Our new badges have arrived. Anyone who would like one please contact Sally May through the contacts page and the price per badge £4 plus £1 postage. These are pin badges but sew on ones are also available.
Sooty Fawn breed standard – This has changed in 2021
Tortoiseshell (Sooty Fawn)
- Black mask and feet, wool as for Golden, but with Black and Sooty shadings on lower flanks and ears
- Belly creamy white
Chocolate Tortoiseshell
- Chocolate mask and feet, wool as for Golden, but with Chocolate shadings on lower flanks and ears
- Belly creamy white
This is a very attractive self coloured rabbit. When Sooty Fawn has been bred to Sooty Fawn for several generations, the genotype is aaBBCCDDeell
Myxomatosis is not native to Britain, but was deliberately introduced from France in 1953 to control the wild rabbit population. It was rapidly fatal and over 99% of wild rabbits died. The virus has mutated and is now less severe, and to some extent wild rabbits have developed resistance.
Domestic rabbits are still very vulnerable, and the best protection is annual vaccination with Nobivac. The myxomatosis virus is spread by biting insects and rabbit fleas, with an incubation period of between 5-14 days. The rabbit develops discharging swollen eyes, causing blindness, swollen ears and genitals and a prolonged illness usually resulting in death. It is still possible for a vaccinated rabbit to get myxomatosis, but is much more likely to survive.
It is most prevalent where wild rabbits are common, but as biting insects can fly many miles, no domestic rabbit can be considered safe. It is strongly recommended that owners vaccinate against myxomatosis and both forms of viral haemorrhagic disease. Nobivac protects against VHD1 as well as myxomatosis, but a separate vaccine is required to protect against RVHD2.
The breed standard of the national club for English Angora rabbits
Judges are requested to judge the coloured Angora to the Breed Standard as laid down by the Specialist Club and not to confuse the colours with any other breed standard for short haired varieties.
Points are the same for Whites except that 5 points each are deducted from Quantity and Quality of wool and allocated:
Solid Colour: 10 points
Angoras are unique in the fact that they possess a multi-layered coat. The tips of each new coat are therefore darker than the previous coat which lightens as it gains length.
This produces Banding in all colours. Rabbits should not be excessively penalised for lighter bands of the top colour appearing in the coat, but the more uniform the colour the better. White bands are unacceptable, with the exception of the Golden, which is of yellow origin and therefore has a creamy – white band at the base.
Siamese Sable Light Shade
- A medium sepia colour similar to fur breed
- Ears, face and tail a deep sepia
- Body wool shaded from a medium sepia on back to lighter on chest and flanks
- Under-colour fawn
Siamese Sable Medium Shade
- As for light sable except for dark sepia colour instead of medium
Siamese Sable Dark Shade
- Very dark plum brown, can be almost black on mask, in place of sepia
- Often mistaken for a smoke, but coat colour of dark sable has distinct rusty tones in the wool
- Eyes for all shades to glow ruby red in subdued light
The Smoke Angora is a stunning colour with a rich dark coloured head and the breed standard is as follows:
Smoke Breed Standard
- Head, feet and ears black
- Wool dark bluish-grey without white base
- Tips to match head
- Nose and ears to be free of silvering
- Eyes blue but brown acceptable
This is a self coloured rabbit, and when Smoke has been bred to Smoke for many generations, is genotype aaBBCCDDEEll
Chocolate breed standard
The breed standard for the Chocolate English Angora rabbit should be:-
- Rich chocolate on head, ears, legs and tail
- Body lighter shade with tips to match head
- Under colour pale chocolate
- Eyes to glow ruby red in subdued light, but brown acceptable
The breed standard of the national club.
Wool Quality
- Texture as silky as possible
- 30 points
Wool Quantity and Length
- Even and full all over, clear to the skin
- 25 points
Front
- Full and prominent on the chest and sides of the neck
- 10 points
Head, Neck and Ears
- Broad short head. Short well woolled and tufted ears
- 10 points
Size and Shape
- Round and snowball like
- Weight at 5 months approximately 5½lbs (2.494kg)
- An adult ideally not to exceed 7½lbs (3.402kg)
- Type and quality always to be taken into account
- 10 points
Feet
- Thickly covered with long wool, well furnished
- 5 points
Condition
- Clean well nourished and well groomed
- 10 points
Total 100 points
Eyes: Ruby, bright and bold
Legs: Straight, heavily woolled
Tail: Large and well woolled
Head: Wide across the nostrils, bold appearance, densely furred, wool to be long and thick between and behind the ears.
Serious Faults: Narrow wedge head, long plain ears, plain feet,matted coat, coarse coat, bad condition, lop ears.
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.
The National Angora Rabbit Club UK Facebook page was originally set up for National Angora Club members. However over the years there are a number of people who have let their memberships lapse. Please can members renew as soon as possible to continue access to the Facebook group. Please send subscriptions to Sally May, Treasurer, before 1st August 2018. The cost up to the end of the year is £2.50. This will bring you up to date to rejoin as normal in January 2019, when the full cost of membership for the year 2019 will be £5.
Those who decide that they do not wish to renew will be removed from the Club Facebook page in August, as the page is for National Angora Club members only. Paypal email is nationalangoraclub@gmail.com, cheques to Sally May at address in Yearbook or pm for address.”