Break out of Framesby Debbie Smith * 3-8-00 Click linked photos, use your "Back" browser button to return to this page. When most people talk about rabbits, a vision of a small, grayish-brown or white fuzzy animal hopping through the grass, or the Easter Bunny come to mind. However, rabbits are considered a small exotic animal by Vet medicine. Unfortunately, there is not a wealth of information available about their medical care. There are hundreds of different breeds of rabbit throughout the world. One breed of particular interest to fiber-minded people are the angoras. Their life span can go up to 9 years, but the norm is usually 5 to 7 years. Their fiber is the softest and silkiest to use. Their care is important in order to prevent wool block, and to keep the fiber free from mats. If left to nature, the angora rabbit as known today would be extinct. The breeds of angora are the English, Satin, French, and Giants.
The smallest is the English Angora. They usually weigh between 5 and 7½ pounds with a very compact body. The coat is dense with very little guard hair, making this the softest fiber out of all the angoras. There is facial hair and fringe or tassels on their ears. Many people will ask, "Is that *really* a rabbit?" and I always laugh. There is a wide range in colors from white to fawns, tortes, blue, chocolate, black, and broken colors that are recognized in this group. (Brokens are when there are two color patterns involved, such as black and white.) Their disposition is usually very sweet and gentle when cared for properly. This rabbit is for serious breeder/owner looking for good fiber. Their care can be intense. They are not a rabbit for a young person unless an adult supervises its grooming. The English angora is probably the most popular breed of the angoras because of their cuteness and disposition. Their fiber is plucked but can be clipped also. They will sit for hours and look like a big fluff ball! The Satin Angora weighs 6½ to 9½ pounds. The coat is a shiny fiber and the color is a little more intense than the English. There is fur on their head and ears, but they don't have fringed ears. There is a little more guard hair in this fiber. Their fiber is the one that is preferred by many handspinners, and they are plucked or clipped. This breed tends to be very excitable and is not recommended for children or inexperienced people who hope to handle their rabbits. The Satin is also bred for white and colors. There are reds, fawns, chocolate and blacks. The French Angora weighs between 7½ to 10½ pounds. This rabbit has the most intense color because of the guard hairs. The fiber spins easily and has a lot of loft to it when it is worked into a garment. The fiber is obtained through plucking or clipping. There is short fur on the face and ears. Caring for the French is easy and it is a breed preferred by 4-H clubs, new owners, and children. The personality is alert, active, and friendly. Again the color range for French are white, fawn, red, black, blue, tortes, and the brokens. It is also a popular breed for showing. The largest of the angoras are the Giant Angoras. They weigh between 8½ to 12 pounds. At the present white is the only recognized color for Giants. There are three types of fiber; the underwool, awn fluff, and awn hair. This rabbit is clipped for its fiber. It will not release its wool like the other three breeds will. They produce an abundant amount of fiber, and have a small amount of fringe on the ears similar to the English. Their disposition is easy going and gentle. When selecting a breed there are many things to consider, but a good shelter or hutch is a very important factor for all of them. Even though rabbits can acclimate well to cold and some heat, they need to be protected from direct sun, wind, rain and predators. Predators can be cats and dogs, and many types of wildlife. The size of the rabbit will determine how big a cage or pen they'll need. Rabbits should be able to move about freely to get good daily exercise. Some owners have enclosed runs for their rabbits. A yard pen is fun to set up and with supervision it allows the rabbit the joy of outside exercise. Rabbits are very versatile, and they can live in the house, the basement, garage, shed or in a good outside hutch. When building or buying a cage or hutch, a drop pan or an area below for the urine and droppings should be provided. Rabbits can develop urine burns and sores if left to sit in their own feces and urine, and their fiber will get soiled. The droppings should be removed from the area frequently so that ammonia does not build up, causing the rabbit to breathe in this gas. Ammonia can cause respiratory problems in rabbits. The droppings make excellent organic fertilizer for the garden. They can be mixed with mulch or compost, or spread alone and work into the soil. Earthworms love rabbit droppings and can actually breed in a nice pile of droppings that is turned over occasionally, watered, with garden scraps thrown in. When a fiber rabbit is purchased, one of the main concerns is the care of the long fiber. Careful grooming of each type of angora is important. Many breeders claim the easiest to care for is the Giant, and that the English is more time consuming due to its ultra fine, dense fiber. Good grooming tools are important. A slicker type brush and a pin brush are both good. The pin brush can be used for brushing through and finding mats, and the slicker brush should be used when the mats are out. English angoras should be groomed weekly. A pair of sharp scissors and nail trimmers, such as are used for dogs. are also needed. These can be purchased at feed or pet stores. Most angora are plucked or sheared every three months. Nail trimming every 3 to 4 months is also needed in order to prevent injury to the owner and the rabbit. Many people imagine that rabbits eat grass and lettuce out of the garden patch, but their diet needs to be more complete with protein in it. There are many good commercial pellets on the market that provide a balanced diet. Occasional treats are always fun to give and they can vary from carrots, dandelion greens, and bird seed mix, to cut up bananas with the skin still on. "Free choice" hay should always be available to the rabbit along with fresh, clean water. Angoras are at a potential risk of a condition called wool block. Rabbits are very clean animals are always grooming themselves. Many times the fiber is ingested, but because rabbits are unable to vomit, they must pass the fiber through their G.I. tract. If the bowel is unable to move this fiber through, then it will block the intestine and the animal may die. Because rabbits are not an animal that much is known about, owners have come up with their own remedies to help prevent wool block. These range from taking them off pellets for a day and feeding only bird seed mix and free choice hay, to giving papaya tablets and a product called Petromalt or even meat tenderizer and pineapple juice. Some of these products have enzymes in them that are believed to help aid in breaking up a fiber ball. Rabbits are fun and loving animals. They are silent in their affection, but if they are handled and held in a loving way often they will enjoy their time with their owners as much as you will!
Debbie Smith and her husband, Skip (Stuart), own Iron Horse Farm in Sherborn, Massachusetts. Debbie is a registered nurse, certified in neonatal intensive care, working in a community hospital. That is her profession, but her passion is knitting, spinning, cross stitching, making homemade soaps, creating dry flower arrangements, tending her gardens and their animals. She has been knitting since childhood and her husband encouraged her to learn how to spin years ago. Weaving will be next on the list. She has given lessons in needlecraft for years and sells her hand crafts. Debbie and Skip moved to their 200 year old farmhouse 11 years ago with one dog and two cats. With an emphasis on fiber, they now raise llamas, sheep (Shetland, Jacob, and Icelandic), and English Angora rabbits. They also have two German Shepards, a Bernese Mountain dog, two Bergamascos (Italian Alpine Sheep Dogs) and six cats. Their sheep concentration has been on the rare breeds offering a wide range of fiber color and texture, with the handspinner in mind. Their dogs and cats are companions, but they hope to start breeding their Bergamascos in the future. All Animals owns all rights to this article and the photos. You may link to this article (not the photos), but you may *not* copy it, nor reprint it anywhere else. You may print the URL which is www.all-animals.com/angora.html Advertising | Site Design | Site Hosting | About Us | Home | Email |
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