Angora

Angora Pet Rabbit Breed Profile

Photo: Grigorita Ko/Shutterstock

Characteristics

Angora rabbits look like little stuffed bunnies! This is down to the breed’s characteristically long, dense fur with a curly undercoat. Their soft sideburns are also typical of this breed. Some Angora breeds even have cute tufts of hair on their ears.

The English Angora, French Angora and Giant Angora are particular well-known and loved. There are more breeds, such as the German Angora, the Satin Angora, the Japanese, Russian, Finnish, Chinese, Korean and Swiss Angora. Other long-haired rabbits include the Fox, Dwarf Fox and Jamora rabbits. Some Lionhead rabbits and Bearded Rabbits also have long hair.

Personality

Angoras have a very gentle, sweet character. But they are also very curious and like to explore their surroundings - in their own, charming, bubbly and lovable way.

Types

• English Angora:

The English Angora is the smallest and lightest Angora rabbit. It’s also the only one to have dense, wooly fur all over - apart from its nose and front paws.

• French Angora:

The bunches of fur on their ears aren’t quite as long and distinctive as on other Angora rabbits. It also differs from the others as the fur on its face, front paws and back paws is short.

• Giant Angora:

The Giant Angora has three different types of fur: 1. a curly undercoat, 2. a kind of fuzzy down with straight ends (between the undercoat and the kemp), 3. the straight kemp. A Giant Angora should weigh at least 12 pounds (5.4 kg).

Photo: Sabine Everaert/Shutterstock

Health and Care

Fur Care

If you are getting an Angora rabbit, you should be aware that their fur requires much more complicated care much more often (multiple times a week!) than other rabbits. Their long fur quickly becomes matted and tangled. Droppings also often get caught in their fur, and have to be carefully removed. The English Angora’s eyes often become inflamed as the fur hangs over the eyes, allowing bacteria to breed easily.

Fur Length

Although their fur looks beautiful, you should know that these animals didn’t always have such extraordinarily long and dense fur. They have been bred like this. Today, many rabbits suffer due to this breeding: they are simply too hot. Their fur should therefore be cut at least four times a year. Health and wellbeing come first.

Diet

Angora rabbits swallow hair when they clean themselves, which can then form hairballs in their digestive systems. These generally leave the body “the natural way” (in their droppings) but this sadly isn’t always the case. Angora rabbits need a diet that is carefully tailored to them, encouraging good bowel activity.

Appearance

Fur

Angora rabbits have dense, long fur measuring at least two inches (6 cm).

Body

They have short heads, wide foreheads and broad noses. Their upright ears are 4-6 inches (11-14 cm) long and may be more or less furry depending on the breed.

Colors

Angora rabbits come in many different colors, for example black, yellow, blue, brown, chinchilla, Havanna, lilac, pearl, white, agouti and tortoiseshell. Their eyes can be blue or red.

History and Origin

History

The Angora rabbit was first mentioned in England in 1707, and has been known in Germany since 1777. It was named after the Turkish city of Ankara, which was called Angora up to 1930.

Cruel Breeding

Angora rabbits are considered as animal cruelty. They have beautiful, fluffy fur. But that wasn't always the case. Only through breeding has the fur become so dense and long. And that's exactly the problem. Imagine it's summer and you're wearing three thick sweaters, one on top of the other, but you're never allowed to take them off. The animals are constantly under stress because they are too hot. Also, they often suffer from eye irritation and fly maggots. In addition, they swallow a lot of hair when grooming themselves. This is very bad for their digestion and can even become life-threatening. The idea is to simply trim the coat regularly. But rabbits aren't dogs. They are flight animals that do not like to be touched.

If you love rabbits, you should think twice about whether it has to be an Angora rabbit. With every animal that you get from the breeder, a new one is bred. At least. There are so many other great rabbit breeds!

Fun Facts

There are also Angora guinea pigs, Angora hamsters, Angora cats and Angora goats.