Angora Care Sheet (Very Important Information)
SO YOU GOT YOUR NEW BUNNY, NOW WHAT?
The following suggestion are by no means the only way to do things or the best way, just OUR way. Through experience you will find what works best for your bunny. Do not hesitate to obtain veterinary advice when necessary.
Nutrition: You may feed your bunny once or twice per day. There are benefits to both. Once per day is certainly less time consuming (especially helpful if you pay a caretaker, should you be out of town). Rabbits are creatures of habit and like to be fed and cared for on a regular schedule. Time of day doesn’t matter, as they will adjust to your routine as long as you keep to it! One can feed their rabbits two times per day, 1/3 cup in the morning and 1/3 cup in the evening. This helps insure the rabbits do not get overweight. Manna Gro, Generic Rabbit Pro (green bag), and Generic bird feed (all mixed together). All these feeds can be found easily. When feeding the bunnies use a measuring cup to avoid overfeeding. Babies require strict attention. Do not overfeed.
Treats: Do not over indulge your bunnies. We give 2 inch piece of apples 2 times per week. Carrot tops and parsley are ingested with delight. However, do not feed lettuce due to the high water content or cabbage, as it creates gas that the bunnies might not be able to expel. Moderation is the Key to the welfare of your bunny.
Water: A steady supply of fresh clean water is a must. Whether you use bottles or crocks. We use bottles. Bottles keep water clean and you can tell at a glance how much water each bunny is drinking when they are filled daily. Bottles also allow you to attend to watering chores without opening cage doors. Monthly (or even often, if necessary) clean water bottles by soaking in warm clorox water for several hours or overnight. If possible, air dry outdoors in the sunlight. Crocks provide easy access to water. However crocks must be cleaned daily.
Hay: We provide good quality timothy. We use hay racks and keep them full at all times. You will have to remove hay from their show coats often to avoid matting.
Daily health/condition check: We handle our bunnies daily. Taking a moment and run your hand over them will go a long way in helping you determine their flesh/fur condition (besides they love being petted). Look under the cage in the tray to check for fecal pellets. They should be large round solid and somewhat dry and a lot of them! If they are strung together like strings of pearls, be aware of the possibility of “wool block”. If size and amount decreases or consistency gets sticky these are signs you need to pay closer attention to potential problems. Take a second to check water valves (just press on tip with your finger and make sure water is flowing). A rabbit that isn’t getting enough water won’t eat. If your bunny seems to be off feed, check for adequate water supply first.
Housing: Cage requirements are simple. Provide the largest enclosure possible and be sure it is sturdy, protected from predators, the elements (but well ventilated) and easily cleaned. We accomplish these goals by housing our bunnies indoors. We have central air/heat and fans to circulate the air. We leave our house doors and windows open (screened) for a while when we are here to circulate air outside and, thus, not stink up the whole house! We only have a Yorkie, but she is not allowed to interact with the bunnies, unless the bunnies are exercising and chase Tiffany around. We use all wire cages with aluminum drop pans. We cover them with old newspaper and some pine pellets for easy cleanup. English angoras are housed individually in cages 24X24 or 24X36. We utilize 24x36 cages. Litters enjoy 24x48, We use 30X36 for litters.
We also have portable puppy pens/play yards that we utilize to allow our bunnies out of their cages to freely run, inside the house in the linoleum area, not the rug area. We exercise them individually as we've found they will taunt each other. Bucks MUST be exercised separately. If you let them outside in the play pen, be especially watchful to provide water and shade. Also, if your bunny has their show coat, everything will stick to them and you will have a hard time taking it off. Our preference is Indoors only. (Article provided by RTA Rabbitry)
Some great sites to go to for more, in depth information on Angora Care by awesome breeders that have been doing this for such a long time are the following:
Betty Chu's Angora care
Lil Peck's Angora Rabbit Online Technical Manual
Margaret Bartold's "ANGORA RABBITS"
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