Friday, December 29, 2017
New Playpen
I bought a new playpen for the babies. It can be used inside and outside. I think they love it! I'll post more pictures and an update soon.
Saturday, December 23, 2017
French and English Angora Mixed Babies
My French Angora had her first litter of babies with my English Angora. They are 2 weeks and 1 day old. They haven't had their eyes opened long. It appears that I have two solid blues, two chocolate pointed and one blue pointed! They are so stinking adorable! Some of the mother's siblings were white, and I remember the owner saying that she had a BEW in the litter. I did not get a pedigree with my French Angora, but knowing the owner stated she had a BEW in the litter lets me know that my rabbit is most likely a Vienna carrier (VC). You can read more about that at Woolie Creations Angora Rabbits.
At first glance, I thought my French Angora was blue, but then I noticed some chocolate on the head. I'm not the best at labeling colors, so I try to eliminate the obvious. Her face is black. Maybe, she has some tort in her? My male English Angora did have tort siblings as well as solid black. I am happy with the colors of these babies; in fact, I love their colors! I will post pictures of my female French Angora soon.
FYI....rabbits will pull out their fur to make a nest for the babies. This is perfectly natural. If you are planning a litter, you will need to get a nesting box to put in your doe's cage a day or two before her due date. You don't want to put in too early or your doe will likely poop in it. Rabbits gestation period is 31 days on average.
At first glance, I thought my French Angora was blue, but then I noticed some chocolate on the head. I'm not the best at labeling colors, so I try to eliminate the obvious. Her face is black. Maybe, she has some tort in her? My male English Angora did have tort siblings as well as solid black. I am happy with the colors of these babies; in fact, I love their colors! I will post pictures of my female French Angora soon.
FYI....rabbits will pull out their fur to make a nest for the babies. This is perfectly natural. If you are planning a litter, you will need to get a nesting box to put in your doe's cage a day or two before her due date. You don't want to put in too early or your doe will likely poop in it. Rabbits gestation period is 31 days on average.
My babies:
My English Angora and Grooming
I purchased my English Angora from a breeder who provided me with a highly documented pedigree. She showed her Angoras in competitions, but she was getting out of it. She had tort colored rabbits, and at that time, I had no idea that there were so many colors. I just knew I wanted the blue colored one. So, I got Fuzzy Bunny. He is so comical and curious. He is the biggest digger out of my rabbits. He likes to stand on his hind legs and look around. He'll come to you, and isn't bashful at all. When I first brought him home, Hunny Bunny was still little as well, and they played together. However, at about 6 months, I had to separate them, because both are males and they started to fight. And, they started flicking pee on each other. That was weird, because I had no idea rabbits did that! That sucked, and I had hoped they would get along forever. Fuzzy is the boss rabbit.
Before I purchased my English Angora, I had researched all about them. I knew that they had to be groomed at least weekly. I had no clue how easily their fur would get matted however. And, EVERYTHING sticks to their fur! I hate leafs getting in my outside playpens because it gets stuck in their fur! I have several different outdoor pens for them to play and get exercise, so this means I have to stay on top of grooming. Fuzzy digs in the dirt and goes hog-wild outside and easily gets matted. Around the mouth area is easy to get matted as well due to food and water getting on the fur. I was told to groom them weekly, which I'm sure works for many people, but if you're like me and let your rabbits outside to play a lot, then I recommend grooming every other day. If my bunny gets a knot that won't brush out, I just simply cut it off with scissors. Since I harvest their fur, my bunnies get haircuts every 3 months.
I have watched several YouTube videos on how other people cut their Angora's fur, but the easiest way for me is scissors. My rabbits are use to getting groomed, so I just sit them on a small table and start cutting the fur. When I do the underbelly and face, my husband will hold them for me. You want at least 3 inches of fur for spinning and you don't want to cut the skin, so you must be very careful. If your bunny won't stay still, try putting out some of his/her favorite food while you're trimming the fur. Personally, I don't trim the ears or face that much only if it needs it and I must.
My favorite grooming tool is a regular brush that you'd use to groom a dog. You want a good one. The bristles on cheap brushes fall off too easily. The comb is helpful for knots or mats. I went to the Dollar Tree and bought a basket to carry all my tools in. Here is what my basket of grooming tools looks like:
And here is Fuzzy. He had his hair cut about a month ago, so you can't see how long it is in this picture. I trimmed his face hair the last time I trimmed, so it hasn't grown all the way back out yet.
