Angora Rabbit

People have different thoughts for Angora rabbit as it is one of the oldest kinds of domestic rabbit. It has been derived from Ankara that comes in Turkey. It is especially known for its long and soft hair. It simultaneously originated with Angora cat and Angora goat. It is a variety of domestic rabbit which are bred for its fluffy long hair. In the mid 1700s, the rabbits were popular pets with French royalty.

Gradually, they started making their way through the other sections of Europe by the end of the century. In the early 1900s, it first made it appearance in the United States. Mainly, they are bred for their long angora wool that can be caught up with the help of shearing, plucking or combing. Plucking is gently pulling loose wool. Angora breads are in a good number. Out of all the breeds, four of them are ARBA recognized. They comprise of German, French, Giant, English, Satin, Chinese, Finnish, and Swiss, to name a few.

An English Angora Rabbit

Appearance
As their skin is soft, fluffy and silky, they are largely bred for their wool. Whether or not they are calm, they should be handed cautiously as you never know when the pendulum swings. The fiber should not mat and felt on the rabbit. So, grooming is as important as ever for Angoras. Another reason as to why grooming is important is because they are prone to hairballs. There occurs a condition named wool block that is common in angora rabbits and should be treated as soon as possible. The long fur which they have can sometimes cause the rabbits to overheat as they are shorn in summer.
Breed

English
Before 1939, there was a breed of “Angora Wooler” which was reclassified into “English Type” and “French Type”. Rabbits of these breed are embellished with “fur”. The wool also grows till their ears. Nature wise, they are composed but it is not advisable for those people who are not into grooming the animals. The English angora can be bred to have broken colors, for instance, the rabbit is white with black spots. Because of its good facial features, the breed is more common as a pet. It has a puppy dog or teddy bear look. The maintenance is as easy a pie if the texture of the wool is correct. But if the texture is cottony, it requires a good deal of maintenance.

French
The breed has a preponderance of guard hair on its surface. It has the wool as an undercoat. It also will require less maintenance if it has the right texture.

German
It is not ARBA recognized, but is common in USA and Canada. It’s eyes are ruby-eyed white or albino. It is similar to Giant Angaro in looks.

Giant
It is the largest of all the kinds of Angoras. They have been created in such a way that they could be an efficient wool rabbit. It is equipped with three types of hair in its wool.

Satin
It is originated from a cross between a Satin and a French Angora in biological terms. It is famous for its extremely soft texture of the wool.