Angora rabbits

[HoldensLandingChickGirl]

I have had rabbits my entire adult life, right up until now, when we actually live on a farm, lol. So I have to remedy that, of course! In keeping with our mission to only have animals that have a purpose (other than being cute), I'm going with angoras. I met a breeder at CT Sheep & Wool last weekend and fell in love with her rabbits and have been researching ever since. Can't decide which type to go with though - there are so many pros/cons with each. So, do you have angoras? French, English, German, X? What do you like/dislike? Ultimately, the fiber will be spun by itself and with the fiber of the alpacas we are getting (and possibly with the sheep I may decide to get a few years own the road, but that's getting a *little* ahead of myself

) Tell me everything - the good, the bad and the ugly - thanks! Every time I think I am leaning towards one particular breed, I change my mind!

 

[punk-a-doodle]

I have only had an English, so I can mainly only give my input on them.

. I'm not really personally interested in the French or satins, because I have heard that they are not usually as friendly as the Germans and English. I'd love a German or German mix someday. But, I absolutely adored our English. He was not from a reliable breeder, just a family breeding them for 4H. I partly regret that because he came with an eye problem, and had to be put down after two unsuccessful surgeries. I partly don't, because he got out of a small, solitary cage and into a social family life, and because he was an absolute doll and a complete joy to have. I plan on getting several angoras in the future for pets/wool...from a breeder this time. My husband had never been around rabbits before, but also wants angoras in the future because of our spunky little guy. Even people who said they hate rabbits, fell in love with that cute, fuzzy face, and kept coming over to visit him. XD. Angoras seem to have that effect, being both fuzzy and docile. Our English wore a break-away cat collar, and hopped on the couch with us, played around the house, and would sit patiently on your lap when you clipped him. He was easy to walk on a halter outside.
That said, they take more work than the average rabbit. If they are not clipped, their fur grows and mats...to the point they can't even move in neglectful situations. You have to cut their fur often, or brush it insanely often if showing them in a full coat. All that cutting and clipping (unless you choose to pluck, which produces a higher quality harvest) means that thin rabbit skin is in danger of being sliced. My understanding is that some of the angora breeds shed differently as well, so I'm not sure plucking is always an option. Because of all the wool, you have to feed an angora something to prevent wool block. We fed fresh papaya. I hear the english angoras are especially playful, and that was definitely our experience. This playfulness means you have to protect anything in your home, if keeping the rabbit inside, from being chewed. Course, that is true with any rabbit. If keeping outside on wire, commonly done to protect the wool, you need to carefully monitor their feet for any problems.
Please post pictures as you journey into angoras. I don't think you can really go wrong with any breed. Since you've had rabbits, you know the personality differences that tend to crop up in the two genders, and which you prefer to work with. You'll love them!

 

[HoldensLandingChickGirl]

Thank you so much for your reply. The English are so adorable. With all the rabbits I have had in my life, we started out with only rabbits from a farm/reputable breeder, but then it became a rescue mission; every time I was in a mall with a pet store I ended up bringing home a rabbit that looked like it was sick or mistreated or unhappy. I will be only going with a reputable breeder this time around, for a million reasons (And i am staying away from malls and pet stores, lol).

I always fed pineapple and pineapple juice to prevent wool black. I just read about papaya yesterday - didn't know it had the same effect!

 

[Henrietta23]

I don't have any answers for you but I'm going to post so I can follow! I was at CT SHeep and Wool too. There were some gorgeous rabbits there! A good friend has a German and I may be getting her rabbit's niece next week!!
My first rabbit was a mall pet store "dwarf". The next was a rescue. We lost him last year and the next day I saw that the local dog pound had two rabbits. We brought Martha home that day. This will be our first angora and the first time we've had two rabbits at once. They're both females and will live at opposite ends of the house from each other.

 

[HoldensLandingChickGirl]

I went with Giant Angoras. I bought directly from the breed originator. She lives in MA and is the one I talked to at CT Sheep & Wool. I went to MA Sheep & Wool specifically to buy from her. So I am now the proud owner of a REW buck (2 months old) and a black doe (4 months old). they look like huge puff balls, lol!

 

[dbunni]

Good choice. We currently work with GA & EA. Have had the others through time. For ease of coat prep and production we stayed with the GA, EA set. The EA because I love to show and be tortured by the work! The Giants or Germans are the true production animals. If you are looking to spin ... they are the game! Congrats on the new kiddos!

 

[debilorrah]

I have French Angoras and their temperment is very cuddly and friendly. If they are handled alot from birth, they will love people. I chose the French because they don't have the ear hair and it's one less thing to have to brush!!