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Either Turkey is really an amazing country, or there is some factor that affects the length of downy hair in animals, or simply the “discoverers” of long-haired breeds of farm animals know how to create myths, but all domestic animals with fluffy long hair are considered to be natives today. from the Turkish city of Ankara. And all these animals in the name of the breeds necessarily have the word “Angora”. Angora rabbits are no exception.
Initially, the long-haired rabbit was found, of course, in Turkey, from where it was taken to Europe. The cute fluffy animal quickly gained a lot of fans, but there were not enough purebreds for everyone. And the climate in many countries did not suit the southern animal. When long-haired animals were crossed with local breeds of rabbits, it turned out that long hair can be inherited, even if not in the first generation. As a result, European countries began to have their own breeds of angora rabbits. Now in the world you can count more than 10 breeds of angora. Of these, 4 are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association. The rest are either recognized as national organizations or are still being worked on.
Such a new, not yet formalized breed is the angora dwarf rabbit. Previously, all breeds of Angora rabbits were bred not for fun, but to obtain wool from them for making cashmere, the most expensive woolen fabric. It was rabbit hair that made cashmere so soft, warm and expensive. Even the wool of the Angora goat is inferior to that of the rabbit. Therefore, the Angora has never been dwarfed, which is disadvantageous for rabbit wool producers. The usual weight of the Angora rabbit, depending on its variety, ranges from 3 to 5 kg.
But the demand for wool, even for cashmere, is falling, although today in China Angorians are bred precisely for the sake of wool. But there is a growing demand for miniature fluffy balls, causing tenderness by their very appearance. Small rabbits are convenient to keep in an apartment, although many people confuse the concepts of “decorative rabbit” and “dwarf or miniature rabbit.” Ordinary Angorets weighing 5 kg can also be decorative, if they are kept not for the sake of wool, but as a pet. The miniature Angora rabbit is no longer suitable for industrial breeding, but it can bring a lot of pleasure to the owners.
Miniature breeds of angora rabbits
The ways of breeding miniature angoras are different. Some breeders simply select the smallest representatives of existing breeds. Others pour dwarf breeds of rabbits to the Angorans.
pygmy angora
In 2014, the breed of miniature rabbits ” dwarf angora” was entered into the State Register of Our Country. True, if we are guided by the words of the breeders themselves, while this is not such a breed, as all long-haired animals that meet certain requirements are included in the studbook. That is, work is still underway on a rather motley (pun turned out) livestock of long-haired rabbits with a small weight. The weight of the animal must not exceed 2 kg.
Desirable traits of the future breed
As a final result, breeders want to see an animal with a weight of 1,1 – 1,35 kg, a strong downed body, a short wide head and relatively short ears no more than 6,5 cm long. Unlike Western Angoras, Angoras should have good hair heads. In many Western Angoras, the head is almost completely covered with short hair, which is undesirable for the pygmy Angora.
The main problems being worked on are crooked legs, a legacy of the original stock brought from Poland, and instability in the length of the coat.
Much attention is also paid to the quality of wool. It should be thicker than that of industrial Angoras, but at the same time remain down, without turning into guard hair, to maintain the appearance of a rabbit, as in the photo above. It is possible to increase the amount of awn, which will not allow the fluff to fall off and make it easier for the owners to care for the rabbit at home. Here the breeders themselves have not yet decided in which direction to move.
The colors of the angora can be white, black, blue, black and piebald, piebald blue, red, red and piebald.
American fluffy fold rabbit
The fluffy ram was obtained by crossing first a Dutch fold with an English butterfly to obtain a piebald color, then with a French angora, since the wool of the resulting offspring has deteriorated. The maximum weight of an American Fluffy Sheep does not exceed 1,8 kg. In fact, this is also not a breed, since the spread in the exterior and the length of the coat is quite large and it happens that a fluffy rabbit is suddenly born from the Dutch Fold. The point here is that the French Angora gene is recessive and, recorded as Dutch Fold, the producers actually carry the “Angora” gene.
Desired breed standard
The body is short and compact. Legs are thick and short. The head of the animal should be held high. The ears hang down strictly on the sides. The hair on the head is semi-long. The length of the coat on the body is 5 cm. The colors are very diverse.
However, the coat of this breed is coarser than that of real Angoras and it is much easier to care for it. Grooming requirements include daily fingering of the animal’s coat to prevent tangles.
Large breeds of angora rabbits
The most common and recognized breeds around the world are the English and French Angoras plus the Giant and Satin Angora rabbits. To these breeds should be added the German Angora, not recognized by the States and registered by the National Association of German Rabbit Breeders, and the Soviet White Downy Rabbit. Today, Chinese, Swiss, Finnish, Korean and St. Lucian should already be added to these breeds. And there is a suspicion that these are far from all the currently existing breeds of angora rabbits.
