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English Angora

This breed is probably the most distinctive because of its long heavy fur that covers its ears and face. In full coat, their bunny features are covered and sometimes they are mistaken to be a small dog. The wool is silky and fine which makes it very soft. The English angora looks like a ball of fluff, to quote the breed standard. They come in many colors, and have long, dense wool over their entire body. English angoras even have wool on their head, ears, feet, and tail. A good English Angora rabbit does not look very much like a rabbit, mainly because of his head furnishings: long tassels on the ears, abundant head bangs and side trimmings with the eyes hidden under all of the furnishings. The face should be short, flat and wide. With these kind of facial characteristics, no wonder people are confused about whether they are seeing a rabbit or a Pekinese dog! The English Angora comes in white and a variety of beautiful colors. The coat is characterized by having little guard hair in proportion to its wool, and wraps rather tightly when spun, with relatively minimal fluffing. It is one of the smallest if not the smallest breed of the Angoras, weighing 5 to 7 1/2 pounds at maturity. English Angora Rabbit Breed History/Origin The Angora rabbit is one of the oldest domestic breed of rabbits, likely originating from Ankara, Turkey (historically known as Angora). The exact history of angora rabbits is unknown, but there are Roman records of wooled rabbits as early as 100 BC. The Romans possibly brought their angora rabbits into eastern Europe, as by 500-600 AD angoras were firmly established. The first mention of angoras in England was in the 1500's. Records from France state that the first angoras appeared in their country in 1723. Angoras were brought to the United States around 1900, and they were primarily show rabbits. When they eventually made their way to America, prior to 1939, there was merely one type of woolly rabbits, which was called the "Angora Wooler." In 1939, the Angora Wooler was re-classified into two type of rabbits – the French and English type. In 1944, the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association) officially separated these into two breeds, which are now known as the French Angora and English Angora Rabbit. In the United States, the French and English angoras were lumped together as one breed until 1944, when the ARBA recognized the English angora as its own breed. Overall Description These small, compact rabbits have a broad, flat head and short ears with plenty of woolly fur on them. They also have fur on their faces (unlike any other Angora), as well as woolly feet. Rabbits of the Angora breed are adorned with "fur", growths of wool on the ears and the entire face except above the nose, and front feet, along with their thick body, and wool. They are gentle in nature, but they are not recommended for those who do not groom their animals. Their wool is very dense and needs to be groomed twice a week. This is the smallest Angora rabbit of the four ARBA-recognized breeds. This breed is more common as a pet because of the facial features that give it a puppy dog or teddy bear look. If the texture of the wool is correct, the maintenance is relatively easy; if the texture of the rabbit is cottony, it requires a great deal of maintenance. They are sometimes affectionately known as the "Wooly Wabbits". English angoras are primarily show rabbits in the United States, and they are often Best In Show winners. English angoras are also kept for their wool, which can be spun into yarn. Coat English Angoras can come in a rainbow of different colors. The English Angora rabbit is the only Angora that has facial furnishings. This means they have dense bands and even side trimmings so their entire body (including their feet) are covered in fur. They are often called "round balls of fluff" when their coat is in perfect condition. The English Angora's coat is thick, woolly and silky in texture. Regular grooming, even during off-shedding periods, are necessary, or else their fur become tangled, matted and otherwise unpleasant. Whether you are raising your English Angora rabbit to be a show rabbit, wool production rabbit or pet rabbit, it is important to keep their coat tangle-free. In order to do this, use a pet grooming brush with wire bristles (similar to those used with dogs or cats) once to twice a week. If you're English Angora is a pet, be sure to take it to a groomer or use shears to keep their coat short, as it will constantly grow. Those using the English Angoras for their wool report shearing their coat about four times per year, and that can add up to a lot of wool! Should any matting appear, you may also use shears to remove them. If you decide to keep an English Angora rabbit as a pet, giving them what is known as a "puppy cut" will make grooming them easier. This kind of "haircut" involves shearing most of their bodies and faces to keep their coat short, but leaving their feet and ear coat relatively long. The result is a rabbit that resembles somewhat of a tiny poodle. The Length of the coat/wool: There has been some controversy in the Angora World in the last few years. If you read the Breed Standard, there is a minimum length of 2 inches, but no maximum length. There is "no advantage" which means no extra points given to wool longer than 5 inches. The standard did not