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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A New Angora Bunny Mom

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    • Pei
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        So I am a spinner, and while walking through a local pet store after picking up hay for my daughter’s guinea pig, I saw one of the store’s employees walking towards me with an armful of angora fluff.. I INSTANTLY knew what it was, and had to go say hi to him.  The employee shared his history with me, and I knew that there were decent odds that the little one (he was too small to sex at that point) would end up being mine.  He was an easter purchase (grrrrr) and was donated to the petstore after grandma and grandpa realized that the kids were NOT going to play with, or take care of, their new fuzzy friend.  When the employee at the pet store discovered I was a spinner, and understood what angora care meant, AND had previously had a house bunny (though it was 20 years ago in college), she quickly made sure I got to snuggle on him, and she showed me how matted he was, and how they were hoping to find him a home where they knew what kind of care he needed (I apparently have “SUCKER” written across my forehead in very large letters)..  My boyfriend needed an allergy test, but the manager at the store said they had already found him the right family, and that they would hold him for me until the test, even knowing it might be a no… Sooo fast forward a month while we got the test scheduled and done, and he came home last night. I’ve had bunnies before (though it’s been a while) and I did my research on the extra needs of an angora, but I realized this morning that I had one key question that I hadn’t gotten an answer to yet.. 

        They did a great job brushing him out, but there are still some mats around his front legs and shoulders that need to be worked out, and obviously I don’t want to let him get matted up again.. Does anyone have any advice about how to balance giving him space to explore and get used to me, while still forcing him to deal with being brushed and groomed daily while we get those last knots out?  Should I stick to short grooming sessions every day, or do longer sessions and skip a day, or multiple VERY short sessions a day?!?  help!?  Thankfully he got a LOT of love at the pet store (several employees were REALLY sad when I took him home last night, it was so sweet) so he’s pretty well socialized, but I want to set he and I up for success, so.. thoughts would be much appreciated. 

        Also, does anyone know if fresh pineapple or the papaya enzymes are better for preventing woolblock?  I’ve heard both and am inclined towards fresh pineapple, but my goal is absolutely for what’s best for the fuzzybutt!

        Thank you all, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you all as I figure the boy out..


      • Dface
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          Poor little lamb-m lad to hear hes found such a good home
          I know with my angora type bunny that he hates me working out matts,so I personally just cut them out using a blunt nose scissors (it saves a lot of stress and grows back very quickly. )
          He won’t eat pineapple, but I use it with my girl, there are varying reports of whether or not it actually works though.
          Just make sure the fluff eats his hay! For grooming, it’s up to his own personality sometimes my boy will sit for grooming, otherwise it’s lots of little sessions during the day


        • Pei
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            Thank you Dface! I’m glad I got him too, though it’s a selfish glad since he’s such an awesome boy!

            So it will just be a take our time and see what works kind of thing? I can do that..

            This is going to be an interesting experiment as I discover all the things I need to learn. Lol


          • Gordo and Janice
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              Ours was an Angora. We actually never brushed her. She didn’t care for the brush, so it seemed. It would have been nice if she had. She wanted hand rubs, pets, and squeezes. She was annoyed/disgusted with the brush. We gave her regular hair cuts. Tried to anyway. There were a couple of periods that it seemed like we had a white pillow with a face on it running around the house. And when for whatever reason the mats would sneak in we would try to cut them out before they got out of control. We learned that cutting her hair more frequently and keeping her fur shorter was better for all of us. It grew remarkably fast. That was for sure. And over the course of her lifetime it was an insane amount of super silky soft fur. I couldn’t begin to imagine the true quantity. We hated to just throw it away, it seemed like such a waste.

              In our situation there were 2 of us so it was easier, not easy, just much easier than if there would have been one. One could hold and pet while the other did the work which was usually me. As far as the sessions, it would vary. Sometimes she would tolerate it for a long session, other times not so much. I think you will just have to use trial and error to see what his personality will allow or tolerate. It might actually change all the time depending on his mood. It would seem shorter sessions at first would be less stressful but with trial and error I’m sure you will find out what will work and what won’t pretty quick. That’s how it was with Icey. Let’s try this…woops…don’t think so. Maybe this….nope….let’s see. Our whole relationship with her was a learned one between the three of us. Nothing was truly textbook.

              I will mention that the ordeal was probably more stressful for us than for her. Those mats get right up close to the skin and we all know how fragile and sensitive a rabbit’s skin is. It’s like toilet paper (of course I exaggerate but not by much). I always felt like I was doing dangerous life threatening surgery when working on the mats. I was always a little sweaty by the time it was over, because I was so intense. And of course stuck to the sweat was plenty of rabbit fur. But I digress.

              Congratulations on Mac! It sounds like they and you have already got him off to a great start. May you have many many years of mutually enjoyable grooming sessions.


            • Pei
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                So I kept play time to a minimum tonight, and got through about a quarter of one of the shoulder/armpit mats in a couple of 2-5 minute grooming sessions. He was NOT thrilled with me, and kept glaring at me, but didn’t bite me or growl, sooo.. seems a success.. he also basically sat on my head on the couch for a bit after the first round and even groomed my hair a tiny bit!! <3

                If I wasn’t on my phone I’d upload an adorable shot I got of him sitting up there (sadly it’s too big a file on my phone).


              • Pei
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                  There, found an app to shrink the photo.. this is us after round one of working on his mats..

                  And yeah, cutting his hair would be easier, but I mentioned I was a spinner, right?

                  Edited to actually insert the attached pic, sheesh! Or at least try, since it appears to only be showing the link rather than the pic.


                • Harley&Thumper
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                    As a spinner, how much rabbit fur would it take to have enough to make a nice winter beanie?

                    Sorry if I’m derailing the thread a little.


                  • Pei
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                      Hehe, no question about spinning is derailing to a conversation with me..

                      Would depend on what you wanted yarn wise… But generally for a hat, 4 ounces would be enough for whatever style yarn & pattern you were looking for..(probably less, but this is a worst case scenario number).


                    • Dface
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                        What a handsome boy ?
                        I don’t bother cutting mine unless there’s a Matt that’s going to be an issue to get out, when that’s the case I use a blunt end scissors, but for the most part it’s an assortment of different brushes. I’d always thought about spinning his fur, but never actually had the energy to collect it lol
                        Lucky you getting kisses! Mine thinks it’s beneath him to groom me … *Sigh*

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                    Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A New Angora Bunny Mom