Care & Feeding of
German Angora
Feeding Instructions
Junior rabbits need a steady diet without abrupt changes to ensure they mature successfully. The rabbit has only one stomach for digesting high cellulose foods and requires a delicate balance of bacteria and enzymes in their stomach to do so. Any abrupt change (i.e. pellet change, treats, fresh greens or grass) can throw the balance off and potentially be fatal to your rabbit. Therefore, we recommend you do not give treats or allow free grazing until your bunny is at least 3-4 months old. And once you do introduce them to new foods it is imperative to do so slowly over several days or weeks. Start with small amounts and gradually increase. Some rabbits simply do not tolerate certain foods so explore diet changes slowly to avoid a tragic mishap.
Primary Food
Water, water water! NEVER let your rabbit run out of water.
Grass hay (less than 50% alfalfa) - feed unlimited
Rabbit pellet - feed unlimited until six months then reduce to 3/4-1 cup per day (may increase up to 1.5 cups in cold weather).
When changing pellet type/brand, be sure to make the change over a period of about two weeks by slowly increasing the amount of new feed as you decrease the old. Be aware of changes in formula for a single brand as this may cause undo harm to your animal. Angora rabbits need a higher fiber/lower protein diet than meat rabbits. Most pellet brands use alfalfa to increase protein content. Therefore, you do not need to feed alfalfa hay. Feed a grass hay to increase fiber content without much increase in protein. This will help your angora pass the extra wool ingested while cleaning. The need to supplement with salt or a trace mineral spool depends on the ingredients in your rabbit pellet. However, most lactating does will need additional salt/trace minerals provided.
Shearing
Discussion under consideration ...
Potential Topics Include:
Scissors & Shears
We picked up a Wahl Arco SE cordless shear ... they are working out great so far ... review to come 11/11/2010
The Process
Grading Wool
General Care for Happy Healthy Spoiled ...
Discussion under consideration ...
Potential Topics Include:
Common Ailments
Treats & Tummies
Wool Block & Eating Problems
Trimming Wool for Good Health
Training
Cages
Care Philosophy
Discussion under consideration ...
Potential Topics Include:
Ups & Downs
Yard Time
Culling & Rocket Science Genetics