Before I purchased my English Angora, I had researched all about them. I knew that they had to be groomed at least weekly. I had no clue how easily their fur would get matted however. And, EVERYTHING sticks to their fur! I hate leafs getting in my outside playpens because it gets stuck in their fur! I have several different outdoor pens for them to play and get exercise, so this means I have to stay on top of grooming. Fuzzy digs in the dirt and goes hog-wild outside and easily gets matted. Around the mouth area is easy to get matted as well due to food and water getting on the fur. I was told to groom them weekly, which I'm sure works for many people, but if you're like me and let your rabbits outside to play a lot, then I recommend grooming every other day. If my bunny gets a knot that won't brush out, I just simply cut it off with scissors. Since I harvest their fur, my bunnies get haircuts every 3 months.
I have watched several YouTube videos on how other people cut their Angora's fur, but the easiest way for me is scissors. My rabbits are use to getting groomed, so I just sit them on a small table and start cutting the fur. When I do the underbelly and face, my husband will hold them for me. You want at least 3 inches of fur for spinning and you don't want to cut the skin, so you must be very careful. If your bunny won't stay still, try putting out some of his/her favorite food while you're trimming the fur. Personally, I don't trim the ears or face that much only if it needs it and I must.
My favorite grooming tool is a regular brush that you'd use to groom a dog. You want a good one. The bristles on cheap brushes fall off too easily. The comb is helpful for knots or mats. I went to the Dollar Tree and bought a basket to carry all my tools in. Here is what my basket of grooming tools looks like:
And here is Fuzzy. He had his hair cut about a month ago, so you can't see how long it is in this picture. I trimmed his face hair the last time I trimmed, so it hasn't grown all the way back out yet.
My husband brushing Fuzzy, and Fuzzy chillin' like a villain.
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Under Construction
If my site looks wonky, it's because I'm currently fiddling with the theme. I should be finished soon!
Feeding Your Angora and Wool Block
Wool block can be fatal for your Angora. Angoras groom themselves similar to a cat. Digesting that fur is what causes wool block. If this happens, your bunny will stop eating. So, it is important to make sure that your bunny has lots of hay. Papaya and pineapple help as well. I buy my bunnies a supplement that you add to their pellets which contains papaya and yucca extracts. Tractor Supply (my favorite store) also sells a brand of feed with papaya chunks in it. My bunnies love it; however, if you have several rabbits, it might be cheaper to buy the big bag of pellets and a bag of the supplement. To learn more about wool block, read this site: http://www.threelittleladiesrabbitry.com/woolblock.php
Here is the feed with bits of papaya in it at Tractor Supply:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-advanced-diet-pet-rabbit-food-5-lb
Here are some tablets you could use as well:
Digestive Support with Papaya by Sherwood Pet Health (100 Tablets - 60 Grams)
Digestive Support with Papaya by Sherwood Pet Health (100 Tablets - 60 Grams)
Here is the feed with bits of papaya in it at Tractor Supply:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-advanced-diet-pet-rabbit-food-5-lb
Buying Your First Angora Rabbit
I decided to get the Angora breed of bunnies because they have multiple uses. I intended for my rabbit to be a pet, but I could also use the fiber from the rabbits to crotchet. I started my search on Craigslist, and found a mixed French/English Angora rabbit for sale. That is where my journey began.
In this picture, Hunny Bunny is around 6-7 months old, and he had a haircut about a month ago. You can tell in this picture that he has French Angora in him because of the ears. The fur around the face and head is the English Angora in him. He has the best personality! He was partially litter box trained when I got him. He is now completely trained. I'll discuss how to litter box train in another article. He loves being petted and is not bashful at all.
My rabbits stay indoors and outdoors. If you choose to have indoors, you will need a litter box. Rabbits basically poop with every jump....LoL You can get a fancy box with Timothy hay feeders or just a basic cat litter box filled with hay.
Do NOT use kitty litter, with one exception, you can use Purina Yesterday's News kitty litter which is just recycled newspaper. I tried this, and I liked it, but it's cheaper for me to just buy a bale of hay.
Hunny Bunny
In this picture, Hunny Bunny is around 6-7 months old, and he had a haircut about a month ago. You can tell in this picture that he has French Angora in him because of the ears. The fur around the face and head is the English Angora in him. He has the best personality! He was partially litter box trained when I got him. He is now completely trained. I'll discuss how to litter box train in another article. He loves being petted and is not bashful at all.
Do NOT use kitty litter, with one exception, you can use Purina Yesterday's News kitty litter which is just recycled newspaper. I tried this, and I liked it, but it's cheaper for me to just buy a bale of hay.
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