say there is a "disadvantage" which means points taken away from the wool longer than 5 inches. The conclusion, therefore, is that the wool cannot be "too long" Colors English Angoras can come in a rainbow of different colors. The Agouti group of English Angoras is classified as Lynx, Chestnut and Chocolate. The Self group comes in Black, Blue, Chocolate or Lilac, the Shaded Group English Angoras are Black Tort, Blue Tort, Chocolate Tort or Lilac Tort and the Show Class is classified as having ruby eyes and a white coat. Finally, the Pointed Group English Angoras have either white wool with either black spots on their nose and legs (these are called the Black Pointed White), white wool with brown spots on their nose and legs (Chocolate Pointed White) or white wool with light grey spots on their nose and legs (Blue Pointed White). The English Angora can be bred to have broken colors—i.e., white with black spots—but this is not accepted by ARBA standards, and would lead to a disqualification when showing the rabbit. When showing an English Angora rabbit, the toenails should also be only one color, the ears could be folded over at the tips, and the furnishings on the face may cover their eyes. The English Angora is the only one of the Angora breeds that has hair covering its eyes. Recognized Varieties: English angoras are shown in two color classification: white and colored. The white classification includes pointed whites (Himalayan marked), red eyed white (REW), and blue eyed white (BEW). The varieties in the colored class are chinchilla, chocolate chinchilla, lilac chinchilla, squirrel, chestnut, chocolate agouti, copper, lynx, opal, broken, black, blue, chocolate, lilac, pearl, sable, seal, smoke pearl, blue tortoiseshell, chocolate tortoiseshell, lilac tortoiseshell, tortoiseshell, blue steel, chocolate steel, lilac steel, steel, cream, fawn, and red. ARBA Body Type: Compact Approximate Size: 5 to 7 1/2 pounds Important Things to Look for When Buying Stock: Wool carries the most points in the English angora standard. The wool should be very dense, with a silky texture. It should be free from mats. It should look healthy, and not part over the back. The underwool should be crimped, with guard hairs present. The wool should be an even length over the rabbit's entire body, gradually blending to the shorter wool on the belly. The ideal length for the wool is 3 1/2 to 5 inches. Longer wool is not given any advantage. Wool should not be so long that is spoils the "ball of fluff" look of English angoras. English angoras should be close-coupled and compact. Look for a well-rounded, deep rabbit. The topline should rise from right behind the ears, reach a high point above the hips, than round down smoothly to the base of the tail. The head should be broad with bangs and side trimmings. The ears should be short, carried in a small "V", and fringed and tasseled. Feet and tail are to have wool. In addition to a good face, an English Angora rabbit's body should be short and cobby; legs and feet should have good wool coverage. Last, but not least, the wool quality should be dense, silky and long. According to The Standards of Perfection of the American Rabbit Breeders Association, 57 percent of the points in judging English Angora rabbits are allocated to wool. Of these 57 points, 25 points are on density, 20 points are on texture and 12 points are on length. Though one does not want to keep an English Angora rabbit in show coat at all times, a good quality rabbit should be capable of putting on a good coat. An English Angora in top condition is one of the most beautiful animals in the world. A neglected one, however, is the saddest thing one can ever see. Care Requirements First and foremost, English Angoras require a lot of attention in the coat department because their coat is so woolly and thick. They need regular brushings (1-2 times a week) with a wire-bristled comb and shearing approximately four times a year to keep their coat mat-free. Unless you are willing to dedicate this much time into keeping your rabbit happy and healthy, I would not recommend this breed for first-time owners. Feeding English Angoras: One of the most important part of angora care is the feeding. Angoras need extra protein to support constant wool production. It is recommended feeding Angora rabbits 18% protein commercial rabbit pellets which can be bought at any pet store that carries rabbit supplies. Up until 4-6 months you can full feed your rabbit at any time with pellets and Timothy hay. After 6 months your rabbit is an adult and their food needs to be cut back. A good daily formula to follow for pellets is: approx. 1/2 - 3/4 cups of feed for English angoras and approx. 