Housing Angora Buns ... Anyone had any experience?

[Geoff's people]

Regarding the hay issue you could try possible the same as I do with my sheep?

I mount a hay rack at nomming height on the outside of their door so they can eat all the hay they want, but as it comes through a few strands at a time they get less loose dropped bits to tangle up .

You would have to make sure that this wouldn't put bunny off eating enough hay though. It's fine with a sheep as mine would have to be dead to refuse hay and will go to any means possible (and some I though IMpossible) to get to it. Buns sometime just don't bother if it is tricky though.


Good luck with the spinning :thumb:
If you are determined to spin angora then I personally would rather you have your own pair of buns to clip as long as you are prepared for a lifetime of hard work.
I have always wanted to spin angora, but will not buy in the stuff as I KNOW it will have come from poor caged creatures and I will have no part of it.
I also don't have time in the day to cope with such high maintenance buns so for me, for now it remains a dream :wave:

 

[LeiiMaa]

Regarding the hay issue you could try possible the same as I do with my sheep?

I mount a hay rack at nomming height on the outside of their door so they can eat all the hay they want, but as it comes through a few strands at a time they get less loose dropped bits to tangle up .

You would have to make sure that this wouldn't put bunny off eating enough hay though. It's fine with a sheep as mine would have to be dead to refuse hay and will go to any means possible (and some I though IMpossible) to get to it. Buns sometime just don't bother if it is tricky though.


Good luck with the spinning :thumb:
If you are determined to spin angora then I personally would rather you have your own pair of buns to clip as long as you are prepared for a lifetime of hard work.
I have always wanted to spin angora, but will not buy in the stuff as I KNOW it will have come from poor caged creatures and I will have no part of it.
I also don't have time in the day to cope with such high maintenance buns so for me, for now it remains a dream :wave:

I'm pretty sure I've got a spare hay rack knocking around somewhere! So I'll defiantly try that instead My monty uses her hay rack all the time, and her hay dangly cage ball thing ... [Not to sure what its called!] However Dexter has non of it!

And thanks! I've never spun Angora wool before, for exactly the same reasons, I can't bare the thought of what they could of gone through ! I've spun various types of sheeps wool and goats but that's come from a family farm so I know the animals are treated well I imagine Angora wool is a lot easier to card and prepare, but not as easy to spin I'll defiantly post a thread on spinning his wool when I have enough of it to spin!

 

[Rach210]

If an angora rabbit was kept clipped so the fur wasn't so long, would they need any special requirements or would they just be able to live in a hutch and run like any other bunny?

Just out of interest more than anything, not in a position to get more buns at the moment.

 

[LeiiMaa]

If an angora rabbit was kept clipped so the fur wasn't so long, would they need any special requirements or would they just be able to live in a hutch and run like any other bunny?

Just out of interest more than anything, not in a position to get more buns at the moment.

I don't think they would need special requirements, Well not judging from what everyone else has replied to me with!
In all honesty I think the reason I asked is because I'm a paranoid person and I know the amount of wool that their feet grow. I just wanted some reassurance that non slip vinyl works for buns! :lol: All all of my buns are kept on hay or occasionally finacard and like people said, this isn't suitable for them!

 

[MichG]

If an angora rabbit was kept clipped so the fur wasn't so long, would they need any special requirements or would they just be able to live in a hutch and run like any other bunny?

Just out of interest more than anything, not in a position to get more buns at the moment.

I have and Angora x. I rescued 2 from a rescue centre (unfortunately I lost 1 last year to impaction) They were dumped as they were too high maintenance and the previous owner couldn't be bothered.

I keep Jaspers fur clipped really short because he HATES being brushed, he bites, kicks and scratches, he doesn't seem to mind clipping. I just take the top layer off and not down to the skin unless there are knots. He lives outside in a covered hutch and run combo with his friend Isabelle. I let his fur grow a bit longer in winter but then clip it all off in the spring. I treat him the same as any of my others.

