long haired lovelies

[victoria bradley]

annie i totally agree with you.

i have two long haired rabbits - teddy an angora & daisy a cashmere lop. both were rescued from horrific conditions. they are incredibly hard work but 4 me worth every single moment.

its not just the time spent grooming but also how you do it. every so often we get a pro groomer to go over them but this is very costly as she live far away & its approx £40 per rabbit.

i agree whole heartedly that pet shops should be stopped from selling them. once in rescue centres i have found that long hairs are often over looked especially my two as they have red eyes and white fur. this combination for some bizarre reason prevents many being rehomed.

xx

[Lazylops]

Hi Victoria
it does seem to be a constant thing with the red-eyed whites, I have three whom I love.

I have dougal - cashmere lop, Harry - cashmere lop and now Benjamin Angora x. Harry is a REW cashmere, and such a character, he was quite abused in his last home, but now his personality is really coming out, and he is becoming quite a handful...lol.

I personally do not agree with inexperienced people being able to own the long-haired breeds as they are so time consuming, however, I am sure you will agree, if you are prepared to care for them properly they pay you back with dividends as their personalities are so loving.

annie

[victoria bradley]

you're right about their personalities. daisy can be a real madam. she's v. playful adores being chased around. she is the only rabbit out of my four who is vocal. she growls when she's in a mood.

teddy also has adjusted really well, loves to play. he comes running whenever we go in the fridge thinking the parsley is coming out.

such sweeties x

[Rexy bexy]

hi,
i know of some angora breeders who will not sell to pet shops and i think they r totaly right angoras r just too much work y dont u clip ur angora?
Due to it’s hollow fibred coat the Angora Rabbit has special requirements over other breeds. The coat is highly absorbent sucking up water like a sponge. It would take a long time to dry in the meantime causing sores and skin problems. More importantly however , Angora fibre is prone to felting, something that is taken advantage of with the lovely felts that are made from it’s fibre. On the rabbit however this is disastrous causing major discomfort, skin problems and even allows flies to lay their eggs and hatch into maggots. Anyone who has seen an Angora in this terrible state will never forget the suffering of the poor animal. It is important that the Angora then is kept clean and DRY. On no circumstance should the rabbit be allowed to get wet, they are never bathed as doing so would lead to hours of work drying and de matting
As breeders we strive very hard to place the animal in the best hands possible, it is important that you understand the high maintenance requirements of this breed BEFORE you buy your lovely fluffy baby.
The Angora is generally kept in a good sized hutch with a wire floor. The floor allows the droppings and urine to fall through and keeps the bunny dry and clean. Floors need to be cleaned regularly in order to prevent dirt building up
Clipped Angoras , breeding stock or pets, that are kept with their coats trimmed short can be bedded on a thick layer of shavings and chopped straw. I have found that if this is kept clean and dry the rabbit can stay clean and stain free.
becky

[Tamsin]

Judging by another post from people about finding groomers I think the trouble is most pet owners don't have the experience to know how to clip their bunnies. Angora breeders obviously have a lot of experience looking after angora coats but its difficult for pet owners to find anyone to teach them.

Another alternative to shavings/wire floors is vet bed. Which is a fleecey material designed for use with animals, it allows the urine to soak through keeping the top dry.

Its good to here that angora breeders share a similar view on petshops, its such a shame when they end up in dreadful states.

Tamsin

[anon101]

hi,
The Angora is generally kept in a good sized hutch with a wire floor. The floor allows the droppings and urine to fall through and keeps the bunny dry and clean. Floors need to be cleaned regularly in order to prevent dirt building up


Do you think the bun's that are kept in this way are happy?

For the sake of showing and keeping the Rabbit's coat immaculate I think it's darn cruel.

What kind of life has that bun got?

I read an article a while ago that bun's can suffer terrible sore's on there body/feet from being kept in this manner.

It seem's to me the Pet owned and clipped Angora's lead a better life to the shown one's.

Louise

[Tamsin]

Bare in mind that a rabbit with sore hocks/sore skin would be disqualified from a show which suggests that this isn't a problem as it would make keeping the coat in good condition pointless as showing wouldn't be possible. Angora's have a lot of fluff on their feet which perhaps means this isn't the issue it would be in other breeds without the extra protection.

Tamsin

[bunnyhuggger]

I have spoken to Christine Hamilton regarding angoras, and she is a lovely lady. I believe she is quite an important lady/breeder in the angora field. I contacted her with regards to clipping Bear (Adele's future baby :lol: ), and she was extremely helpful and friendly. I can assure you her angoras are thoroughly pampered. Her angoras are not combed or brushed like some bunny owners do, but they use a special blower to untangle any knots in the fur which the rabbits enjoy and the results are spectacular. Her rabbits have the life of Reilly!

