Hiya Alpha:wave:
I have lots of Angora bunnies here in the Sanctuary, so if you need any help or advice at anytime please do not hesitate to ask.
Firstly , I never get our angoras wet, nor allow them to get sit outside in the rain. There fur tangles really badly if you get it wet:?
We do not house Angoras on (or near sawdust) as it works its way into the fur and can dig into the skin causing sores.
To groom I use a combination of combs, slicker brushes, a soft brush and a pair of baby safety scissors.
I blow a hair dryer on cool setting across rabbits tummy and back every day, as this exposes any matts that may be forming.
The key to grooming Angoras is to brush them every day, and tease out by hand knots before they form into proper matts. Once matts have appeared it is too late, and you really need a vet to shave all their fur off at that stage.
I tend to trim angoras fur off every other week, using safety scissors and cutting upwards away from the skin.
Angoras tend to do better with shorter fur, and ours all frisk around happily when they have been trimmed.
It is risky leaving angoras fur matted, as sores form underneath, and can become infected.(The tight matts keep their delicate skin tense and it becomes sore:? ), also their is a higher risk of fly strike as flies burrow down into warm fur and lay eggs next to skin.
I tease knots out by hand every day, basically grasp the knot and carefully split fur apart from tip down towards skin (and fur root).Never spilt fur from the root (by skin) upwards, as it will hurt the rabbit.
Angoras quite happily sit and let you split their fur in this way, if you have a routine and do a bit every day.
You can contact the British Rabbit Council as they have a list of Angora breeders who may be able to advise you further, or may be prepared to show you how to groom
There are a few books written about grooming angoras, perhaps you could do a search on amazon (or goggle ) and see what comes up.
Best wishes
Adele