 

[William]

I just wanted to add that wire isn't necessarily uncomfortable. My old rabbit Izzy (mini lop) free ranged my bedroom 24/7 and for some reason liked to sit on a wire shelf I have in my room. I also had rabbits preferring the wire part in their hutch.

I've had American fuzzy lops in the past which are pretty fluffy (though not as much as angoras I guess) and they did require regular brushing and sometimes clipping but it wasn't really difficult/time consuming. They were really good about it though - I imagine if you had a bun that hated being groomed it would be a nightmare.

 

[FluffyBun]

I'm late to this as have been off the forum for a while.

I have three angoras - all males. The stuff about wire floored cages should be treated with suspicion. It comes from US sites and it the way US breeders keep their buns (usually in much smaller spaces than we would consider humane, as well). It makes them easier to clean out. That is the only reason for it, so far as i can see.

Mine are in traditional (large) hutches in an outhouse and on sunny days go out on the lawn in a run.

I am also a handspinner. You need to clip every 12 weeks. If you go too soon, the fur is not long enough to be worth spinning. (Handspun angora doesn't shed unlike commercially spun angora which is all chopped up by machines, hence the shedding).

If you wait too long, the old coat sheds and new coat grows into it, causing tangles and matts.

A good regime is to comb at least once a week. Once the wool starts coming loose when you pluck at it, you know it's time to shear.

They tend to be friendly, gentle, laid back rabbits as they are the oldest breed of rabbit, and bred to be handled by the very nature of what they were bred for.

Hope you get as much love and pleasure from your bun as my son and I get from our's.:wave:

 

[Tuckerbunnies]

We have an Angora rabbit who we got from a rescue she was a cruelty case and couldn't walk as her back legs were matted to her body and we have her in a hutch with paper on the hutch floor and soft hay. We trim her fur every 2-3 weeks and shave her in Summer for coolness. You really have to groom them every day to keep their thick fur from matting.

Jess

And after being shaved.

 

[FluffyBun]

We have an Angora rabbit who we got from a rescue she was a cruelty case and couldn't walk as her back legs were matted to her body and we have her in a hutch with paper on the hutch floor and soft hay. We trim her fur every 2-3 weeks and shave her in Summer for coolness. You really have to groom them every day to keep their thick fur from matting.

Mine don't need that much, but I know tendency to matt is also genetic .

Forgot to say, but our's are bedded on plastic trays with Megazorb, horse bedding - very absorbent, very cheap and made from dried wood pulp so harmless to buns and can go straight on garden. They tend to be good about using the litter trays. I put their hay in mangers, hooked to the front of the hutches, to keep it clean and off the hutch floor. Amazon boxes make a good underlay for them too (with all the staples taken out, if there are any, of course!) These can be easily changed and put straight into the compost bin.

 

[LittleEskimo]

The wire bottom comes from meat farmers I think. Some independent meat farmers keep their rabbits lifted up off of the ground in completely wire cages. It means they don't have to spend their time cleaning out the cages as everything drops through to the ground. They do sometimes leave bits of wood for the rabbits to rest their feet but to be honest it's more laziness then anything I think.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aIph1zp-ZrA/SxK3w5lSHPI/AAAAAAAABUY/UUUOlxob9z4/s1600/DSC_5634.JPG

But, there are litter trays that have mesh on top that I would consider for longer haired rabbits. Just so that when he goes to the bathroom his bum hair wont get covered in hay or poops in it's longer stages. Might be an idea
http://furrybutts.wordpress.com/2008/05/13/bunny-litter-box-ideas/

 

[nessar]

Mine don't need that much, but I know tendency to matt is also genetic .

Forgot to say, but our's are bedded on plastic trays with Megazorb, horse bedding - very absorbent, very cheap and made from dried wood pulp so harmless to buns and can go straight on garden. They tend to be good about using the litter trays. I put their hay in mangers, hooked to the front of the hutches, to keep it clean and off the hutch floor. Amazon boxes make a good underlay for them too (with all the staples taken out, if there are any, of course!) These can be easily changed and put straight into the compost bin.

