Hops'N'Lops Rabbit Stud

There are different type of Angoras in the world, not many available in Australia.  I have chosen to work with the English Angora, as in my opinion, they are the nicest looking ones out there, and probably the hardest to take care off!  Oh well, i like a challenge....  says most of my friends, and said it again when i got a hungarian puli puppy in 2008.

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Below are recognised Breeds of Angora, and a little about them.

ENGLISH ANGORA - yes my favourite!  See details about these georgeous guys on other pages

SATIN ANGORA - not available in Australia

The Satin Angora is a fairly new breed. It has been an official ARBA breed for about 10 years now.  Satin Angoras are very similar to the French Angoras in look, type and characteristics except for their unique feature of beautiful lustrous wool! They have an enormous depth of color and shine only matched by silk! This depth of color is unmatched by any of the other Angora breeds. These 2 characteristics make the Satins very desirable for wool & spinning.

German Angora, bred at Hops'N'Lops, Named Heidi, owned by Viva Stud in Tasmania

See Viva Angoras for information about German Angoras.  Click on the bunnie above to go to her site.

GIANT ANGORA - not available in Australia

Normally the Giant is only seen in white. It is the only color recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Some breeders are working to introduce colored rabbits into the accepted standard. It is the largest of the four breeds weighing in at 9 to 12 pounds. It is the only Angora that does not molt. The coat must be sheared.

FRENCH ANGORA - not available in Australia.

With a smooth face and ears, the French Angora looks more like the standard perception of a rabbit. The coat contains more guard hair than the English. This ratio of guard hair to undercoat requires less grooming. When spun into yarn, these guard hairs fluff out forming a "halo". An adult French Angora should weigh from 8 to 10 pounds.

Grooming an Angora

The ideal regularity for grooming a bunny depends on its age, quality of the bunny, condition of the bunny and what you are using the bunny for.

Grooming is recommended at last once a week between eight weeks to four months old, every four to five days between four to five months old, and twice a week between five to ten months old.

When your bunny is more than one year old, it tends to have more guard hairs and as a result generally has less matting and needs less grooming. 

It usually takes less than 30 minutes to groom a bunny if it is done once a week, while it takes more than an hour to groom the same bunny if it is done once every three weeks.  It is far better for you and your bunny if grooming is done more frequently.

The quality of the bunny

Some bunnies matt a lot, some don't. Some matt from the inside out (from the wool next to the skin to the surface, or felting), some from the outside in. The ones that matt a lot, especially from the inside out, should be groomed more often. The bunnies that don't matt as often and have their matts appearing on the surface first may be groomed less frequently.  If kept for wool, with the right texture, some older bunnies may have their wool harvested every 3-4 months without much grooming in between harvests.

The condition of the bunny

If the bunny is in full coat, more frequent grooming is called for. If the bunny has been frequently plucked or clipped, you may not need to do much grooming.

I use a GMC Blower, which will blow the coat apart so you can see down to the skin, and see any knots that may be lurking around.  Once you can see the knots, you can gently tease them out with a comb.  Its also great if your bunny is moulting, as it will gently pull all the dead wool out of the coat.

 

The pictures above are an example of how a blower blows the coat apart, this is an agouti coloured English Angora, you can also see the rings of colour in the coat too.

Watch out your backyard doesn’t look like mine though, its Christmas all year round there!!!!

This is a GMC  RDC8L Portable Vacuum/Dust Extraction System, weighs approx 2.5kgs, which can be ordered in from most major hardware stores.

Worst places for knots and matting are:

• Under chin
• Furnishings on cheeks (they arnt exactly dainty eaters!)
• Arm Pits, and under back legs.
• Under tail
• General Undercarriage
• Sleeping side, (they isually have a preference for a side, you can tell when grooming)

I also use combs that have rotating pins in them, so if there is a knot in their coat, the rotating pins will help to tease the knot out.  The Brand that I prefer to use is Karlie, made by Avant Care, they have 4 different sizes of combs, that can be used depending on the condition of the coat.

 

 

 You can also clip your bunny with either scissors of a good set of clippers.  As Angora fur is very fine, some cheaper clippers wont be able to do the job, I use Oster 2 speed clippers, Size 10 blade and they work brilliantly!

 

Heres an example of a clipped bunny.

    Before being clipped in Half Coat   

 

One clipped bunny!

I always keep their head, face and ear furnishings, they look like monkeys!

Housing an Angora

Obviously the bigger the better, however, if you want to keep your angora in show condition, any cage with a wire bottom is best.  I have used similar cages to the one pictured, and also used wooden cages with an insertable wire bottom in it as well.....  It is very hard to keep an angora in show condition if it lives on shavings that most other bunnies do, so for me its easier to keep them on wire bottoms, but remember to check their feet for any signs of uneven wearing, or sore hocks....

any does who are ready to give birth are in standard wooden cages, with wooden floors, to prtoect the babies....

 

A Bit About Their History.......

