Feeding Angoras -- anything special/different?

[Frecs]

I have one French Angora now and am branching into breeding wooly Silver Foxes since the gene has showed itself.

I've noticed with the FA that she has quite the appetite. Not sure if that is due to being a pet for her first 2 years (before I acquired her) or due to dietary needs. I've meant to question the board before about this...anyway...

Are there any special dietary considerations for angoras to help with quality wool production? Do they generally eat more than non-wool breeds?

Any other considerations I should be aware of for my angora herd?

 

[dangerbunny]

I always feed lots of hay, it helps prevent wool block.

 

[skysthelimit]

My Angoras are pigs. 18% if you can, or just more food.

 

[Frecs]

My Angoras are pigs. 18% if you can, or just more food.

So, it's not just mine! That makes me feel better. Sugar Girl will literally grab the cup I dispense good with and try to steal it! She acts like she is perpetually starving and I feed her twice a day. I can only get 16% rabbit pellets but will soon be switching to alfalfa pellets. She also gets sprouted grains and fresh greens and such. I wondered if the wool growing required more protein or more minerals/vitamins.

Thanks for the info!

 

[MaggieJ]

From all I have heard, it is growing all that wool that makes them need more food. Fur and feathers are almost all protein. I forget whether the figure is 80 or 90%. Stands to reason they need more than smooth-haired rabbits.

 

[skysthelimit]

Yep, the SF eat surprising very little compared to the Rex and then the FAs are never satisfied. Think of them as a NZ with wool.

 

[Frecs]

So, about how much should I expect to feed the FA? I don't want her to be fat but I do want her to have enough.

 

[PSFAngoras]

I feed my Frenchies a diet of 18% pellets with a J style hopper feeder. They also are provided with full access to as much green grass hay as they can eat, as well as 4 tablets of papaya enzymes 2X weekly. If they start to get wool blocked, they get cat hairball formula. About 3 cc daily until the blockage passes. Usually I have to shove it in their mouth with an oral syringe. It's also important for them to get quite a bit of exercise to keep them blockage free, so mine get at least an hour of grazing on the lawn a week, sometimes up to 4 hours or more.

Though I can't say for sure what mine eat as far as their intake portion, I keep two angora bucks and four does, and a trio of rex, and during winter this last winter with two nursing litters, my guys were polishing off a 50# bag a week as well as about 2 flakes of hay between them all. I have heard that they should be limited to 3/4 - 1 cup of pellets a day, but I haven't had overeating problems so I've never tried it.

Hope this helps

 

[skysthelimit]

About a cup.

 

[Frecs]

Currently, Sugar Girl is eating 2 cups a day of a mix of pellets and sprouted grains PLUS fresh cut grass/weeds. But, the pellets are 16% protein so her hunger could be due to the need for protein?

 

[skysthelimit]

Yes, you will need more if you are only feeding 16%.

 

[Frecs]

I gotta talk to those mulberry saplings...they gotta grow faster. I need higher protein for my bunnies!

 

[dangerbunny]

My Angoras eat about the same as my Silver Foxes, lots of forage and about 1/2 cup of grain when I feed it.