Grooming an Angora Rabbit for Show
The angora rabbit, known for its long, plush fur, comes in several breeds, four of which are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association and the National Angora Rabbit Breeders Club. You can show the English, French, Giant and Satin angora breeds in events sponsored by these organizations. To prepare for these and other shows, you need to groom your rabbit's fur and coat to get it looking its best. Grooming also helps you to bond with your rabbit and keep its coat free of excess matting.
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Things You'll Need
- Wide-toothed steel comb
- Towel
- Slicker brush
- Bulb-tipped pin brush
- Turntable grooming stand
- Mask
- Pet grooming blower
Instructions
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Comb through the entire coat of the rabbit with a wide-toothed steel comb while holding the rabbit in your lap over a towel. Look for matting or tangles in the coat, especially behind the ears, sides and feet. Turn the rabbit over onto its back, still holding it on your lap, with its feet facing toward you. Brush through the hair on its stomach, legs and chest.
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Get rid of mats by holding the base of the hair at the skin and using your fingers to separate the hairs in the mat. Still holding the base of the hair, use the steel comb to gently comb out the mat, without pulling out too much of the hair. Go through the mats carefully so that you do not harm the rabbit.
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Use a slicker brush to brush the angora rabbits hair upwards, from the base of the hair at the skin toward the end of the hair. Brush the entire rabbit, including the back, sides and ears, turning the rabbit over to get to the stomach, chest and feet. Clean the loose hair from the brush as needed, and place any loose hair aside.
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Brush the rabbits entire coat with a bulb-tipped pin brush to get down to the base of the wool without removing it from the coat. Switch to the slicker brush to fluff up the coat.
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Place the rabbit on a turntable grooming stand in an outdoor area, and put on a mask if you are allergic to rabbit fur or dust.
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Set your pet grooming blower to cool. Hold the rabbits ears and the skin below the ears to protect it from the sound of the blower. Blow the coat to look for webbing or matting, sometimes called felting. Concentrate the blower on these areas to open up the mats; remove any loose hair with your hand. The blowing process removes matting and dust from the rabbit's coat.
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Turn the rabbit slowly on the grooming stand and blow the entire coat for about five minutes. Brush through the hair on the face and ears with a steel comb. Use a fine-toothed plastic comb to gently comb through the entire coat.
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Trim the fur on the legs short about 3 weeks before showing. Continue to brush and blow the coat weekly. You can also blow the coat daily for a few minutes at a time to keep the rabbit clean and in preparation for a show.
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Tips & Warnings
Begin to groom your rabbit in preparation of a show about two months before the event.
Start grooming your rabbit at 8 weeks old to get it used to handling and brushing.
Groom your rabbit weekly to prevent a build-up of mats in its coat.
Clip the rabbits toenails during grooming twice a month, trimming off the sharp tips with a pet nail clipper.
You can substitute a hair dryer with a cool setting or a shop vac for the blower if you do not have a blower, though a high-force blower is recommended for showing.
Put any wool that you comb off of the rabbit aside to spin into yarn.
Keep your rabbit's fur groomed to prevent it from ingesting excess wool, which can lead to a potentially fatal condition called wool block. When a rabbit ingests its fur while it grooms it with its tongue, it ingests the loose wool, which builds up in its digestive tract, without passing through the system, preventing it from getting appropriate nutrition or having the ability to eliminate.
Never use a heated dryer or the blower on a heated setting, as this is bad for the coat and can upset the rabbit.
References
- Betty Chu's English Angoras: Grooming English Angoras
- Avillion Farm: Grooming the Angora Rabbit
- Joy of Handspinning: How to Care For Your Angora Rabbit
- Pet Rabbits: Angora Rabbit Breed
- Center for the Micro Eco-Farming Movement: Raising the Angora Bunny for Profit on the Micro Eco-Farm
- Bumblebeeacres English Angora Rabbitry: English Angora Rabbits
- PetRabbitInfo: Angora Rabbits: Their Woolly Fur That is Long and Silky is Made Into Clothing
- American Rabbit Breeders Association: ARBA Recognized Breeds
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
