imajpm
Well-known member
So after three years of raising Angoras and encountering so many mainstream myths involving their care, it has become sort of a pet peeve for me. By following all these specialized angora care guidelines I've nearly killed them repeatedly. One by one I've discarded most of the specialized care "required" for angora.
It's finally cooled off here. But from June through August we had been hit repeatedly by 100 degree abnormal heat waves, with our "cool" breaks being in the 90's. Like a good little angora owner I frantically rushed about getting everyone trimmed down then watched them struggle through. They got fans, ice, ears misted, cool water, and were checked every 45 minutes or so during the mid 90 to low 100 days. They were miserable. I also have NZW and Standard Satins. Several of my short haired rabbits went into heat stress and three of my angoras.
So time passed and wool grew. The angoras were troopers! Faring better and better as time passed. So I began wondering why. They were getting quite woolly and so I did an experiment right before another 100 degree heatwave was predicted. I had two junior siblings, both were responding the same to the heat. I trimmed the buck down and left the doe with full wool. I also left all my adults in heavy wool. They were about 2 1/2 inches at that point, nearly full coat!
The heatwave hit, 100 degrees, and every woolly angora was fine, no ice needed, just extra water. My trimmed angora buck heat stressed, along with one of my Standard Satin does, and one of my satin juniors.
After some discussion in various angora groups, several people came forward and admitted that they did not trim their rabbits for heat and that they withstood it much better. Giving it a smidge of thought, it made perfect sense that the wool was insulating them against the heat, much like it does against cold. I am never trimming them again for summer, in fact now :angry: I have to plan shearing around the heat as well as cold, to not leave them unprotected. Good thing I LOVE angoras!
Anyway
food for thought for all you woolly lovers.
It's finally cooled off here. But from June through August we had been hit repeatedly by 100 degree abnormal heat waves, with our "cool" breaks being in the 90's. Like a good little angora owner I frantically rushed about getting everyone trimmed down then watched them struggle through. They got fans, ice, ears misted, cool water, and were checked every 45 minutes or so during the mid 90 to low 100 days. They were miserable. I also have NZW and Standard Satins. Several of my short haired rabbits went into heat stress and three of my angoras.
So time passed and wool grew. The angoras were troopers! Faring better and better as time passed. So I began wondering why. They were getting quite woolly and so I did an experiment right before another 100 degree heatwave was predicted. I had two junior siblings, both were responding the same to the heat. I trimmed the buck down and left the doe with full wool. I also left all my adults in heavy wool. They were about 2 1/2 inches at that point, nearly full coat!
The heatwave hit, 100 degrees, and every woolly angora was fine, no ice needed, just extra water. My trimmed angora buck heat stressed, along with one of my Standard Satin does, and one of my satin juniors.
After some discussion in various angora groups, several people came forward and admitted that they did not trim their rabbits for heat and that they withstood it much better. Giving it a smidge of thought, it made perfect sense that the wool was insulating them against the heat, much like it does against cold. I am never trimming them again for summer, in fact now :angry: I have to plan shearing around the heat as well as cold, to not leave them unprotected. Good thing I LOVE angoras!
Anyway
food for thought for all you woolly lovers.
