Sunday, August 17, 2008
Fluffy Angora Rabbits (2641 views)
The Angora rabbit is a variety of domestic rabbit bred for its long, soft hair. The Angora is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, originating in Ankara, Turkey, along with the Angora cat and Angora goat. The rabbits were popular pets with French royalty in the mid 1700s, and spread to other parts of Europe by the end of the century. They first appeared in the United States in the early 1900s. They are bred largely for their long angora wool, which may be removed by shearing, Combing, or plucking (gently pulling loose wool).
There are many individual breeds of Angora rabbits, four of which are ARBA recognized. Such breeds include French, German, Giant, English, Satin, Chinese, Swiss and Finnish, to name a few.
English Angora
This breed is probably the cutest and most distinctive because of it’s long heavy fur that covers it’s ears and face. In full coat, their bunny features are covered and sometimes they are mistaken to be small dogs (or a relative of “Cousin It”). The wool is silky and fine which makes it very soft. The English Angora comes in white and a variety of beautiful colors. The coat is characterized by having little guard hair in proportion to its wool, and wraps rather tightly when spun, with relatively minimal fluffing. It is smallest breed of the four, weighing 5 to 7 1/2 pounds at maturity.
French Angora
French Angoras look more like regular rabbits. They have no wool on their head, face, ears, or the front feet. The wool has a higher percentage of guard hair to underwool, which makes it the easiest to care for. It is valued for its fiber qualities, which are excellent for handspinning. Its wool spins easily, and fluffs out nicely in the yarn. Its mature weight is 8-10 lbs.
Satin Angora
The Satin Angora is characterized by the sheen of its glossy coat. Like the French Angora, it does not have wool on the head, face, ears, and front feet. The wool feels lighter and less dense than the other breeds, and requires more grooming. Advanced spinners delight in the texture of Satin Angora fiber, and many spinners prefer it because of its shiny wool fibers. The ideal weight of a matured Satin Angora is 8 lbs.
German / Giant Angora
The German/Giant Angora, is recognizable, mainly because of its’ size. A purebred German/Giant Angora is only white and colored ones are considered to be cross-breeds. They have the most dense wool of all the breeds, because of their double undercoat, and is usually sheared, since it rarely molts. The German/Giant Angora is the largest breed, with a mature weight between 9-12 pounds.
