There is much controversy regarding the story of the Angora rabbit, however according to generally accepted theory, angoras date back to the early 18th century, around 1723.  As the story goes, there were some sightseeing sailors who pulled into a Turkish port called Angora, now known as Ankara .  It was in this town where they saw native women wearing very beautiful shawls that were like no other that they had seen.  The fineness and silkiness quite surpassed the shawls in their country of France .  They inquired about the fine wool in the shawls and much to their surprise found it to be from the Angora rabbit.  Thus the sailors secured some of the rabbits to take back to France .

Some French authorities dispute the claim of Turkish origin of the Angora rabbit, claiming they were the first to record Angora rabbits.  The French point to the Encyclopedia of 1765 for substantiating data to this effect.  The French believe the Angora rabbit had been concurrently produced in various rabbit breeding countries, France among them.  The French insisted the long, silky coats due to the proper conditions for growth.  This theory seems to be born out by Mégnin’s report on asses kept in the coal mines of France without ever seeing daylight.  It was in the coal mines where these animals grew very long, silky coats in the sultry darkness.  With this in mind, it is interesting why animals working in a hot atmosphere should develop a long coat.  Does nature provide them as insulation against heat as it does against cold?  At any rate, the French without a doubt are given credit for seeing the commercial possibilities of the Angora wool into yarn.  France was not the only country to visualize the possibilities of this excellent fiber.  England very shortly followed suit.  England probably did the most transporting of the Angoras to other countries including Germany, Spain, Japan , and various European countries.

It was probably not until around 1900 that there were any Angora rabbits in the United States and those were by fanciers or people interested in showing the animals.  Records regarding commercialization in the United States dates around 1925 or 1930.  While there are very few commercial wool industries in the United States, many individuals maintain small herds of Angoras for wool production and exhibition.  However, as yet there is no substitute for Angora —the fiber known as the Aristocrat of wools.

When starting with Angoras, the first thing for the beginner to decide is approximately how many angoras one wishes to raise.  Are you going to have one or two angoras for pets?  Do you plan on doing any breeding?  How many does do you plan to breed in a year?  What is the maximum number of angoras the space you have will permit you to raise? 

Every breeder will have their own idea as to the style and design of the perfect rabbit hutch or cage system.  All of this will depend upon the amount of space you have for the cages and if the rabbits are going to be housed inside or outside.  Regardless of what you decide, it is important to keep in mind the hutches or cages must be dry, well lit, have good ventilation but free from drafts, as well as the temperature where the rabbits will be housed.   Several people have asked if a barn, chicken coup, garage or other unused building could be adapted for housing Angoras.  All of these buildings can be suitable so long as you consider the factors listed above.

There are many different types of hutches and cages that can be used.  Some are made of wood and wire while others are all wire.  If you are going to have several Angoras in a small area, I would suggest purchasing or making the wire cages so you can stack them on top of each other.  Of course, when you stack the cages you will also have dropping pans that will need to be cleaned frequently to keep your rabbitry sanitary.  When deciding what type of hutch or cage you want to use you need to consider the following:  comfort of the rabbit, ease of cleaning and handling of stock, ease of dismantling for thorough disinfecting, resistance to vermin and the escape of the rabbits, and economy.

The comfort of the Angora in the cage is very important.   I prefer to use cages that are at least 24" x 30" that are 18" high  The cages are made of 1" x 2" wire on the sides and top with 1" x 1/2" wire on the floor.     I have larger cages I use for does when the babies come out of the nestbox to give the doe more room.  Some people use cages that have baby saver wire, however, I have found the urine guards and putting window screening around the cage when a doe kindles works well.  The window screening is cut so it is approximately a foot tall and goes completely around the cage.  I simply use twist ties to fasten the window screening to the cage, plus this gives me easy access to open the door of the cage.

Whether you are purchasing a cage or the wire to make the cage yourself, I would suggest you check the prices with various dealers to obtain the best price as cages purchased in pet stores are usually very  expensive!

It is extremely important to protect your Angora from the outside elements. I have mine in a building that is well ventilated. One needs to make sure the rabbits are not in a direct draft. If you must house your rabbit outside be sure to have the cages covered to protect the rabbits.

Angoras can withstand various temperatures, however, extreme heat can be fatal. If your rabbit is used to being outside be sure it is in a shaded area. If temperatures are above 80 degrees you need to place a frozen water bottle ( a two liter soda bottle works well) in the cage so the rabbit may lay against it to cool off. A rabbits ears are its thermostat so I suggest you lightly mist the ears to help cool it down.

In winter temperatures it is best to shield the rabbit cage from the winter winds, snow, etc. The hardest part of having your rabbit outside in the winter months is trying to supply enough fresh water as it will freeze quickly.

It is best to use water bottles with angora rabbits. Using a crock for water causes their furnishings to mat more quickly.

I use 4" crocks to feed my rabbits that have the lip on them so when they decide to 'dig' in their food it is not wasted.

I use Heinhold Wool Formula with my rabbits, however, other feeds may be used. I feed a 3/4 cup of feed per day. I also feed alfalfa or hay daily to help break down wool that has been ingested so they don’t get wool block. One of the things I have also found useful is to feed a quarter-cup of wild bird seed (I buy mine at Wal-Mart) twice a week. They love it and will usually eat the bird seed before the pellets.

