If you have acquired a pair of angoras (buck and doe) from a reputable breeder and you have checked that they are up to the standard set by the British Rabbit Council (BRC), are old enough (about eight months upwards) and are fit and well. Then you introduce the doe to the bucks cage. If it is successful the buck will fall off. If not then try again in a few days.

1 week old white angora babies

Gestation can be 31- 35 days, ideally the doe should be preparing a nest, but this is not always the case. When you clip your does you should save any rubbish wool particularly from the under belly, as a back up for a doe that doesn’t make a good nest, cut it up small. (babies can get tangled in long fur and lose limbs). When you doe has produced her babies, lift her out and give her a treat, rub your hands in her dirty straw and check babies for dead ones, which you should remove. Ideally she should have about four for show quality rabbits, so it is an idea to mate another doe at the same time to foster some. (this need not be an angora) Put the doe back and leave her to get on, give extra greens and grass etc.

2 week old white angora babies

In two weeks their eyes should open and in three they will venture out of the nest, you will have been checking every so often for any problems, keeping the doe happy. At six weeks you should take a look at each one, to see if it has all its feet, ears, and no white marks, or white toenails or any other problems. These will not be showable. The ones that are should have their first groom, handling angoras is important especially for show. Make sure necks are not knotted and under arms and cheeks. If they are in a breeding hutch with an arch to get through, they need to now be in an open hutch as their coats will be ruined for show.

At eight weeks they are ready to have BRC rings put on them and to go on wire floors in their hutches. For the first week leave the mother with them, but after a week they should be ok on their own. You should now be grooming every couple of days, mainly with your fingers. Ideally you should split the babies into individual hutches, give them a toy and a ball of their own. Groom every other day, blow with a hair drier and tease out nots, do not use a brush on the top coat, only on the feet.