DogCatMom
Well-known member
Reading elsewhere on the Web about Angoras--breeds, care, grooming, whatever I can find--it seems that most current English Angoras have been bred to not release their coats but rather to require "shearing," whether that be with actual clippers or with scissors. Either method of removing the coat would seem to yield both long and short fiber, not what a fiber-seeker is looking for. (However, the only case I've found of shearing with clippers is the incredible New Zealand video where the rabbit lies in a sort of trough on a table with its feet restrained, completely inert, while a woman very professionally runs clippers over its body.)
French Angoras, OTOH, still seem to have the traditional 3-month natural release of the coat so that they're plucked and the full-length fiber is ready to let go, or has already let go and simply needs to be removed. (Like packed coat on a long-haired dog.)
I haven't been able to find particulars on Giants or Satins; does anyone know their coat requirements--pluck, cut, or either/both?
Since "pluck" was the original (i.e., natural) coat condition, why was "cut only" developed? I've read one breeder's website (Betty Chu) but find it difficult to understand how an Angora rabbit would be comfortable with those extra months of growth, even if the owner was conscientious about brushing/combing every week or even every day. Wow. Almost no houses where I live have air conditioning; maybe this is another factor? :?: What would be the advantage of a "cut-only" English Angora in my non-A/C house, either to me or to the bunny?
Input/feedback sought on this and related points; thank you! You need not touch on fiber quality and rabbit care and breeding and everything; any help will be...helpful.
French Angoras, OTOH, still seem to have the traditional 3-month natural release of the coat so that they're plucked and the full-length fiber is ready to let go, or has already let go and simply needs to be removed. (Like packed coat on a long-haired dog.)
I haven't been able to find particulars on Giants or Satins; does anyone know their coat requirements--pluck, cut, or either/both?
Since "pluck" was the original (i.e., natural) coat condition, why was "cut only" developed? I've read one breeder's website (Betty Chu) but find it difficult to understand how an Angora rabbit would be comfortable with those extra months of growth, even if the owner was conscientious about brushing/combing every week or even every day. Wow. Almost no houses where I live have air conditioning; maybe this is another factor? :?: What would be the advantage of a "cut-only" English Angora in my non-A/C house, either to me or to the bunny?
Input/feedback sought on this and related points; thank you! You need not touch on fiber quality and rabbit care and breeding and everything; any help will be...helpful.