Some folks work to keep their Angoras pristine and then pluck and brush the wool off when they shed… we do that about three seasons of the year, but in the winter, it’s just hard to keep up as nicely as we might like to. And you want them to have a nice fluff layer to keep warm. So, we shear them in the early spring and then they start all over nice for the warmer months. So today we took pictures so you can see how much hair is on an average Angora rabbit! This is Tora…. she’s a yearling doe that we will breed this year. She’s got beautiful soft fiber!!!
It’s not to say that we ignore them all winter… no no no… they get brushed out often, it’s just that we let them get a little thick and wooly. And Tora is in a big cage with her sister MoMo and auntie Grizelda… and the three of them like to lick and groom each other as well, but they are not the best at it! Here is poor Tora with about half of her hair trimmed off!
It’s really nice fiber and we saved most of it. Like sheep and other fiber critters, the top and sides are the nicest, and the belly and chin and business end at the back tends to be, well, not so nice. The little dreadlocks will either comb out or we will snip a few, some of the bunnies really matt up quickly, but the French are pretty good for us, keeping their coats relatively free of matts. Tora has a few little lumpies, but mostly it’s just areas that the other bunnies have licked and gotten a little weird. It all combs out nicely in the carding combs.
Oh dear, she looks like her Mom cut her hair! A huge difference, though? There is a little bunny down in there! Once I get all the long locks snipped off with my sharp little barber scissors, I will go in and make it a little nicer and even, but we forgot to snap a picture! She will look awesome in about a week as it grows out a bit. I would love to get a pair of electric clippers that will work on a bunny, but it’s super fine hair and most clippers have a lot of trouble with it. There are a couple clippers with special blades for Angoras and I would love to get a pair but right now that’s not in the budget… they are very pricey! (over $350 or more!) Since we only have 5 Angora bunnies, it’s not that hard to clip them once a year. I just do one a day for a week or so… taking a break with a day off if I don’t feel like it. They love to be groomed and will sit pretty still for the whole procedure. Especially if treats are involved and lots of hand petting and the nice soft brush that they like! It’s like a trip to the bunnny spa! They get their nails trimmed as well and a good over all health check. And when they are loose of all that wool, they get some time to run around in the house and they are so silly! Hopping and dashing about. I think they don’t mind being trimmed up and free of the weight!
4 more to go! Hoppy Spring!!!
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