Easy Grooming Starts with the RIght Equipment
aGrooming your angora can be a long, difficult and drawn out pain, or it can be quick, easy and enjoyable. This depends on the type of angora, length of time in between grooms and the type of equipment you have.
The most important piece of equipment is of course, an angora bunny! Without one, you have nothing to groom!
English angoras are the most difficult to groom. They mat easily and must be groomed quite often. French, Giants and Germans aren't quite so difficult. These all have coarser hair, and don't tangle as quickly. Satins have ultra fine hair, but are still much easier to care for than English. Giants, Germans, and the better strains of English do not often blow coat. They must be groomed as their coats get longer and longer and longer. Otherwise they need sheared periodically.afef
French and Satin angoras blow coat a few times a year, typically every 4 months. The wool must be plucked or sheared so the new wool can grow in.
Seriously, the most important piece of equipment is your blower. If you shear your bunny regularly and only have a few, one can get away with not using a blower, but if your bunny population is larger, you show, or are a serious fiber enthusiast, a blower is a necessity.
In a pinch, a hair dryer with a cold button will work, but minimally. NEVER blow your rabbit with hot air. I used a hair dryer for years and years, but my coats were second rate, I never got them very long, and there was ALOT of combing involved. I know a number of people that use shop vacs set on blow. Shop vacs work and they are inexpensive. Adversely though, they are large, bulky and noisy.
The ideal machine is an animal blower. There are a handful of companies out there, and they all work. Animal blowers are designed to blow dry dogs and livestock. They are fairly quiet and compact. Some have heat, some don't. Prices are all over the map, but $200-500 is about average.
I choose the K-9 Fluffer, made in USA by the Electric Cleaner Company. I liked it SO much, I became a distributor. It is a compact machine, quiet, very powerful and has variable speed. The hose is tough, and it has two different shaped tips. Prior to the release of the Fluffer, many rabbit people relied on the Mini-Circ, made by the same company. The Fluffer was produced after years of inquiry by customers for a variable speed machine. You wanted it, you got it!
In my opinion, worth EVERY penny. They are tough machines, and if properly cared for will likely be going strong 20 years from now.
The most important piece of equipment is of course, an angora bunny! Without one, you have nothing to groom!
English angoras are the most difficult to groom. They mat easily and must be groomed quite often. French, Giants and Germans aren't quite so difficult. These all have coarser hair, and don't tangle as quickly. Satins have ultra fine hair, but are still much easier to care for than English. Giants, Germans, and the better strains of English do not often blow coat. They must be groomed as their coats get longer and longer and longer. Otherwise they need sheared periodically.afef
French and Satin angoras blow coat a few times a year, typically every 4 months. The wool must be plucked or sheared so the new wool can grow in.
Seriously, the most important piece of equipment is your blower. If you shear your bunny regularly and only have a few, one can get away with not using a blower, but if your bunny population is larger, you show, or are a serious fiber enthusiast, a blower is a necessity.
In a pinch, a hair dryer with a cold button will work, but minimally. NEVER blow your rabbit with hot air. I used a hair dryer for years and years, but my coats were second rate, I never got them very long, and there was ALOT of combing involved. I know a number of people that use shop vacs set on blow. Shop vacs work and they are inexpensive. Adversely though, they are large, bulky and noisy.
The ideal machine is an animal blower. There are a handful of companies out there, and they all work. Animal blowers are designed to blow dry dogs and livestock. They are fairly quiet and compact. Some have heat, some don't. Prices are all over the map, but $200-500 is about average.
I choose the K-9 Fluffer, made in USA by the Electric Cleaner Company. I liked it SO much, I became a distributor. It is a compact machine, quiet, very powerful and has variable speed. The hose is tough, and it has two different shaped tips. Prior to the release of the Fluffer, many rabbit people relied on the Mini-Circ, made by the same company. The Fluffer was produced after years of inquiry by customers for a variable speed machine. You wanted it, you got it!
In my opinion, worth EVERY penny. They are tough machines, and if properly cared for will likely be going strong 20 years from now.
The other equipment you will likely need is a steel toothed comb and a cat slicker. The blower does all the heavy work and the comb takes care of the rest. The comb is a good tool to use to harvest wool when your angora is shedding, and works well for combing out the neck muff. The cat slicker can be used to fluff up the tips for show. I use it to brush face trimmings and ear tassels.
If you are grooming for show, it is important to use the comb as LITTLE as possible. Combing pulls hair out of the coat. You want as much hair as possible to stay ON your bunny for the show table. If you are prepping for show, blow every day, comb very little.
If you are grooming for show, it is important to use the comb as LITTLE as possible. Combing pulls hair out of the coat. You want as much hair as possible to stay ON your bunny for the show table. If you are prepping for show, blow every day, comb very little.
Let's Groom Your Bunny
Below is a series of three photos.
In the first picture you can see a bunny that needs groomed. When you blow a rabbit, there are several important rules to follow.
First, never blow too close. If you turn the blower on full blast and blow really close, not only will you not get the tangles out, but you could hurt your bunny. They have thin skin. Be careful!
Second, never blow in their eyes or ears. I always cover their ears and eyes when blowing around their face. Also, never blow directly into or onto their genitals.
Third, make sure they don't jump off the table. Blowers can be scary!
The second picture shows the hair on his rear being blown apart. When you blow a bunny, the fur should open up so you can see the skin. Rabbit fur felts from the skin out, and the blower helps to draw out and split apart those felted spots. If you look close, you can see in the center picture the tangled felts coming to the surface. They can then be picked off with your fingers. Blow all over your bunny's body until you are satisfied. If he wants to quit, STOP! Better to start again later.
The third picture shows him after I blew out his whole body. I never touched him with the comb.
In the first picture you can see a bunny that needs groomed. When you blow a rabbit, there are several important rules to follow.
First, never blow too close. If you turn the blower on full blast and blow really close, not only will you not get the tangles out, but you could hurt your bunny. They have thin skin. Be careful!
Second, never blow in their eyes or ears. I always cover their ears and eyes when blowing around their face. Also, never blow directly into or onto their genitals.
Third, make sure they don't jump off the table. Blowers can be scary!
The second picture shows the hair on his rear being blown apart. When you blow a bunny, the fur should open up so you can see the skin. Rabbit fur felts from the skin out, and the blower helps to draw out and split apart those felted spots. If you look close, you can see in the center picture the tangled felts coming to the surface. They can then be picked off with your fingers. Blow all over your bunny's body until you are satisfied. If he wants to quit, STOP! Better to start again later.
The third picture shows him after I blew out his whole body. I never touched him with the comb.
Another important use for blowers is skin dander. Every creature sheds skin cells at every moment. Even you! Yours mush into your clothing or blow away in the air. You don't even notice. An angora bunny is covered with hair all over. Their skin cells get stuck in their coats. The blower blows them out and helps to keep their skin fresh and clean.
The first time I used an animal blower, it seemed like a dust storm! The hair dryer I was using before wasn't strong enough to keep their skin clean and they had so much dander build up, it was crazy.
Below are some more pictures of rabbits having their coats blown out.
One last thing! When you are done blowing for the day, don't forget to clean up the mess!
The first time I used an animal blower, it seemed like a dust storm! The hair dryer I was using before wasn't strong enough to keep their skin clean and they had so much dander build up, it was crazy.
Below are some more pictures of rabbits having their coats blown out.
One last thing! When you are done blowing for the day, don't forget to clean up the mess!