[Rexy bexy]

hi,
well the bunny is far happy being dry on a wire mesh that being wet so fly can get to them
this is what another breeds wrote and his also get to go out in pens too
but if u think, the fur is extrealy thick on there feet so it is like ur wearing shoes and wire
we wouldnt feel it
becky

[anon101]

I've got an Angora.

He's an indoor bun. He's bedded on a shredded newspaper bed in a Ferplast cage. With regularly cleaning out he stays dry/clean and with regular grooming tangle free.

Louise

[Rexy bexy]

well iv bin told not to house rabbits on news paper as it can be toxic but also a show bunny an go on news paper as it makes them dirty
u have to understand that differnat people have different views and opinions and u have to respect them
if u were to phone the rspc and took them over to a breeder of angors whey wont find any thing wrong with keeping them on wire mesh
i know some pets that have wire mesh on floor of pen so they cant dig there not much differnce here
becky

[Tamsin]

Yes, just because things are different doesn't necessarily mean one way is wrong.

Please remember our charter when posting - http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=35

Thanks,
Tamsin

[Adele]

Hi, I think that there are different ways of keeping bunnies and if rabbits are being taken to shows regularly they have to be kept in tip top condition and immaculately clean.
Rexi Buni I expect a rabbit could be disqualified from a show if he/she had newspaper print on his/her paws??

Other people keep rabbits purely as pets, so it is perhaps not as important to keep them off newspaper etc, but at the end of the day, I am sure most folk truly love their rabbits and do the very best for them :D

Angoras have lovely padded feet to cope with wire under paw, and in reality my Rex rabbit(whose paws are not well papped with fur at all!) got sore hocks from sitting on wire in his pen!.
I think as Humans, each bunny breed has to be considered as individual and with slightly different needs.

The Angoras I have seen at shows are beautiful and in fantastic condition, and seemed very relaxed , happy bunnies.

[Rexy bexy]

hi,
yes all mine are pets to me ,and all of mine have been to a show cause my non showable ones go into a pet class
all mine are housed on shavings or straw mine too go out on grass in the day and do get grass stains but i don't have white buns so wont show up as much and for me the rexes feet r easyer to clean
no i would never put a rex on wire all mine have extra bedding cause of there feet
when my mini cash goes to his show he has wire mesh put in the pen but that is only ever for shows so the shavings dont get stuck and he can stay clean
becky

[Adele]

I put Vet Bed down inside the run for my Rex bunnies these days, so they no longer get sore feet.
Thank you for all your invaluable advice rexi Buni, you are a wealth of information...how old are you if you do not mind my asking, it is just that you are a "Junior member" of the BRC so I am interested how they categorise this?

[Rexy bexy]

hi im 15 so next year will be my last year as a junior and them im out with the big boys lol
troubel is with vet bed i dont think u can get it in bales and every think i have thses day come a bale and food in 20kg sacks
also it th cost shaving cost me £4.75 a bale and for that price i can use as much as i like and so far no probs
becky

[bluebunny]

vet bed is the fleecy beeding like they use in vets. i use it in my cages and just wash it twice a week .

[Rexy bexy]

oh ye silly me
well i cant imagine over 22 washing 22 twice and with litter i would have to wash them about 3 or 4 times a week
becky

[Tamsin]

Yes, its like a fleece blanket and reusable. You can either get it as a big roll or as pieces. Here is more information - http://www.vetbed-uk.demon.co.uk/vetbed.htm

Tam

[Diddeen]

Hmmm sounds a nice idea.. but dont your rabbits eat it?? My bunny eats anything and everything. He just stole a magazine off my coffeetable and is now eating it!! I just know if i put that in his cage he would pull it up and shred it in seconds.
Chris

[Rexy bexy]

oh ye i have bales of hay too which i think is an importand part of there diet as they munch on it all day and keep there teeth in top condition
becky

[cashmincal]

Hiya there

The Cashmere Lop is not kept on wires at home only at Shows.

Clare

[Diddeen]

Clare what do u bed your cashmeres on when not on wires?
Also those who have bought vet bed.. where did u get it from?
Chris

[Lazylops]

Hello Chris, I bed both my cashmeres and my angora x on vet beds which are available from Pets at Home (if you wish to shop there..... :roll: ), but I would imagine that there are probably plenty of good online shops that would sell them as well. I seem to remember historically that someone found a discounted supplier of them.....??

annie

[Diddeen]

oh ok thanks. I'll have a search around.
Chris

[Lazylops]

Hi I've put some links to online vetbeds on another thread, can't remember which one tho.... :roll: :shock:

[cashmincal]

Hiya there

I use shavings to bed my Cashmere Lops down on.

HTH

Clare

[Tamsin]

Hi I've put some links to online vetbeds on another thread, can't remember which one tho.... :roll: :shock:

Here you are - http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/viewtopic.php?p=2720#2720

Tam

[Lazylops]

that'll be the one, thanks Tam. :lol: