In today's video, we are going to talk about taking care of an English Angora Rabbit.

The Angora rabbit is one of the oldest domestic breeds of rabbits, originating from Ankara, Turkey, historically known as Angora. They eventually made their way to America where, 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 types of rabbits. the French and English types. In 1944, the American Rabbit Breeders Association officially separated these into two breeds, which are now known as the French Angora and English Angora Rabbit.

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. 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 is 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, is necessary, or else their fur becomes 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, that’s a lot of wool.

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.


Temperament.

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. They do not have the tendency to be skittish or ill-mannered, so introducing them to children won’t be difficult.

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.


Health Concerns.

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 woodblock. Rabbits are clean animals that groom themselves often and because the English Angora has such thick, long wool, they can accidentally inject some fur whilst grooming. Normally, this is passed through their droppings but it is possible that this fur is trapped inside the digestive system and creates a furball.

Unlike cats, rabbits cannot regurgitate to eliminate this hairball, and consequently, it gets larger and larger. The hairball grows so much that the rabbit either believes it is full and dies because it does not eat or it blocks the digestive tract completely and it simply cannot eat. Either way, woodblock is a dangerous and real problem when it comes to rabbits who have long, thick fur.

Symptoms of woodblock include a decrease in appetite or not eating at all, decreased activity, and droppings that are less frequent and/or are strung together by wool. If you see any or more than one of these symptoms, be sure to consult your veterinarian for the next step.

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