3/4 - 1 cup of feed for French, German, and Satin angoras Hay: Feed rabbits Timothy hay to add roughage to their diet which helps prevent "wool block". Twice a day, stuff a hand full of hay into both ends of an empty toilet paper roll tube. you can also use a hay feeder but some rabbits will knock the hay into their cages and it gets in their fur. Sticking it in the door is another option. Like most rabbits, English Angora rabbits require a diet consisting 70 percent of hay. The remaining 30 percent should be equal amounts of fresh fruits, vegetables and high-quality pellets to ensure they are getting the recommended vitamins, nutrients and proteins needed to grow. Baby rabbits, or "kits," require a different diet. Any kit younger than 3 weeks old should strictly be drinking their mother's milk. Kits that are 3-4 weeks old can be given nibbles of alfalfa as well as pellets and once they are 4-7 weeks, you should given them access to plenty pellets as well as alfalfa. When kits are 7 weeks to 7 months old, you should switch to unlimited pellets and hay and finally, when they are 12 weeks old, slowly introduce them to vegetables to find out which ones they prefer. A note on Feeders: "J" feeders are convenient, but may damage the head furnishings. An inside feeder of at least 4"x4" is nice, but it requires to open each cage door at feeding time. A note on Water: Use a water bottle, not a crock. An English Angora rabbit's trimmings are easily matted if he has to drink water out of a crock or a dish. Always make sure you rabbit has fresh water every day. Treats: Try to only give rabbits treats once a week. You can give them a gourmet meal of bananas, broccoli, and papaya, plus extra hay. Grass (fresh wild weed grass, lawn clippings as long as they do not contain residues of fertilizer and spray), greens, oranges, apples, carrots, melons, plums, grapefruits, peaches, corn, corn stalks. A variety of food can give them different nutrients. Never overdo it, however. Small portions give them enjoyment; large quantities give them diarrhea. When giving treats, if the rabbit does not consume them right away, make sure that wool does not stick to the treat. If there is wool on the treat, remove the wool or discard the treat to lessen the chance of woolblock. This helps to keep their digestive system healthy and to prevent wool block. Begin this kind of supplementation at 4-6 months of age. Babies' systems are delicate, so be careful to introduce new items slowly into their diet. It is also recommend giving your rabbit Papaya tablets (to prevent/relieve Wool Block) 2-5 tablets once a week. They are available in health food stores and sometimes in the vitamin section of grocery stores. Wildbird seed mix: Some rabbits love this mix. Once or twice a month, withhold the regular rabbit feed and give 1/4 cup of this mix as a substitute. This has also been reportedly helped with minimizing wool Block issues. English Angora rabbits require a high protein high fiber diet. The protein is necessary for wool growth and the fiber is necessary for lessening the problem of woolblock. Due to the weight limit placed on the English Angora rabbits in the A.R.B.A. Standard, you also should control the diet. In addition, by feeding the same amount in each feeding, the owner will have a good idea whether the rabbit is in a normal state or not. If the dish is empty before the next feeding, generally speaking, the rabbit is doing fine. If there are leftovers in the dish for a couple of feedings, the owner better carefully check on the rabbit to see whether the water bottle is functioning well; whether the rabbit is suffering from diarrhea, woolblock or even maggot infestation. Angoras enjoy alfafa hay, grass hay and oat hay. Alfafa hay is rich in protein but quite messy to use. When buying Alfafa hay, select the bale which looks green and fresh from the outside, preferably with the dried leaves attached to the stems. The yellowish ones are too dry and leaves will fall out in the rabbits cage. The rabbit enjoy alfafa but the grass and oat hay are the ones which provide the rough-age necessary to prevent wool block. Housing English Angoras make great pets and their enclosure can either be indoors or outdoors, depending on your housing situation. Indoor bunny enclosures should be large enough to allow your rabbit to move around freely and should have bedding to keep your Angora happy. To ensure a clean coat, make sure to spot-clean your rabbit's enclosure everyday and change their bedding once or twice a week. If the enclosure it outside, make sure it has enough protection from dangers such as inclement weather and other wildlife, but access to wind and sun. Exercise: Rabbits need exercise just like people. Since an English Angora rabbit's coat can pick up dirt, leaves and stickers from the ground, it is necessary to confine him in a clean area. If you choose in-house exercise, you should rabbit-proof the areas your rabbit is allowed to visit. Rabbits can do great damage to electrical cords of all types. If the power happens to be on when the rabbit is chewing, they could die from electrocution. If you choose an outdoor exercise area, the ideal set up will have a solid fence, large lawn, no predators, no swimming pool, a little sun with lots of shade and some tasty greens available for digging and munching. Not all yards satisfy these requirements. One possible way to come close to this is to construct an exercise pen and move it to areas on the lawn or patio under a tree. When exercise time is over, you should check to see how much sticker, twigs and other debris are attached to the coat of the English Angora rabbit. Make sure they are all removed before putting the rabbit back into the cage. If not done, the rabbit is likely to try to lick them off himself and ingest wool in the process and cause woolblock. In addition, if there are any foxtails and burrs, they could cause injuries to the rabbits' skin and eyes GROOMING Grooming, Care, and Additional Notes: English angoras have the softest wool of the four ARBA angora breeds. They also require the most grooming. Starting at eight weeks of age, your angora will need to be groomed at least once