Angora bedding

[ZoeStevens]

I just got my first bun, Abraham Lincoln, a male fawn English Angora. His cage is actually a large dog crate which he lives in when I am not home. I tried straw at first, for bedding, but it got all in his fur and around his bum, so I nixed that. Now I am using newspaper which is ok, but he kicks it around, and I figure it'll stain his fur eventually (I want to spin it). I was thinking that something ideal would be a towel or something but I have read that they can chew and ingest it. I don't care if he chews up a towel now and then but I don't want him to impact himself with it, of course.

Any ideas?

I use newspaper pellets for his litter box which is working out fine.

 

[MiniLopHop]

As long as he's litter trained I would suggest using a small fleese blanket. It doesn't have the threads so it doens't risk the GI issues.

Do you spin? I have an angora too and would so love to have a scarf made from his wool!

 

[ZoeStevens]

Awesome idea! He is litter trained for peeing, not so much for pooping, but the poops are easy and don't bug me. I just got him a few days ago though so I am hopeful he will get better with that.

I do indeed spin! I have been using a spindle for a couple years and just got my spinning wheel this year. You should get a spindle, you can do it by hand and they are pretty cheap (I got mine on etsy from a seller called VikingSanta). Otherwise, if you like, send it my way and I'll spin it and knit a scarf for you .

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Fleece is really good for long furred bunnies. It is also cheap compared to other bedding since you only need a couple blankets per rabbit and can wash them. I used fleece with my angoras and never had a problem with them.

For hay, you do want to keep it off the floor of the cage to help keep it out of the wool. It is easy enough to get out, but also a bit annoying to have to deal with.

If he is litter trained, he will be much cleaner and you won't have to worry about tons of stuff getting into his wool.

 

[PixelGirl2dot0]

Awww congrats on your English Angora! I bought a hank of fleece on super discount at our local craft store and cut it into 4 little "blankies" for my English Angora girl. She's litter trained for the most part, but still has an oopser as she's only 6 mos. old, so having more than one on hand is awesome for a quick changeout, and then you can just throw the dirty one in the wash. I got the "short napped" fleece, and she doesn't really chew it at all, just pushes it around to nest in it.

 

[ldoerr]

I agree with the fleece or just leaving the plastic base bare. The pan should have enough traction on its own and it easy to clean up.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Thank you! I have seen the spindles but wasn't sure how easy they would be to work with. I will have to get one. Luckily I have been saving his wool so I have several bags of it to work with.

This is from earlier this summer. He was so hot that when I started plucking loose wool it just kept coming out until he was basically bald! Now he's all back to fluff.

 

[HolyHandGrenade]

Mine lives in a dog crate too, and I just have her litter box and the plastic tray that came with the crate in there (and toys of course). I gave her a fleece blanket, but she just shoves it over and lays on the bare tray. It's slightly textured plastic, and her feet look fine.

The one time I've caught her kinda laying on the fleece:

 

[dungeonbunnies]

MiniLopHop, that looks like the time Mike was helping Harold shed, we filled a plastic grocery bag with the fur! lol

I'm glad someone asked about this though, I had a similar question about my lionhead's bedding.

 

[ZoeStevens]

Drop spindles are really easy to work with. I recommend a top whorl spindle. Maybe sure you get one with a hook on top and a little groove in the disk for the yarn to rest in. There are lots of great videos on you tube too.

I would recommend you get a little bit of crappy fiber to practice with - check around for local sheep or alpaca farms and see what you can find. Use dog brushes to card it on the cheap. Or get a couple oz of pre-made roving or top from ebay or something.

The nice thing about a angora is that you don't need to comb or brush it, just spin straight from the locks!