Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
[align=center]
I decided to dig out some more info since it appears I'm the only one so far with French Angoras lol Anyways here is some stuff I found [/align]
[align=center]
Grooming[/align]
[align=center]
A French Angora rabbit should be groomed every 1-2 weeks. Depending upon such factors as texture, age, sex and density, individuals will require grooming at different rates. A young rabbit with a soft junior coat should be groomed with a slicker brush every 4 days, while older rabbits may only require brushing every other week. Some bucks tend to spray and make a sticky mess of their coats rather quickly and require extra grooming as a result, while an angora in full coat can require more frequent attention as well. When feeding or otherwise carrying out your chores, make a point of feeling coats regularly to check for matts or webbed areas, and groom as needed. When selecting rabbits to groom for the show table, choose those with the longest, densest coats and begin blowing their coats out once every 10 days to separate fibers and prevent matts from forming. Reserve the blower ONLY for your longest, densest coats at the end of their growing cycles, and ONLY for when it is no longer possible to get to the base of the coat with the slicker brush. Once you begin a pattern of blowing an angora coat before it is mature you open up follicles in the hair shaft and cause the wool to matt more quickly. 'Oil sacs' are also located at the end of each hair follicle which can be damaged or broken off with excessive blowing, so be cautious with your use of the blower to maintain your coats in prime condition. Once a blowing schedule is begun, a breeder must commit to blowing the coat every 10 days until harvest, to avoid severe tangling.[/align]
[align=center]To begin a grooming session with the slicker brush, turn the rabbit over to nestle in the crook of your knees as you sit on the floor with legs stretched out in front of you. Be certain never to let the rabbit's head dangle at a lower level than it's body. Gently brush the chest area, dewlap, stomach, insides of legs, armpits, and private area. Clip toenails or wool around the private area if necessary at this time. Turn the rabbit right side up on your lap and begin work on the top coat. Begin by brushing individual layers at the base of the coat up towards the top, moving one layer at a time upward until the top of the spine is reached. Turn the rabbit around and repeat the brushing process on the other side, working slowly up to the top of the rabbit. Repeat at the base of the tail, working your way up to the back again. When finished, place the rabbit on the grooming table and flick the top coat lightly with the brush to make it puff up slightly without standing straight up. [/align]
[align=center]If using the blower, brush the underside of the rabbit by hand as described above, then place the rabbit atop the grooming table and aim the force of the blower 6 inches away from the coat beginning just above the tail. Cover the eyes and ears with your free hand. Proceed slowly up the back of the rabbit toward the top, concentrating on webbed areas with the nozzle until they "melt" apart. Work your way around both sides up to and including the dewlap. Blow wool "upward" to create a fluffed-up effect, then turn it off and use the slicker to flick off remaining loose fluff and smooth the coat down before presentation. [/align]
[align=center]How do you know when your angora is ready to molt it's coat? Every 5-6 months you will begin to find more and more wool coming off on the slicker brush during grooming sessions, indicating that the coat is ready to release. Strands and clumps of wool will be found on the floor of the cage and the rabbit will begin to have pills and loose, long strands draped across the top and sides of it's body, and wool trailing out from under the tail. At this point, your bunny will begin to eat less, or go off feed entirely. This is an indication that it is time to remove the coat. [/align]
[align=center]Some breeders employ the use of electric shearing clippers which are fast and efficient but take time to gain experience with. Others simply use scissors. To clip an angora using the scissoring technique, place the animal on the grooming table and take out your slicker brush and small scissor (Fiskar's childrens' scissors work well). Part the coat at the spine and brush both sides down neatly. Beginning at the top of one side insert the scissor through a THIN layer of wool and snip once. Be certain to lift the blades of the scissor to a perpendicular position before cutting to avoid clipping skin, then continue clipping thin layers across from the top to the bottom of the rabbit. Have two bags or containers on hand to store wool in as you clip---one for waste wool (underbelly and anything less than 3 inches) and one for prime wool (back and sides--min. 3 in. length). By cutting thin layers you minimize the likelihood of second cuts, and harvest your rabbit more efficiently. [/align]
[align=center]Once the back and sides are complete, turn the rabbit over and carefully clip the underside. Be very careful not to accidentally clip nipples, private areas, or insides of legs. I normally clip the longest wool and leave the underside slightly longer to avoid accidents, as this wool is unusable to the handspinner anyway. [/align]
[align=center]It is advisable to remove coats carefully during very cold weather and try to time your clippings (if possible) to the warmest times of the year. If you must remove a coat during the dead of winter try removing it gradually (top first, then bottom a day or two later) to avoid sending the animal into shock. Another option in the winter is just to leave more wool on the rabbit (an inch or so) rather than taking it completely down to the skin. If you feel as though your angora is cold after a clipping during the cold months, set a bottomless nestbox filled with hay into the corner for her to sit in during the night. Once you remove a coat, you will not have to groom an angora for the next 3-4 weeks, after which you should resume your regular grooming schedule. [/align]
[align=center]- Information Provided By Amy Spang[/align]
[align=center]
I thought that was quite helpful to me when I first started with French Angoras, so hopefully it will come to use with other angoras/long haired breeds owners. [/align]
[align=center]
[/align]