a week. When the rabbit is young, use a wide-toothed comb for grooming. When English angoras reach four or five months old you should start using a slicker brush and grooming twice a week. If grooming is done on a once or twice a week basis, it should take about fifteen minutes to groom your angora. A great source of English angora information, including details on grooming, can be found here: www.bettychuenglishangora.com. When grooming you rabbit, don't forget to turn it over and check its belly and bottom for mats and debris that may have been caught in the wool. Grooming tools consist of a small and large pet grooming brush (wire-bristles), a small-tooth comb for combing out matts, a small pair of scissors for cutting out matts, and nail trimmers. If you are raising show rabbits, a blower is optional. Your rabbit will usually surrender peacefully to their grooming time if you make it a regular practice. HARVESTING Most angoras will naturally shed their coat 3-4 times a year, basically every 90 days. When you start seeing clumps of wool sticking to the cage or the rabbit dragging strings of wool behind it, then the wool is probably ready for harvest. It usually takes about 1-2 hours of grooming time per rabbit. You can hand harvest rabbits, which is gently pulling the loose fiber from the rabbit with your fingers. This does not hurt the rabbit because it is wool that the rabbit is shedding naturally, pretty much like a dog shedding its coat. Store the wool in between sheets of tissue paper inside of a sweater box or paper bag. If you are planning to sell the wool, make sure to lay the staples of wool parallel to each other in the same direction. It is important that the staples stay neat. If you are planning on spinning your bunny's wool, try to let it grow at least 3 inches long, 4 inches or more is better as long as the rabbit remains healthy. Groom the rabbit at least 2-3 times a week to keep it clean and tangle-free. WOOL BLOCK The natural self-grooming process for an Angora rabbit is the same as for a cat. They lick their coats to keep it clean. When their coats start to shed, they will most likely ingest any loose fibers. Unlike a cat, your rabbit will not be able to regurgitate the fiber from its stomach, and a large build up will clog its digestive system and intestines. When this happens your rabbit will stop eating its food and drinking water because it thinks it is already full. If left untreated, your rabbit will starve to death. The dying process is slow and painful - when the rabbit's stomach is full of wool, the rabbit cannot eat, and he starves to death. For short haired rabbits, hairballs are a problem, but not nearly as great of a problem as with Angora rabbits. For Angora rabbits, hairball, or woolblock, is the Number 1 killer. Many Angora rabbits die unnecessarily young. One sure sign of wool block, besides a loss of appetite, is when your rabbit's feces become very small and dry. The stool of a healthy rabbit is large, round, and moist. In extreme cases, defecation and urination will cease all together. Therefore, you should always pay close attention to how your rabbit is eliminating. Secondly, if your usually happy and playful bunny all of a sudden becomes lethargic and loses its appetite, it probably doesn't feel well. "Marble watching" : Droppings tell you the condition of the rabbit's health. Watching these marbles is another task for a conscientious breeder. If the droppings are round, moist, dark-brown and evenly large, the rabbit is in good health. If the droppings start to look like a "necklace", droppings being connected by strings of wool, you should pay more attention to the rabbit. If he is still eating the normal amount of feed and drinking normal amount of water, he probably is still healthy. If not, he may be blocked. If the droppings start to be of uneven size, some big and some small, irregularly shaped, with light color and a dry look, this is a sign of wool in the system. If the rabbit is not eating well, that provides further evidence he is blocked. If the rabbit stops eating, excretes few droppings, and these droppings look oily and gluey or totally dry, he may be near the end of the rope. What do you do if the rabbit is blocked? The first thing you should do when you suspect wool block is consult a veterinarian who specializes in rabbits. If that is not possible; First, remove all of the wool. Immediately take away your rabbit's pellets and feed it more hay. Also, adding a little pineapple juice to its water helps increase stomach enzymes. If that doesn't work give your bunny mineral oil, Canola oil or Coconut oil. It may also be wise to use a superstrength enzyme instead of the maintenance-oriented enzyme used weekly. One possible enzyme is called "Prozyme". Use the mixture of Prozyme with banana or Prozyme with Ensure to help add enzyme and nutrients to the rabbit. Use a syringe to administer the mixture into the rabbits mouth. At this time, since the rabbit probably has stopped eating, Ensure also helps to prevent dehydration. If one follows the above method closely, the rabbit usually comes out of the woolblock in about a week. If the blockage is too large to be pushed out, some veterinarians are able to surgically removed the woolball. Woolblock, however, is not totally reversible unless the woolball is removed by surgery. Once the rabbit is blocked, he is likely to become blocked again, because some of the woolball in