Wool of the English Angora rabbit

The quality of the English Angora wool is second to none. It is silky and soft and has excellent texture and sheen. As the babies grow you should be able to see crinkles (crimp) in the shaft of the wool.

The English Angora has the finest wool of the Angora breeds. It is very clean compared to sheep’s wool, being 98% pure, whilst sheep’s wool consists of 50% grease. It is very warm as it is full of air cells, which increase its insulating properties. The wool grows very fast on the rabbit, at approximately 1 inch per month, and the rabbit is clipped 3 monthly for spinning wool. The best wool for spinning grows on the back and flanks of the rabbit, whilst the coarser chest and tummy wool is excellent for felt. A rabbit’s wool production declines with age.

It is not necessary to wash Angora before spinning. After spinning the yarn can be washed gently in lukewarm water with a suitable wool detergent such as Woolite, or the knitted product can be washed and blocked.

 

 

Runny eyes

There are several reasons for runny eyes in a rabbit, and it is important to seek the advice of a vet if the problem persists.

Congenital or hereditary

Occasionally a number of babies in a litter may have runny eyes due to inherited eye lid deformities, where the tears spill over the eyelids instead of draining down the eye ducts to the nose (nasolacrimal ducts). As this may be hereditary, these rabbits should not be bred from.

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Showing Angora Wool Products-Product Competition Rules

As well as supporting the exhibition of the Angora rabbit, the National Angora Club (NAC) also supports those who produce yarn, felt and garments from wool which has been harvested in an ethical and animal friendly way.

For details of our Product Shows, please see further posts in the wool festivals, wool products or rabbit shows category.  For more information on Products Shows, contact our Products secretary (details in Club Officials post).

The Product Competition Rules of the National Angora Club are as follows:

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Health requirements for Angoras

General health

Keeping your angora rabbits healthy is the key. If you can provide them with the essentials of good welfare this makes for a happy healthy angora rabbit. However, in some circumstances even when they appear to have everything they may need they can become poorly for a range of reasons so here are some general hints and tips on the main health requirements for angora rabbits. 

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Schedule for Angora Products Competition

The Angora Club Products Competition is open to all members. It is not necessary to keep an Angora rabbit to enter  yarn, a felted product, garment or accessory, as Angora wool can be obtained from the Club or from another member. Products hand-made from the wool from English, French, German or Satin Angoras and from Angoras of unstandardised colours can be entered. The competitions take place at the Bradford show at Doncaster in January, and the London show at Peterborough in October. Entries can be sent by post.

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Handling your angora

Handling

Regular handling results in a friendly rabbit that does not get distressed by grooming, wool clipping or toenail clipping. When you go to pick them up, use both hands and securely hold the young angora rabbit so it feels safe and secure in your hold. 

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General care and breeding of Angora rabbits

Housing

Angoras need a hutch 5ft x 2ft by 2ft high. Because of the Angora’s fine coat a hutch with separate sleeping compartment is not recommended as the restriction of the entrance to the compartment ‘shaves’ the sides of the coat off. They are quite hardy and may be housed outside, however, if this is to be the case it will be necessary to cover part of the front of the hutch to provide shelter for the rabbit during inclement weather. I also feel it is better, during the winter months especially, to have something that drops down to cover the entire front of the hutch in extreme weather conditions ie heavy rain, snow etc. as Angora wool and water do not mix! If hutches are in the garden then make sure they are fox proof, as many foxes will roam gardens even in towns at night.

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An Ode to Perseverance!

The coat is long and gets so dirty
When it gets matted it doesn’t deter me
The ears well pulled, the nose all furry
The feet go yellow, the bum does too!
No, it still won’t make me feel blue
Tips get chewed, the rabbit goes in moult
Just can’t and still won’t call a halt
To this hobby called Angora keeping
If this were a tape, there would be lot’s of bleeping!
When thwarted of these plans I’ve laid
I think of all the friends I’ve made
I try not to think of all the weeping and wailing
‘Cause I won’t change to breeds where it’s all plain sailing!

By Sue Fisher, NAC yearbook

How to keep an Angora rabbit

The angora, because of it’s coat requires a little more thought as regards it’s housing. Hutches should be acquired or constructed before the rabbit arrives. It should have a well-constructed wooden hutch, ideally measuring 3’ x 2’ x 1.8’ and with no rough surfaces.

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Angora rabbit Ralph

Rabbit Ralph – The Pet Angora, with more character than fluf

Ralph was bred at The Bourne Stud Angoras in January 2016 and moved in with myself, Nikita Harrison in May 2016.  Living outdoors, Ralph spends lots of his time freely exploring the gardens. Fortunate to have a garden backed onto 2,600 acres of woodland, Ralph’s adventures are often joined by many different wildlife species, from robins to deer’s. In addition to his wild friends, Ralph also spends time snoozing and exploring with the families two pet cats.

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