we adopted Kirby.” The Spiller family came home from that trip with another two animals to add to their zoo waiting at home.
Spiller has always loved rabbits. They are her “favorite animal, so [she] really wanted another one when the rabbit [she] had before passed.” As mentioned previously, Darwin is a Holland Lop. That is the smallest lop-eared rabbit breed. Although, Darwin is bigger than his breed should be at his age. He is much bigger than Kirby, even though the females of his breed are supposed to be the larger of the two. Spiller said that Kirby was the runt of their litter.
When asked why she chose Darwin, Spiller said it was “because he has a very unique personality for a rabbit. He likes to play with one of my cats, Krimpet. He’s a curious little guy!” Darwin, unlike Kirby, is very outgoing. He’s a playful bunny and loves to check the world out. Kirby, on the other hand, is shy and doesn’t really like people.
One special thing that Darwin does is the way that he asks for attention: “Normally, rabbits only headbutt things to acknowledge them, but Darwin doesn’t do just that.” Darwin loves to headbutt anything and everything, over and over again, “He’ll headbutt his food, my leg, my hand, you name it! Just repeatedly. For no reason.”
Spiller says that Darwin’s favorite foods are strawberries and mangos. Darwin also eats hay, but that is pretty typical for any bunny. One thing that he absolutely will not include in his diet is broccoli. Spiller said that “he hates broccoli. He literally throws it.”
The Spiller household is home to many animals. They have six pets in total. Spiller says that they all joke that “everything comes in a pair.” She has two of each, a dog, a cat and a rabbit waiting at home for her whenever she is on break, but no matter the number, “Darwin is [her] favorite.” That is, at least, when it comes to choosing between him and his sister. Spiller loves all of her animals the same and can’t wait to see them again soon.