the system cannot be totally forced out. Keep an eye on this rabbit to detect re-occurrences of the problem. In extreme cases, saving the life of your rabbit may mean consulting a veterinarian or using intravenous feeding. I hope you will never have to experience wool block with you rabbit. It can be scary but it can be reversed if detected soon enough. Keep a close eye on your rabbits. Health English Angoras make great pets and their enclosure can either be indoors or outdoors. The most worrisome health issue the English Angora rabbit faces is the potential for woolblock, which we just covered. Thankfully, there are ways of preventing wool block in your rabbit, diet being the most important. Make sure your rabbit's diet is high in fiber and groom your rabbit regularly. Many breeders also supplement with pineapple chunks or papaya tablets once a week to prevent wool block. Regular grooming even during off-shedding periods are necessary to prevent woolblock with the English Angora rabbit. Weather: English Angoras as well as other rabbits, are susceptible to heat, drafts and wetness. In the winter time, make sure they are well protected from wind, rain and snow. In the summer time if the temperature is over 85F, put an ice bottle in the cage. An ice bottle is a two-liter soda pop bottle filled with water and frozen solid. When the temperature is over 92F rabbits can easily die from heat exhaustion if they are not cooled. Temperament/Behavior English Angoras are even-tempered rabbits who love to spend quality time with their human handlers. Because they require so much grooming, they will no doubt bond with the person who grooms them the most often, especially if it is the same person who feeds, pets and plays with them. Most English angoras have very nice temperaments, and will calmly let you groom them. They even lie quite still while you groom their bellies. They do not have the tendency to be skittish or ill-mannered, so introducing them to children won't be difficult. While they don't crave constant attention, their personalities flourish when they are mostly out and about and interacting with humans, which is why this is a great breed for both singles and couples who would like a pet in their lives. When they are having their daily outdoor time out of their enclosures, make sure to have a couple of toys handy so they can chew. Aside from wool block, some rabbits also develop overgrown teeth due to poor diet. Should you be feeding your rabbit a balanced diet of hay, pellets and vegetables, overgrown teeth should not be a problem but giving them something to chew on (like a dog toy) won't hurt, plus it will keep them entertained. Some rabbits also like chewing on pieces of wood (some have been known to chew parts of their wooden enclosure), so giving them a piece of rabbit-safe wood to entertain them is also acceptable. These creatures are docile and sociable, so be sure to take them out of their enclosure to have plenty indoor or outdoor playtime. Should you live in an apartment or home with no fenced backyard, letting your rabbit roam free around the house will give them plenty of exercise, however they would also love to go outside and catch some rays and feel the grass beneath their feet. Clubs: For a new rabbit owner, the first club to join the American Rabbit Breeders Association (Eric Stewart, Executive Director of ARBA, P.O. Box 5667, Bloomington, Ill. 6l702, $20.00 per year). Membership fee includes four issues of Domestic Rabbits per year. In Domestic Rabbits, there is a show schedule which lists shows around the nation by state. For Angora owners, the next club to join is the National Angora Rabbit Breeders Club . In the first year, a new member receives a guide book and 4 issues of Angora News. With a renewal you receive 4 issues of Angora News. In order to receive "points" from shows attended, one has to be a member of NARBC. There is a lot of additional information available from Betty Chu: She is the breeder of the first Angora rabbit that won the Open Best in Show in the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeder Association) National Convention, and Betty Chu offers information on care, grooming, showing, color genetics and judging the English Angora. There will be a link to her website in the show notes. Due to the time, knowledge, love and discipline required to care for them, English Angora rabbits are not for everyone. It is necessary to understand that taking on the task of raising English Angoras is a long term commitment of feeding, watering, grooming, and prevention of woolblock. In return, English Angora rabbits will give you back love, affection, companionship and luxurious fiber for spinning.

https://www.petguide.com/breeds/rabbit/english-angora-rabbit/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angora_rabbit https://www.petguide.com/breeds/rabbit/english-angora-rabbit/ http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/angora-care.shtml http://www.thenaturetrail.com/rabbit-breeds/english-angora-rabbit-breed-information/ http://bettychuenglishangora.angorarabbit.com/ http://bettychuenglishangora.angorarabbit.com/cares/index.html http://bettychuenglishangora.angorarabbit.com/grooming/index.html http://bettychuenglishangora.angorarabbit.com/showing/index.html http://bettychuenglishangora.angorarabbit.com/judging/index.html

 

Rabbit Vocabulary word is: Separated

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