Grooming is Key to Angora Rabbit Health
Regular Brushing can Mean Life or Death for Wooled Rabbit Breeds
Instead of the normal coat of a typical pet rabbit, Angora rabbits actually have a wool coat. They’re often raised for showing or as small livestock for their wool to be sold to the spinning cottage industry or textile companies.
This is the same wool that is used for angora sweaters, scarves, or hats. One of the nice things about having angora rabbits as livestock is that they are what are referred to as a “no-kill” livestock. That is, it isn’t necessary or desirable to kill an angora rabbit for its fiber.
Because angora rabbits were originally bred for wool production, they need to be kept groomed whether they are being kept as show animals, fiber producers, or as pets.
Good Grooming is Important for Rabbit Health
Rabbits that have wool as a coat instead of the normal rabbit fur need special care and constant grooming. For this reason, angoras are not the first choice for people as average pets and especially not for children.
Three or four times a year, an angora rabbit’s coat begins to shed out naturally or “blow”. This is the optimal time for gathering the wool fiber if the rabbit is kept for wool production. If a rabbit with this type of coat isn’t kept properly groomed, matting is a certainty. A matted rabbit is susceptible to many health issues.
It takes the mats only a couple of weeks, depending on the individual rabbit’s fiber, to reach the base of the body and press against the skin. Rabbits in this condition often experience the wool being stretched and pulled way from the body prematurely. This can cause body sores and skin-tearing.
The long fibers of the wool also become stringy in areas and wrap around the rabbit’s limbs sometimes causing him to get caught up in the coat which prevents him from either hopping properly or moving altogether.
The other situation a rabbit is primed for at this point is something called “fly strike”. Fly strike occurs when a rabbit is damp from urine or feces and it sticks to the coat. Flies lay larva on those places and maggots hatch on the rabbit’s body. The maggots use the rabbit’s flesh to survive while eating right through its body and the rabbit eventually dies.
Last, when a rabbit becomes uncomfortable due to the wool matting against his body, he begins to chew at the fur himself and this can set him up for a disease called, “wool block”. Because rabbits can’t vomit, when a rabbit gets something lodged in his stomach or intestines, he has no choice but to try to pass it. Wool block is a balled up clump of fiber that doesn’t allow anything to pass through the rabbit’s gut. It’s a serious condition and a great many angoras die due to this illness.
If cared for correctly, an angora’s coat will modify temperature fluctuations. In the simmer, an angora will not be hotter if his coat is groomed out and air is able to circulate around the rabbit’s body. Alternately, his coat will loose the warmth it can provide in the winter if it’s matted.
Other Wooled Rabbit Breeds
There are several rabbit breeds that have wool instead of normal fur for a coat. Rabbits with wool include the Giant Angora, English Angora, French Angora, Satin Angora, American Fuzzy Lop, and Jersey Woolly.
Related Reading
Interested in reading about wool-related health issues in rabbits? Check out How to Groom an Angora Rabbit. Learn more about angoras in Raising Angora Rabbits for Wool andWool Block in Rabbits.
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