Treats are always enjoyed by rabbits, however, too much of a good thing can cause diarrhea. Various treats can consist of: carrots, dried bread, crackers, apples, corn, corn stalks, grass, banana, dried pineapple, etc.

Angora rabbits can die from woolblock. Where cats and dogs can vomit when they have a hairball rabbits cannot. The best way to treat woolblock is prevention. Grooming the rabbit frequently and providing a proper diet is well worth it in the long run. If you do have problems with woolblock one of the first signs will be the rabbit is not eating and/or the size of the droppings gets smaller than usual for that rabbit. I have found the best treatment to be dandelions (if you are as fortunate as I am to have lots of them available). I feed two large handfuls per day along with all of the alfalfa, hay, and bird seed the rabbit will eat. I do not feed any pellets during this time. Once I see the size of the droppings has gotten larger again I will give pellets to the rabbit.

Other remedies can include giving pineapple juice (frozen concentrate) one tablespoon of juice to two tablespoons of water, papaya tablets, petromalt (hairball remedy for cats) or Colace syrup.

One should also clip the wool as short as possible so the rabbit does not ingest anymore wool.

Everyone should have some exercise including your rabbit. Allowing your rabbit to run and have fun either outdoors (if the weather permits) preferably in a fenced area is very beneficial to your rabbit. I have a deck that my rabbits get to take turns using or I put a play pen up in the barn for them to spend the day in.

Your grooming supplies need to consist of at least a soft slicker brush and flea comb or regular hair comb.

You should groom your rabbit at least once a week. I suggest you use a soft slicker brush as it will not pull out large amount of wool that a harder slicker brush will. You need to make sure you groom the belly side as well as the top. I find it easiest to hold the bunny like a baby to groom the belly and hind legs. I then place its ears between my knees to groom the face, (which I use a flea comb on the cheeks) chest, and front legs. To groom the top side of the rabbit I just sit it on my lap and start at the side and work to the top.

If you have several rabbits you may want to invest in a pet blower, however, they are not cheap! Before I purchased my pet blower I used the exhaust on my wet/dry vac to blow the loose wool from the rabbit before I brushed it. If you don’t have a wet/dry vac, you may want to use a hair dryer. Be sure not to use a heat hair dryer as it will dry the rabbits skin and cause dander.

I find most people who only have one or two rabbits usually just brush their rabbit and don’t do any blowing and that is fine too, however you will find the rabbits wool will be less dense.

You will find that your rabbit will shed its coat anywhere from 7 to 12 months. Your first indication of them shedding their coat will be when you are grooming large amounts of wool will brush out. At that time you will need to either clip or pluck the wool from the rabbit. Clipping (cutting the wool) is the fastest way to remove the wool from the rabbit. Plucking can take several days before the rabbit is completely done.

If you have an angora for a house pet, I suggest you constantly keep the wool clipped to a shorter length. You will have less wool to clean-up around the house and your grooming time will be minimal. I have several people who have angoras as house pets because they love their gentle nature, they keep them clipped with a 'poodle' cut!

Some of you may want to house train your bunny. This is not a difficult process, but it is time consuming.

Step 1:

Place your new rabbit in the cage and do not disturb or handle for about 24 hours. Observe which corner the rabbit uses to urinate in. Once the rabbit has scented out one spot to use as its toilet it will always return to the same spot.

Step 2:

Put your litter box over the selected corner. Once you determine the rabbit is using the box you may start handling the rabbit. Start by removing your bunny for 10 to 15 minutes several times a day.

Step 3:

You may now leave the rabbit out of its cage for longer periods of time, but watch carefully and return it to the cage if it shows signs of lifting its tail to urinate. If you catch it urinating outside of its cage you can spray it with a water bottle and return it to the cage. By the end of the third week you should be able to leave the door of the cage open so it may enter to use the litter box.

Step 4:

If you catch the rabbit using a rug, etc. for the litter box, spray the spot with apple bitters and it will not return. NEVER hit your rabbit for urinating on the floor, this will only make it mean and aggressive.

Step 5:

Rabbits love to chew on things. They will chew lamp cords, chair legs, carpets, etc. I would suggest you rub tobasco sauce on the cords and if you start to see it chew on the cord use your water bottle and spray it.

Step 6:

When you leave home, NEVER leave your bunny out. Always put it in the cage.

Step 7:

Your bunny may leave some droppings here and there, however, a whisk broom and dust pan will take care of this. Do not leave the droppings on the floor, as this will only encourage your bunny to use this area for its new toilet.

Northern California Angora Guild Angora Handbook; Second Edition, 1990

Northern California Angora Guild Angora Handbook; Copyright 1985

Promoting Angora Rabbits Across the Nation; National Angora Rabbit Breeders Club

National Angora Rabbit Breeders Club Guidebook

There are many clubs and organizations that promote the angora rabbit and you may want to join..

MID AMERICA ANGORA CLUB

Should you have any further questions regarding raising your angora rabbit, please feel free to contact me either by mail or phone. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

Wishing you the best with your new angora rabbit!

Margaret Bartold
909 Highway E
Silex, MO 63377

573-384-5866