French angora rabbits

French Angora rabbits are the second-largest angora breed rabbit. You will find it different from other breeds due to its size and minimal care needs. Yes, you will have to spend less on a French angora rabbit. Also, the French angora rabbit are sweet and docile. They will love roaming around. You can enjoy their companionships both indoors and outdoors.

The minimal maintenance requirements and docile nature make French angoras an excellent pet. They love socializing and spend more time outdoors. If you want to know more about the French angora rabbit, you can go through the following. We will discuss all the possible aspects. We will cover the specific care, diet, health concerns, lifespan, and other things.

French Angora Breeds

It is the second most popular in angora breeds. The most popular one is the English Angora. The socializing nature and friendliness make French angoras a preferred choice for many pet owners. This breed lacks wool furnishing on its head, face, ears, or front feet.

However, you will see plenty of guard hairs on it. Initially, French angoras were well-liked for wool and meat. But gradually, their friendly nature inspired many to have them as a pet.

Angora. Origin

Angora rabbits have their origin in Angora city. It is a historic city currently known as Ankara, the capital of Turkey. You might have heard of Angora goats and cats. Both these have come from the same place. In mid 18th century, angoras became popular in Europe. French royalty preferred a French angora pet for their socializing nature.

However, this breed reached all corners of Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It entered the US officially in the early 20th century. Even if French angoras are well-appreciated for their long furs, they cannot live without human intervention. Currently, they rely on humans for their survival.

How big does a French Angora rabbit get?

The French angora rabbit are a large breed, and they weigh between 7.5 to 10.5 pounds. The average weight of this breed is 8.5 lbs. Also, they have a firm and oval-shaped body type.

What are Angora Rabbits?

The angora rabbits are well-liked for their long furs. Also, they are an old breed and have been around since mid 18th century. Besides, there are several Angora rabbit varieties. All the types will have some specific characteristics and care requirements.

However, most of them are docile and friendlier. Both these qualities make them an excellent choice for a pet.

Health

As mentioned earlier, the French angora rabbit has long fur. Yes, you will have to maintain their coat. Otherwise, your pet might have wool blocks. Also, you can prevent this condition by offering quality hay and fiber pellets.

You will have to give an adequate amount of water as well. Some signs of the wool block are loss of thirst and appetite, fewer droppings, reduced urination, and lethargy.

Care requirements

Your French angora will not require a lot of maintenance. For this reason, many people keep French angoras as pets. However, you will have to harvest the wool three to four times a year. Besides, you will have to brush the coat regularly.

You can use a slicker brush to comb daily or every alternative day to prevent tangling. Apart from that, you will have to use a rabbit nail clipper to clip the toenails of your bunny twice every month.

When it comes to the diet, you will have to focus on quality hay. The diet needs to have a minimum of eighteen percent protein. You can offer an adequate amount of the pellets, hay, vegetables, greens, and fruits. As French angoras love socializing, you will have to ensure that your pet has access to the outdoors. You can allow your bunny to roam in your fenced backyard garden.

If you do not have a garden, you can enable your bunny to roam freely in your home. If your pet has overgrown teeth, you will have to offer your bunny gnaw toys, more hays, and softwood to wear out teeth.

The Lesser-Known Angoras

You might know that there are many angora breeds. However, some are not popular due to interbreeding. These breeds are used exclusively for wool production. Hence, you might not get much information on them. A few of them are Japanese, Chinese, Finnish, St. Lucian Angoras, Russian, and Korean angora.

English angora rabbits

Many people like English angora rabbits. Also, pet owners call this breed teddy bear rabbits. English angora is the only variety with facial furnishing. Besides, their fur has more underwool.

Even if English angora looks inspiring with a teddy bear appearance, it will require regular grooming. Hence, it might not be a great choice if you have young kids.

German Angora rabbit breeders

This breed is popular as continental Angoras. You can consider it for fiber production. Also, it will molt, and its fur is resistant to matting. That means it will not require regular grooming. However, if you consider other breeds, you might need to focus on regular grooming.