All Angora downy breeds of rabbits have a common ancestor, but, as a rule, local breeds were added to them all for greater resistance of animals to changed living conditions. Turkish purebred Angors would hardly have survived the conditions even in Europe, not to mention the frosts. And today the maintenance of the Angora rabbit is impossible on the street. Even modified into a white downy breed, this breed requires keeping in a warm room in winter.
English and French angora rabbits
The photo shows an uncut English angora.
This is her after the haircut.
Without knowing the nuances of caring for Angora rabbits, you can’t tell from photographs that this is one and the same breed.
Photo of a French Angora rabbit.
Until 1939, there was only one breed of rabbit, called the Angora Downy. Due to the presence of two very different lines from the 39th year, the breed was divided into the English Angora rabbit and the French Angorka. The photo shows that the English angora has an overgrown head. Even on her ears, she has long hair, which makes her ears seem semi-erect. The paws are also covered with long hair. The coat of the English variant is longer than that of the French Angora.
The English Angora rabbit is the smallest recognized breed in the United States. Its weight is 2 – 3,5 kg.
The color of the English Angorians can be white with red eyes, white with dark eyes, plain of any color, agouti, piebald.
The photo shows an English white Angora rabbit with red eyes, that is, an albino.
So about red eyes, you have to take the word of the author of the photo.
The French Angoran has a full head of short hair. Ears are bare. On the body, the coat is distributed so that the body seems spherical, but on the paws there is short hair.
In contrast to the English, the French Angora is one of the largest Angora breeds. Its weight is from 3,5 to 4,5 kg. The colors of these rabbits are similar to their English relatives.
giant angora
The largest Angorese bred by crossing German Angoras, French sheep and Flanders giants. This is the only breed that has only white color. All giant angoras are albinos.
Satin angora
An animal of this breed is somewhat similar to the French Angorian. But why be surprised if this breed was bred by crossing a satin rabbit with a French angora.
Pictured is a satin rabbit.
This Angorka received the name “satin” for the special shine of the coat, inherited from the second parent breed.
The wool of the satin Angor is less than that of the French, and it has a different structure. It is believed that it is more difficult to spin, as it is more slippery. Officially, only solid colors are allowed. Nowadays, piebald has also appeared, but it has not yet been officially approved.
White downy
Soviet-made animal. The white downy was bred in the Kirov region by crossing local animals with French angoras. Further, the selection was based on the strength of the constitution, vitality, downy productivity and increase in live weight, which in an adult animal is 4 kg. From white downy you can get up to 450 g of wool, in which the down is 86 – 92%.
White downy is much better adapted to natural conditions than other Angorians.
Caring for Angora Rabbits
Fundamentally, the content of these animals is no different from the content of any other breed of rabbits. These animals eat the same things as their relatives. The main difference is the long hair.
If the wool clogs the intestines, the animal will die. As a preventive measure, Angoras are fed fresh hay without restrictions. Hay prevents the formation of mats from wool in the digestive tract of the animal.
The coat of the Angora must be combed periodically to prevent it from falling into tangles.
English, Satin and White Down breeds require brushing every 3 days. The collection of fluff from them is carried out 2 times a year during molting.
German, Giant and French Angoras do not shed. The wool is completely sheared from them every 3 months, collecting 4 down crops per year. These animals are recommended to be combed every 3 months. This is clear. There is no point in combing short hair, but it’s time to cut long hair. Before cutting the animal, it is better to comb it.
german angora haircut
Lifespan and breeding of angora rabbits
Angoras live as long as other rabbits, that is, 6 to 12 years. Moreover, the better the care of the animal, the longer it will live. Unless, of course, we are talking about a rabbit farm, where there are completely different orders. How long the animals live on the farm depends on their value. Particularly valuable are discarded at 5 – 6 years. But usually the life span of rabbits is 4 years. Then the rabbit’s breeding rate drops and productivity decreases. Keeping it becomes unprofitable.
Young angoras for breeding are selected from six months. Assess the length and quality of the coat. If the parameters do not suit the owner, then, having removed the wool crop from the animal 2-3 times, the animal is sent for slaughter.
The same requirements are imposed on the breeding of Angoras as on the breeding of other rabbits. The owner of an ornamental animal may, for hygiene purposes, cut the hair around the female’s genitals and nipples.
Conclusion
When getting Angora rabbits, you should be prepared for the need for coat care, no matter what the breeders of this breed say. Especially if you are breeding Angoras not for business, but for the soul and you want your pet to win at the exhibition.