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General
The Angora rabbit is a domestic rabbit which are bred largely for their long Angora wool, which may be removed by shearing, combing, or plucking (gently pulling loose wool). It is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, originating in Ankara, Turkey, along with the Angora cat and Angora goat. They 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.
Breeds
There are many individual breeds of Angora rabbits, four of which are recognized by the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association, Inc.) They are English, French, Giant and Satin. Other breeds include German, Chinese, Swiss and Finnish,
to name a few.
Personality
Angora Rabbits are active, playful and social with lots of personality. They enjoy the attention of their owner, as well as the companionship of other rabbits. They enjoy having toys for example a plastic ball, a pine cone, a piece of soft wood, a stuffedsock or an old glove.
The French Angora
The French Angora weighs from 7 1/2 to 10 lbs, with a commercial body type. It differs from the English, Giant and German Angora in that it possesses a clean face and front feet with only minor tufting on the rear legs. The color of a French Angora is determined by the color of its head, feet and tail (all the same color). They have a preponderance of guard hair on the surface, with wool as an undercoat. If the texture is correct, it requires less maintenance than other Angora breeds. They are shown at ARBA shows using the types "white" and "colored". Accepted ARBA varieties are Agouti, Pointed White, Self, Shaded, Ticked, Wide Band, and Broken. As with other ARBA shown rabbits toe nails should also be only one color.
Wool
French Angora rabbits develop a lovely coat of wool that molts roughly every three months, providing roughly 50-75 grams of wool each molt. There is no warmer wool than Angora. Angora is so warm that it is usually spun with other wool as a sweater as pure Angora would be just too warm to wear. Our angora is homespun into 100% Angora yarn and crocheted into lovely mittens and scarves. Sometimes we have a few of these lovely homespun creations for sale.
Care
Angoras are more demanding when it comes to their care. Maintenance is a must. Regardless of breed, all Angoras must be monitored to prevent wool block, a condition where their innards become clogged with hair. Due to their wool, they must be combed at least every other week, weekly is better. Otherwise they develop mattes which ruin the wool. And when cleaning themselves they ingest the loose wool and this creates wool block. Wool block is very dangerous and can be fatal. Angoras can not regurgitate a wool ball like cats do hairballs. This wool is not easily digested and sits in their stomach causing them to stop eating and drinking which is fatal. Angoras are not a rabbit to own on a whim. But with serious intent and proper care they are loveable and wonderful to own.
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