As German angora does not require daily grooming, most people prefer them as pets. Also, they can produce from 2 to 4 lbs of wool every year. You might not expect this benefit from other breeds.

Angora Characteristics

From the above, you might have an idea about angora rabbits. They are friendly, docile, and calm. As they need regular grooming, they become familiar with human contacts fast. They love to spend time outdoors. Also, they are playful.

Apart from all these, angora rabbits are intelligent. They can be friendly pets if you have time to take care of their fur. As different varieties are available, the weight, color, and size will vary.

Colors

French angora rabbits are available in different colors. Yes, you can find solid, broken, and white colors. Also, you can determine the color of rabbits from the color of their tail, feet, toes, and head. All need to be of the same color.

Angora Rabbit Care

As discussed above, most of the angora breeds are easy to maintain. Yes, they will not require vaccination. More importantly, you do not need to spend more on their diet. However, you will have to focus on grooming. Grooming will maintain the fur and keep the coat clean and mat-free.

Behavior And Temperament

These pets would love to get your attention. People like French angoras for their mellow temperament and gentle nature. Even if they belong to the same breed, all of them will have unique personalities. You can allow your pet to socialize and roam around.

If you do so, your bunny will be more interactive and sweeter. However, if you keep your pet inside the cage all the time, it will not feel and look happy.

In addition to these, you will have to maintain their fur with regular harvesting and grooming. It will help your pet to be more loving and gentler. If you have experience with pet rabbits, you can consider having this breed.

Also, French angora can be a good pet with old kids. If you have small kids, you will have to avoid this breed. You can think of other options.

Between 3 and 7 months

If you have a rabbit between three and seven months, you can offer enough pellets and alfalfa hay. This diet will support its physical and mental growth. In addition to these, you can give any vegetable every day. But you will have to avoid fruits and starchy vegetables. Both will impact the delicate digestive system of young rabbits.

7 months to 1 year

When your pet becomes seven months old, you can offer plenty of timothy hay. Also, you will have to avoid alfalfa. It is worth mentioning that alfalfa is rich in calories and might harm adult rabbits. Besides, you cannot offer pellets in large quantities.

You can give cup of quality pellets per six pounds body weight. If your bunny weighs eight pounds, you can provide 2/3 cup of quality hay every day. Also, you can offer vegetables. When it comes to the serving, you can give two cups of vegetables per six pounds body weight.

You can add fruits as well. But make sure that the portion is two ounces per six pounds body weight. Also, you cannot add fruits every day. You can offer a couple of times every week.

Grooming

The wool coat of French Angora will require frequent grooming. Grooming tops the maintenance requirements of angora rabbits. You need to clean and brush the fur regularly to prevent wool block and matting. Here are a few things you will need while grooming your French angora.

• A slicker grooming brush
• A double-sided brush for wool harvests
• A small-tooth comb for face
• A rabbit-friendly trimmer to eliminate mats
• A rabbit-friendly nail trimmer
• A blower to remove loose hair and debris and dry out the skin

You will need a slicker brush to brush the rabbit every day or every alternative day. At a minimum, you will have to brush twice per week to prevent matting or tangling. It is worth mentioning that baths can be painful for bunnies. Yes, your bunny might experience cardiac issues while bathing. Hence, you will have to maintain cleanliness without using water.

Apart from brushing, you can consider blow-drying to maintain the cleanliness of the coat. You will find rabbit-friendly blow dryers in the current market. You can have blow dryers to clean the dirt and debris from the fur.

Nail Trimming

In addition to brushing, your pet will need regular nail trimming. The overgrown nails can touch the floor and other areas of your house. Also, long nails can cause broken toes and bloody nails. Besides, if you will not cut the nails regularly, you will have difficulties maintaining them.

Hence, you will have to cut the nails with an appropriate nail cutter. Take your time and cut the nails with care. Otherwise, it might cause bleeding and pain. If you injure its skin accidentally, you can apply cornstarch or styptic powder to stop bleeding.

Handling

You will have to handle your rabbit appropriately to make them friendly. You will have to socialize it in the early days of its life. If you cannot manage rabbits at a young age, they might not like human touch at the later phase. The same is about rough handling.