The Angora rabbit is a variety of domestic rabbit bred for its long, soft hair.  The Angora rabbit is thought to have originated in Ankara, (formerly known as Angora), Turkey, many years ago, along with the Angora Cat and Angora Goat.  Angoras were mentioned in the encyclopaedia of sciences as early as 1765.  Years of specialised breeding have resulted in the evolution of todays domesticated angoras which are raised primarily for wool production and companionship.  Gentle and sweet temperaments have resulted from the constant attention and grooming that is required to keep the coats in optimum condition.

The rabbits were popular pets with French royalty in the mid 1700s, and spread to other parts of Europe by the end of the century. They first appeared in the United States in the early 1900s. They are bred largely for their long angora wool, which may be removed by shearing or plucking (gently pulling loose wool).

 

The Angora Ailment - Wool Block

The one problem often considered the Grim Reaper of the Angora Rabbit is that of the old nemesis, Wool Block.  Wool Block is caused by the ingestion of wool or fur which, in turn, effectively plugs up the digestive tract.

As a rabbit grooms itself, it will naturally ingest some of the wool.  As the coat grows, so does the amount of wool ingested.  Thus. Wool block is found frequently in Angora Rabbits that are in full coat.  Under normal circumstances, the wool will be pushed through the digestive tract and you will notice “necklaces” of faecal pellets strung together with the wool.  This is normal and indicates the rabbit is handling the ingested wool.  However, large quantities of wool accumulating in the stomach can compact into a mass or ball, technically termed trichobezoar.  Eventually it can cover the pyloric valve, which is the opening between the stomach and the small intestine, thus blocking the passage of food into the intestinal tract.

The rabbit, feeling full, will either eat very little or nothing at all and will eventually die from starvation and/or dehydration.  The actual fur ball can be as large as a tennis ball and weigh over four ounces.  Analysis of the mass shows that it is made up of only 1/3 wool and 2/3 feed and mucus.

Hairballs can often be detected by palpating under the left side of the ribs.  Unlike cats and dogs, rabbits are unable to vomit or regurgitate hairballs. Because of this, hairballs can be a life threatening situation.

Prevention, as with all diseases, is the best cure.  First, choose your stock carefully.  It has been suggested that heredity may be a factor in wool block.  Some rabbits and their offspring seem to have a higher susceptibility to this problem.  Perhaps the pylorus of intestines have a smaller diameter.  When buying a rabbit, ask about wool block in the line.  If you find this occurring more often in a specific line, consider carefully before using those animals in your breeding program.

Next, check the wool type of the rabbit.  According to research done in the 1940’s, rabbit whose wool has a tendency to matt were more subject to wool block.  This was especially true when the animal was not supplied with hay.  Rabbits that tend to matt tend to have a longer crimp to the fibre.  When that wool breaks of or starts falling out the loose fibres work their way back into the coat.  This causes the rabbit to itch.  He scratches and pulls at his coat, breaking more fibres, and ends up ingesting more wool.

You can prevent Wool block from happening to a certain degree.  Here are some tips on what to do:

• Loose wool should be removed from the cage daily
• Remove all loose wool from the rabbit by grooming it at least once daily
• Watch those that are in full coat, as they are most likely to be in danger

 Some First Signs & Symptoms

• Loss of appetite 
• Weight loss
• Faecal pellets become small, hard and black
• Rabbit may act hungry but be unwilling to eat

Secondary Signs & Symptoms

These symptoms usually occur in the later stages of wool block meaning the rabbit has had the blockage for some time.

• Refusal to eat/ drink
• Extremely small faecal pellets of no faecal pellets
• Small Amounts of urine or no urination
• Wasting of felsh condition (rabbit will be extremely bony)
• Diarrohea/dehydration
• Lethargy
• Death

Prevention

There are many different methods one can use to help prevent wool block. Here are a few:

• Feeding high fibre hay every couple of days - or weekly
• Feeding pineapple juice once a week
• Feeding papaya tablets (1-3 each week)
• Maintaining a high fibre diet

 

Treating Wool Block

Once you have determined that your rabbit has wool block, or your rabbit has signs of wool block. Try one of the following methods to eliminate the mass. Acting quickly could mean the difference between life and death for your rabbit.

Some cat Hairball control methods have been known to be of use such as Furlax, Cat Lax

This remedy has been suggested as being very quick in eliminating the hairball
1/4 teaspoon meat tenderizer mixed in baby banana food or pineapple juice- give the whole mixture to the rabbit once a day. This method works quickly and you should see improvement as early as the next day.

Fresh Pineapple juice 3-4 times a day for at least three days

1 teaspoon twice daily of mineral oil for 3 days - this method works but could result in diarrhoea. Not advisable in later stages as this could dehydrate the animal further.

1-4 papaya tablets 3 times a day for 5 days

 If you do not see improvements with any of these treatments in a day or so, or if the rabbit appears to get worse, contact another rabbit breeder or consult your veterinarian right away.

Wool block is not something to mess around with.  If you suspect your rabbit is coming down with wool block. Start treating it early. The faster the rabbit is treated the better the chances are.  If the rabbit becomes severely dehydrated you will have to force electrolytes, water (liquids) down as much as possible.