Possible Angora, Angora Cross?

[iShiznitch]

Adopted as a stray in a rural area. She's rather large, at adoption she weighed 2.69kg, and was considered underweight. She's certainly put some weight on after the fact. I think. There is way too much hair involved to be certain, and she is never lacking in appetite.

I'm not sure if personality is a factor, as a life with animals has taught me that there are never rules, only exceptions. Regardless, she is rather docile, and while I have seen her binky around the room (usually at 5 in the morning), it is rather subdued as compared to the small little lionhead that I used to own.

I'm interested in thoughts?

And her latest look, after trimming inches off. I've been working on it slowly over the course of a few days because she's not a fan of... anything that has to do with trimming and grooming actually haha. Hopefully that will change once I fully work through that mess. And it was a mess.

Quite the undercoat.

 

[rabbitgeek]

Yes, that's an Angora! I like black angora wool. I would let the wool grow out. French Angoras will have short hair on ears, face, and front legs. They usually have coats that be plucked at the molting period which could be every 3 to 6 months. Or you can shear it with scissors when the molt starts.

If you don't spin wool you can sell or trade. The going rate is $4 US per ounce. Sometimes more.

Have a good day!

 

[iShiznitch]

That is actually good to know! I definitely like her appearance with a full coat, so I will let it grow out as soon as I finish getting the last old mat out of that undercoat. Maybe I'll find a way to collect what she does lose. She's has a promising future as a simple house bunny, so I will wait and see what she's comfortable with!

Thanks for your reply!

 

[HappyFarmBunnies]

Oh, she's absolutely stunning! Looking a little gnarly with her new grooming but when it all grows out nicely (and be much more comfortable for her without any tangles or mats!) she is going to be absolutely gorgeous.

 

[mistyjr]

I have to AGREE! She is very stunning, Just beautiful!

 

[MiniLopHop]

Definately a French Angora and beautiful!

I have an English Angora who didn't like to be groomed at first. What I found works is to put a folded blanket on my desk so he has traction. Then put of dish of food in front of him (Houdini is always on the edge of skinny too) then he's so distracted by the food he doesn't care what I do to his body

I use a shedding rake first, then a comb designed for faces (both from cat section of pet store) to get any trace of mat removed. I just keep the fur that comes out in a bag and it can be used later. If you want to sell the wool you can google other grooming techniques. I prefer to brush him out on a regular basis so there are no mats rather than focusing on getting the premium wool that you get when they blow their coats and are plucked. To me he is pet first, then wool producer.

You may also come across people saying to only give them hay as a small treat. I totally disagree with this because it puts the rabbit's health at risk. Yes, it will prevent hay from getting tangled in the wool (ie make more money), but then the bun is more at risk from blockage because they don't have enough roughage to keep the ingested wool moving. Just my two cents.

If you have any questions please feel free to message me. There are not many angora house bunny pets around, but I think they are wonderful

 

[iShiznitch]

Thank you so much for the replies!!

That sounds like it should work perfectly. She is such a food hound its actually quite easy to distract her. But she also eats pretty darn fast so I have to be quick XD

She used to get quite tangled up in her hay, but I've found a useful folded box to make a little rack for her so that she just has to stick her head in - voila! Less tangles and definitely less hay strewn about the room. And she gets her all-she-can-eat hay buffet throughout day and night.

Thanks again for the information/replies!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

With Lillian, I have the hay rack just above the litter box. This allows her all the hay she wants, but keeps it contained and out of her fur. She still gets a bit of hay in her fur, but it's like a few pieces a week. It can also be helpful to keep the underside, especially around the bum, trimmed as this helps keep hay off as well as poop and pee from getting into the fur and causing problems.

For grooming, if you are not wanting to use a blower, I would get a slicker brush (not one with the nubs on the end) and a fine toothed comb. I use a small dog slicker brush (I also have dogs, so use the same brushes) and the comb is also a dog one that is more for fine hair or the face. You do need to get down to the skin when you brush to keep the wool from getting tangled. Other types of brushes don't really get through the wool enough to really help. A good pair of scissors is also helpful to cut out any mats (be careful to not cut the skin) and trim her up when you do groom her. Nail trimmers are also good to have (I like the small dog or cat ones that are scissor type with a spring), as well as clotting powder incase you cut too far. Q-tips are good to clean the scent glands.
If you wanted to try using a blower, I would get a small shop vac that has a blower port. This is enough power to open up the coat and blow out the dander and loose wool without being really expensive. I got mine for about $35 at Walmart.