It is one of the oldest rabbit breeds in the world, originating in Ankara, Turkey, historically known as Angora.
These species eventually made their way to America before 1939, and there was only one kind of wholly rabbit known as the “Angora Wooler.”
During the same year, Angora Wooler was re-classified into two types of rabbits, the English and French.
Subsequently, the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) in 1944 officially divided these into two breeds: the English Angora and the French Angora Rabbit.
General Description
Usually, these compact and small rabbits have broad, flat heads, plenty of wooly furs, short ears, and hair on their faces, and unlike other Angora, they have wooly feet.
Coat
It is the only Angora with facial furnishings, meaning that this rabbit has thick bands and side trimmings, therefore covering its entire body and feet with a fur coat. When these rabbits’ coats are often in perfect condition, they are called “round balls of fluff.”
Additionally, this rabbit breed is woolly, dense, and silky in texture, and frequent grooming, even during off-shedding, is essential to prevent the fur from becoming matted, tangled, and unpleasant.
Therefore, whether you are raising this rabbit as a pet, for its wool production, or as a show rabbit, keeping their coat free from tangles is vital.
To do this, utilize a pet grooming brush with wire bristles like that used with cats or dogs once or twice weekly, and always make use of shears or a groomer in case your English Angora is a pet since its coat continuously grows.
Those who keep English Angora for its wool report shearing the rabbit’s wool approximately four times annually, proving this rabbit produces plenty of wool while still not forgetting to shear in case of mats.
Furthermore, after keeping an English Angora rabbit as a pet, give them what is commonly called a “puppy cut,” making grooming much easier.
This cut involves shearing the rabbit’s body, such as faces and body, ensuring the coat is short but leaving it long on its ears and feet. Therefore, the rabbit ends up resembling a small poodle.
Colors
English Angoras come in many colors, with the Agouti group of English Angoras being classified as Chocolate, Chestnut, and Lynx.
The Shaded Group English Angoras are Blue Tort, Black Tort, Lilac Tort, or Chocolate Tort, with the Self Group having Chocolate, Blue, Black, or Lilac and the Show Class classification showing it has a white coat and ruby eyes.
Last is the Pointed Group English Angoras, which either has white wool with brown spots on its legs and nose (Chocolate Pointed White), white wool with black spots on its legs and nose (Black Pointed White), white wool with their legs and nose having light grey spots (Blue Pointed White).
Care Requirements
Due to their dense and wooly coat, these rabbit bread necessitates plenty of care and attention and, hence, require regular brushing once or twice a week using a wire bristle comb. Shearing must be done about four times annually to ensure their coat is mat-free.
Therefore, if you are a first-time owner and are unwilling to dedicate as much time as possible, this rabbit breed is not recommendable. English Angora rabbits need a diet that comprises 70 percent hay, just like most rabbits, with the remaining 30 percent being vegetables and fruits.
Moreover, high-quality pellets are crucial to ensure your rabbit gets the much-needed nutrients, proteins, and vitamins needed to grow, with “kits” or baby rabbits requiring a different diet. Kits younger than three weeks should only drink their mother’s milk, with those between 3-4 weeks being given pellets and nibbles of alfalfa.
Once the kits reach 4-7 weeks, you should provide the kits with lots of alfalfa and pellets before switching to hay and unlimited pellets once the kit has reached seven weeks to 7 months old.
Finally, after reaching 12 weeks old, gradually introduce your rabbits to vegetables to better understand which they favor.
English Angora rabbits are friendly and docile; thus, you must often take them out of their cages and have lots of indoor or outdoor playtime.
Furthermore, if you reside in a home with no fenced backyard or an apartment, you should let your rabbit roam inside the house, which will provide it with a lot of exercise. Nevertheless, these rabbits love regularly going outside and feeling some grass beneath them as they catch some rays.
Health
The most troublesome health issue English Angora rabbits face is the possibility of woodblock, with rabbits being clean animals that frequently groom themselves.
Unlike the Sating Angora rabbits, the English Angora rabbits have long and dense wool and thus can accidentally inject some fur while grooming themselves.
Typically, this far passes through the rabbit’s digestive system; if it does not, it creates a furball. Unlike cats, rabbits cannot regurgitate to get rid of this hairball; hence, it keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Due to the growth of the hairball so much, the rabbit’s digestive system gets blocked completely and thus cannot eat or does not eat since it believes it is full.
Therefore, woodblock is a real and dangerous problem when you own a rabbit with thick and dense fur.
Some of the symptoms of woodblock include decreased activity, decreased appetite or completely not eating, and less frequent droppings, which may be strung together by wool. Thus, if you see any of these symptoms, immediately consult a veterinarian.
Luckily, there are various ways to prevent wool block in your rabbit, and diet is the best way. Thus, ensure your rabbit’s meal is high in fiber and groom your rabbit regularly.
Also, most owners supplement their diet with papaya tablets or pineapple chunks once a week.
Behavior
These rabbit breeds are even-tempered and enjoy spending quality moments with their human handlers, and since they need a lot of grooming, they mostly bond with the individual who frequently grooms them.
It is mainly the case if that is the same person who plays, pets, and feeds the rabbits, and since they do not have ill-mannered tendencies, it will not be hard introducing them to kids.
These rabbits often do not require constant attention, but their personalities flourish when they interact with humans or are out mostly, which is why this breed is ideal for couples and singles who want a pet.
When these rabbits are enjoying outdoor moments out of their cages, guarantee you have a few toys they can chew on, and apart from the wool block, other rabbits develop large teeth due to poor diet.
So, you need to feed your rabbit vegetables, pellets, and a balanced diet of hay, and having overgrown teeth must not be problematic since you will offer them something to chew on, such as a dog toy that will not hurt it and keep it entertained.
Other rabbits like chewing on wood pieces, and some are known to eat in their wooden cages. Thus, providing them with some rabbit-safe wood is acceptable for entertainment.
