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For a docile, loving and low maintenance pet, angora rabbits are hard to beat, especially if you use their fur for spinning yarn. However, rabbits are not exactly nature’s hardiest pet. The following tips will help you keep them with you for years to come.
1) Groom early and often.
In captivity, the Angora rabbit’s natural enemy is, believe it or not, itself. Left ungroomed, the same long hair that you’ll love to pet and spin will cause the rabbit to attempt to groom itself. Too much of this will cause woolblock, where the rabbit’s digestive system will be greatly impeded by the animal’s hair.
The best way to prevent woolblock is to groom early and often. This will also have the pleasant side effect of giving your pet the best chance to get comfortable with the grooming process. A good wooler, as a strong producer is known, can produce up to a half dozen sizable bags a year...so getting them comfortable with the process is important.
2) A variety of fresh food helps much.
Each rabbit is an individual creature, of course, and will let you know all about their own taste buds. But for the most part, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, when added to the staples of quality pellets and good hay, will help make your rabbit happy and healthy.
Sample food includes field greens, cilantro, parsley, carrots (naturally!), strawberries and apples. Avoid junk food, of course, and don’t let them overdose on any single substance. You don’t need to spend big bucks here, since rabbits are not big on aesthetics, and they don’t tend to go through huge quantities.
3) Papaya enzyme tablets break dreaded hairballs.
Even if you groom constantly, angoras will still be at risk for woolblock. (Ever hear the expression “breed like rabbits”? The corollary is “die like rabbits.”) So take an extra precautionary step and add papaya enzyme tablets to their diet from time to time. By the way, generic tablets are the exact same substance as a name brand. Thankfully, rabbits seem to like papaya, so while this may be medicinal, they’ll treat it like a treat.
4) Clean cages weekly.
Probably the most startling thing about angoras is the sheer magnitude of manure produced by even a single hare. Thankfully, since the angora isn’t a meat-eater, this won’t smell much at all, and it makes for a very good base for compost. But you can’t let it pile up for fear of obvious health problems, even if the odor isn’t too much to bear. (A rabbit that’s living in its own filth produces poor yarn – big surprise! – and is also at sizable risk for infection.)
5) While the angora may be livestock, it produces more as a pet.
As a spinner, you own an angora for the yarn production, and since a rabbit can thrive with minimal maintenance, it’s easy to let owner/pet interaction slip. It is also, unfortunately, a way to make interactions more difficult over time. The fact is that the human provider assumes a significant social role in the rabbit’s life. Over time and during “heat” periods, this can manifest as transferred mating behavior. (While you’ll find the Snow White-esque hopping around your feet adorable, you might not be so enamored with the marking behavior.)
For maximum production and ease, treat your angora as a pet. Give it some time outside of the cage, teach it to eat from your hand, and pet it often enough so that it trusts your touch. A greater capacity for tricks exists, and some angoras are even litter trained, which is really a marvelous accomplishment. But in general here, just a little interaction can help your rabbit produce more for you, and live a long and healthy life.
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