This is my English Angora rabbit, Sophie. She was six years old when these movies were taken. She lives indoors, and uses a litterbox, and doesn't have a cage. She loves to play in grocery bags, and with cat toys, and with my cats for that matter! For more information on keeping a healthy house rabbit, please see The House Rabbit Society.
Taking care of any Angora rabbit, whether it lives indoors or not, is a very serious business and a lot of hard work. Please do not undertake ownership of an animal without first considering carefully whether you have adequate time and space for it, as well as the finances to see that it receives both normal and emergency veterinary treatment when necessary.
Only very gentle, patient, and supervised children should be allowed near these delicate animals.
Rabbits live longer and happier lives when they have been altered. See a qualified rabbit vet to have your rabbit spayed or neutered.
An Angora rabbit is ready to "pluck," or groom, when it begins to molt. NOTE: German Angoras do not shed their wool, and they need to be clipped, not plucked!
The wool will easily separate with just a little pressure from your fingers. It is more an action of holding it until it releases, than actively pulling or tugging it out.
If you keep your Angora rabbit well-groomed - an absolute must for its health as well as for your ability to harvest its fiber - this will be an easy process.
Remember that because Angoras ingest some of their wool while grooming, they need an ample supply of Timothy (not alfalfa) hay every day, along with a good quality rabbit food (I feed Heinold wool formula), and a bowl of clean water (I find that bottles don't provide enough liquid, fast enough).
Use only plain, unscented, clay litter in a rabbit's litterbox - never the clumping kind! They tend to nibble...
Here is a close-up shot. I first separate the fibers gently, then grasp a piece no more than 1/4 to 1/2" wide, and I just hold it gently until it releases on its own.
Having an Angora rabbit was more work than I ever anticipated. I definitely did not save money on fiber expenses by keeping one! And there were a lot of headaches involved. Please consider it carefully before you decide to take such a step in your own life. And should you find you can't care for your rabbit, please contact The House Rabbit Society to place it up for adoption.
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