Angora help and tips please thank you.

[JAK Rabbitry]

So I have 3 angoras. I used to have 3 angoras along tiem ago but I got tired of them...I gave ap air to my friend Emily, who sold the cannibalistic doe.... and I sold my remaining one. I figured I was done with Angoras.... But then my friend Emily got prego and her perants wouldn't let Io live in the house, and she didn't have an outdoor hutch, so I agreed to take him back for winter. He was also a rescue rabbit. Because I had doctored him for so long before I gave him to her, I had no problem with caring for him over the winter. I Figured y'know since he's here....he should have a girlfriend and keep busy. Ahem. So while I was in Medina I buoght a really nice little girl for him....I entered her in the show on Sunday and she ended up getting BOB (Pam Nock had the honor of judging her). Then someoen else kinda dumped off a nice REW buck and now I have 3 again. They're a handful. So much brushing and brushing.....and.....brushing... I've never reallyshown them before but I figure since I have nice stock now I should. Io(Emily's bunny) has really short wool that doesn't grow...or stay clean for more than a few hours...I jsut give him a nice buzz in summer so I don't have to deal with him. I'm sure he's much happier too.But Nimbus and Alea... uh.....keeping an angora in show condition...i've found....is pretty rough.

I've had to clip tiny pieces and mats off of Alea....and hen I was goign to breed her....I gave her vent area a trim so everything wuoldn't get in the way. She ended up not catching so I figure since she's not gonna be prego i'll just take her to the PA Convention and show her.

One question is : Alea's been clipped kinda funny....I had to do some major modifying of her bangs and belly.... if the wool there is a little shorter...will she get DQ'd? What exactly...alogn these lines...is grounds for a DQ? I mean I'm not about to take a shaved angora and try to show it but Ally doesn't have much of a mustache either. I had to trim it a little short and now it's growing back reaaaallll slow. Would he get DQ'd for having obviously trimmed wool in some places? I don't expect her to get full marks on them either, but she's got some kickin' type that I feel bad letting go to waste.

Nimbus is in great shape....he only gets really tiny mats around his neck on occasion and keeps him self..amazginly....really clean. I just have to brush out the loose stuff like once a week and he's ready to go. I dont' know how he does it but its very hadny.

Insight on Ally please?
And also Io gets bad dandruff. I'd rather not give him a bath becuse of the cool weather but I may have to a nd keep him in for a few days but is there anything else I can do to help that go away? It can't be fun.

Yeesh. Angoras are pretty and fun and sweet but ....the brushing.... *sob*

 

[TinysMom]

Good luck in showing. My understanding is that anytime you clip a rabbit at all...it is DQ'd....but I only know lionheads.

Peg

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

Thanks for the tidbit of info. Adn the luck. I could always use luck.

Lionheads just have that ridiculous mane goin' for them, so its understandable why they would be DQ'd for any kind of clipping. And when I say ridiculous...I mean it in a good way.

Angoras are....covered in that stuff. So I wondered if it would matterif just tiny pieces were clipped. Or if it's not obvous I clipped them maybe I can just....sneak by...
I trimmed her belly hair real short since it drags over the bottom ofher cage and pretty much everything sticks to it. Katamari Damacy bunny. haha! Nobody knows about Katamari....it was just a dumb game where you're a little man with a ball...and oyu roll the ball around and anything smaller than the ball sticks to it. And the ball grows as more thigns stick to it. So you start by picking up paper clips and pencils and end up with people, cars, and building stuck to you.

Angoras....katamari rabbits....

 

[pamnock]

Some Angora breeders give oral Ivermec or shots once a week during show season - they are more prone to mites than other breeds.

I've spenta lot oftime shearing and blowing Angoras and I can certainly attest that it's not an easy undertaking.

The first thing you'll need for proper grooming is a blower - brushing removes density from the coat. The coats should be blown at least every few days.

When shearing, try not to cut the furnishings - they take much longer to grow back than the rest of the coat. Total lack of furnishings is aDQ in the English, so it's assumed that no one would purposely put themselves at a disadvantage by trimming them off - so we generally don't consider it "faking" - just over-zealous grooming.

Shearing is part of the purpose of Angoras, so it's assumed that some on the table will show signs ofbeing cut down if their coats haven't fully grown in. They are generally faulted for uneven coats, and place lower than a nice finished coat.

Pam

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

I was going to try avoiding buying a blower.... and by buying a blower I mean NOT SPEND A BAJILLION DOLLARS!!!

My wedding dress kind of just ate all my funds for the moment :shock: Ithink they can get by with just being brushed for a while...

But thanks that was helpful.

Now when you see my patchy lookin' angoras on the table you'll be like '' oh look these must be Jesse's monstrosities...''