English Angora Rabbit – information and facts about the English Angora Rabbit Breed. Learn more about English Angora Rabbits in this article. Breed photos are included.
The main purpose of raising English Angora rabbits is for its long, soft wool.
English Angora Rabbit Facts
1. History
The Angora rabbit is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, which originated from Ankara, Turkey. Ankara was then known as Angora, and that explains the name of the English Angora Rabbits. This domestic rabbits came along with the Angora cat, as well as the Angora goat.
In the mid-18th century, French royalties are very fond of the English Angoras. This popularity then spread to other places in Europe.
It is in early 20th century when they first appeared in the United States. These English Angora rabbits were bred greatly for their lengthy Angora wool. This wool can be removed by shearing, combing or plucking.
Four of the most popular Angora breeds are the English, French, Giant and Satin. For now, we will focus on English Angoras.
Before the year 1939, there was one breed of ‘Angora Wooler’. It is in that very year that the American Rabbit Breeders Association reclassified this breed into ‘English-type’ and ‘French-type.’ But then, in the year 1944, these two breeds were officially categorized separately.
2. Characteristics and Appearance
English Angoras weigh between 4.4 to 7.7 pounds. This makes them the smallest of the four Angora breeds recognized by ARBA. The bucks would weight up to 7 pounds at the age of maturity while the does can weigh as much as 7.5 pounds. English Angoras reach the senior age by the time they reach 6 months old. While average rabbits can live in around 6-8 years, an English Angora over 4 years old is already considered an ‘older senior citizen rabbit’.
These adorable rabbits can be easily noticed because of their compact bodies. Also, they are adorned wit fur, manifested with growths of wool on the ears and the entire face except above the nose, and front feet. Their body is also covered with thick wool.
English Angoras can be bred to have broken colors. An example of this is white with black spots, something that is not accepted by ARBA standards and would lead to then rabbit’s disqualification during shows.
Ideally, toenails should have one color and the ears could be folded over at the tips. Furnishings present in the face of the rabbits may cover their eyes, which is a very unique feature. This is because they are the only rabbits with a hair covering in their eyes.
3. Personality and Traits
These rabbits are very gentle in nature. Because of their facial features that make them look like puppies or teddy bears, they are much preferred as pets. Because of their good nature, they are often dubbed as the ‘clowns of the rabbit world’.
But another good reason why they are called ‘clowns of the rabbits’ is because they love attention from people and would often entertain. In return, they require special attention from their owners. This is the reason why these rabbits are not recommended to people who do not have time to groom rabbits. This is due to the fact that their wools are very dense that they need to have grooming twice in one week. Time investment should be done on this because their wool is also their strongest asset. Texture of the wool has a bearing on maintenance. Basically, if the wool’s texture is correct, maintenance will be relatively easier compared to a cottony texture.
The English Angoras can serve many purposes. Aside from being excellent pets, you can also raise them for their luxurious and expensive fiber that you can then spin, shear or wear. You can also show them too! It surely will be very rewarding!