Do you find the megazorb gets caught in the hair and matts? I have lionhead with a fluffy bum, I clip it when it gets too long now, but before I did, if I used megazorb without hay on top it used to get all caught up in her fur and lead to matts.

 

[Tamsin]

A lot of the advise you'll find is, like you say, for outdoor bunnies/breeders. I would house like a house rabbit No litter necessary except in the tray. If it's a slippy floor use vet bed, towel or grass mats.

If you find the litter from the tray gets stuck, then you could use a grid over, rather than wire, pick something where the 'wire' parts are wide and flat, so there is more surface area for the feet.

A hay rack will help with the hay, but even better would be if you use fresh grass - it doesn't catch in the fur so easily as hay. An outdoor run for grazing might be an option? Or cut the grass daily and bring it inside.

 

[William]

I have three angoras - all males. The stuff about wire floored cages should be treated with suspicion. It comes from US sites and it the way US breeders keep their buns (usually in much smaller spaces than we would consider humane, as well). It makes them easier to clean out. That is the only reason for it, so far as i can see.

Obviously only bad breeders keep them that way.

And that's not the only reason for it, it's very hot in most of the US so some pet owners who have outdoor rabbits have part of the hutch with wire and the rest has newspaper or wood, etc. That way the rabbits can choose where to lay. When they're hot they'll lay on the wire because of the ventilation. Even my feral cat chooses to lay in a small old rabbit hutch in my yard because he's cooler when laying on the wire.

 

[nessar]

A lot of the advise you'll find is, like you say, for outdoor bunnies/breeders. I would house like a house rabbit No litter necessary except in the tray. If it's a slippy floor use vet bed, towel or grass mats.

If you find the litter from the tray gets stuck, then you could use a grid over, rather than wire, pick something where the 'wire' parts are wide and flat, so there is more surface area for the feet.

A hay rack will help with the hay, but even better would be if you use fresh grass - it doesn't catch in the fur so easily as hay. An outdoor run for grazing might be an option? Or cut the grass daily and bring it inside.

I saw a plastic mesh grid that would be perfect for this, although a little small, in tesco extra the other day. It was upstairs with all the house stuff, in the washing and washing up section, it was just a blue flat plastic mesh, quite wide bits so shouldnt hurt the feet I wouldnt think.

 

[LeiiMaa]

Hey everyone:wave:

Thanks for everyones advice! I've taken everything on board. I'm picking the lil guy up tonight so I'll post little updates and photos of what I find works best for him if anyones interested in how he's getting on!

At the moment, I got some non slip vinyl tiles from B&Q [They were reduced to £1!!!] and I've stuck them on a thin piece of plastic the same size as the plastic tray in his dog crate. [I didn't really want to stick them to his tray just incase I ever needed to change them for some reason, I didn't want to be left with a sticky mess!] I've also got a carpet tile in there [to cover the end of the tray where the tiles didn't cover]. I had a spare hay rack so I've fitted that to his dog crate.

FluffyBun, No doubt you'll be getting a pm from me if I have any questions about them! It's nice to know theirs someone else who spins their buns wool :thumb:

And Nessar, I'll be doing my big shop tomorrow so I'll have a look out for the grid! Just incase I need to put one over his litter tray

 

[FluffyBun]

Do you find the megazorb gets caught in the hair and matts? I have lionhead with a fluffy bum, I clip it when it gets too long now, but before I did, if I used megazorb without hay on top it used to get all caught up in her fur and lead to matts.

No, I've never had a problem with it! It doesn't seem to stick to them at all - not sure why that is!

How are you getting on Leii?

 

[LeiiMaa]

No, I've never had a problem with it! It doesn't seem to stick to them at all - not sure why that is!

How are you getting on Leii?

No problems at all! He had a small bout of diarrhea a few days after I got him but that's all cleared up now and hes fine His wools so fine that I've not had a problem grooming him and hay doesn't get stuck in it at all, or any of his litter!

Heres a few photos of him
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?353309-Zeus-wants-his-wool-back!