You might be aware that rabbits love human attention and care. The French angoras are not an exception. While handling them, you will have to be mindful of their sensitive back. Also, you can talk to your pet quietly, and then you can move it slowly. Besides, a quiet and calm environment will make your bunny more comfortable and relaxed.

Also, when you are close to the ground level, you can pick your pet up. Your rabbit will feel safe and will not cause any problem. It is worth mentioning that you can play and have fun with your rabbit at ground level. If you sense that your French angora is uncomfortable, you can cover its eyes with your arm. Also, it is best to keep your pet safe from others.

If your kids do not have experience handling rabbits, you should not allow them to play with your bunny. Yes, poor handling can scare your bunny, and it might avoid human touch if you do not stop poor handling.

Size and appearance

Fully grown adult rabbits can weigh between 7.5 to 10.5 pounds. However, the ideal weight is 8.5lb. Besides, French angoras will have an oval-shaped head and a firm body. But French angoras lack thick covering on their feet, ears, and face. However, the rest of the body will have a crimped underwool cover and guard hair.

Litter Training

Your French angora might require more effort for litter training. However, angoras are intelligent creatures, and you can train them with patience and effort. Find a place in the cage corner and keep the litter box. Yes, the box design will inspire your pet to use it. However, you might need many littler boxes around your house. Your pet will use them whenever it wants.

Housing

While considering housing options, you will have to ensure that the base is solid and not made of wire. Also, you will have to use a thick layer of bedding. Clean the cage every week. Also, it is better to keep one rabbit cage for each rabbit to prevent fighting. Additionally, French Angoras can face difficulties when the wools rub against each other.

It will cause matting. Besides, the outdoor housing needs to be sturdy to protect your pet from raccoons, coyotes, and wolves. Also, you will have to avoid contact with grass and dirt. Both will cause grooming issues.

Diet

When it comes to the diet, you will have to consider high-quality hay. Also, you can add leafy greens, vegetables, pellets, and some fruits. Make sure that the diet has seventy to eight percent of quality hay.

Life span

French angoras will live seven to twelve years. However, pet owners can boost their lifespan with spying, neutering, and proper care.

Exercise and Play

Your pet will need chewing toys for playing. If you do not offer chewing toys, rabbits might end up gnawing at wires, shoes, and wooden furniture. They will need something to chew and stay busy.

Health concerns

French angora rabbits might experience some health issues during their lifetime. Here are a few you can go through.

• 1. WOOL BLOCK

If you do not maintain the cleanliness of your pet, it might ingest more loose fibers. As these creatures have thicker and dense coats, they might end up eating a large amount of fur. Also, they lack regurgitate ability. As a result, the wool in the stomach can block the intestine and the overall digestion of rabbits. A few signs of the wool block are lack of appetite, lethargy, and infrequent feces. It is a severe condition, and you will have to treat it immediately.

• 2. FLEAS

Apart from blockage, your bunny might have fleas. You can see these jumping parasites in the feces of rabbits. They look black or noticeably white and eat your pet’s blood.

• 3. FUR MITES

French Angoras can also have fur mites. Yes, you can find these tiny parasites under the skin of your bunny. They look like dandruff. Also, mites can cause itching and wool loss. However, a vet can treat this condition.

• 4. DIARRHEA

Your pet can have diarrhea as well. During this infection, your rabbit might pass mushy and smelly poops. If your offer too much fresh food to your pet, it might have diarrhea. Hence, you will have to avoid fresh foods that include starchy vegetables and fruits to prevent such conditions.

• 5. OVERHEATING

Overheating can also make your rabbit sick. The dense wooly coats can cause overheating in rabbits. Your bunny might experience rapid breathing and red ears due to overheating. The favorable temperature for French Angoras is fifty to seventy degrees F. You will have to avoid the hot sun. Also, you can focus on regular grooming to minimize the impact of hot weather.

French angoras can be the best pet if you take care of grooming. Their friendly nature ensures easy handling as well.