Angora Rabbits Part 2

Taking care of angoras is more work than with the other farm animals. They require at least a weekly grooming in addition to pellet food, water, and all the hay they can eat. Rabbits are solitary animals for the most part although many people have had great experiences with combining neutered and spayed animals. Some even have communities for their rabbits. For the health of the animal it’s a good idea if you aren’t going to breed to get the rabbit spayed or neutered. Rabbits have a high risk of reproductive cancers and getting the animal fixed helps to prevent this.

Baby Drinking

A quick note on grooming I usually have to hit up the cat and dog section of the pet store for these items. An animal blower is a plus too and essential piece of equipment if you want to show your animals and a labor reducer for those who don’t. Blowing out the coat helps bring any matting to the surface to get it out easier.  I found that my husband’s air compresser works pretty well.

bunny grooming stand

Rabbit houseing does not have to be elaborate.  I use some wire cages and cages that are both wood and wire. The most inportant thing about getting the correct cage is to make sure it will accomodate the rabbit in a full coat and has a wire floor(1/2 by 1) this helps keep the wool (what you want) clean and lets the droppings and urine fall through.  Most of my cages have drop trays that are cleaned once a week. I have one large cage that I use plastic underneath. I put wood shavings in the trays and on the plastic. Pine is ok but don’t use cedar because it messes with rabbits respiratory tract. I’ve also used wood pellets and corn cobs they work very well. Angoras rarely ever get cold.  As long as they are out of the wind and not wet they do just fine in cold temperatures. The biggest risk is heat stroke. We use fans and frozen water bottles in the cages to create a swamp cooler effect. I also have an AC unit if it gets really hot. I clip them a bit shorter during the summer months.

Angora rabbits do groom themselves and swallow fiber. This can cause woolblock. It’s basically a hairball kind of like a cat would get. However Rabbits don’t vomit a hairball. It just stops up their digestive tract and can kill them. There are different ways to deal with the problem but the best thing is prevention. Groom the animal regularly, and giving fresh or dried papaya, or papaya tablets, or fresh pineapple(dried or canned won’t work) helps prevent woolblock from forming. These fruits have an enzyme that prevents the woolblock from forming.  My bunnies get 1-2 papaya tablets daily. To them it’s candy in fact I just need to shake the bottle and they are all up on the sides of their cages impatiently waiting for me to dole them out.

Giving papaya

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