Contents
Quick facts
- Weight – at least 9.5 to 10 pounds, approximately 12 pounds or 5.5 kg or larger
- Giant Angora rabbit lifespan: 7 to 11 years
- Size – Large or giant size
- Resembles – Flemish Giant and German Angora rabbits
- Who can own it – Experienced pet owners, families with older kids, as house rabbits or outdoor rabbits.
- Purpose – fiber and as pets
- Body type – commercial
History and origin
The ARBA could not allow the German Angora rabbits to be shown since it considered they had a similar body type to other Angoras, therefore Louise Walsh of Taunton, Massachusetts decided to create a new breed, the Giant Angora by crossbreeding the Flemish Giants, French Lops, and German Angoras.
She wanted an “efficient commercial producer that could be sustained on 16-18% protein pellets plus hay and live in the standard sized, all-wire cages” (source – Wikipedia) with a different type of body, the commercial body type.
This bunny was accepted by the ARBA in 1988 making it one of the Angora rabbit breeds.
Size, weight, colors, and appearance
It is a six-class breed that has a commercial body shape, and an oval head that is broad on its forehead and narrows a little towards the muzzle.
The buck has tufts on its forehead which are not as heavy as they are on the doe as well as cheek trimmings. Its ears are well tasseled and fringed.
This bunny's body is covered with a very dense coat of wool and it has face and ears furnishings, making it to commonly be confused with the German Angora. However, if you look at their body types, they are different.
Six-class breed weight and age
- A junior doe and buck must be less than six months of age and a minimum weight of 4 ¾ pounds
- Intermediate buck and does must be aged between 6-8 months
- The senior doe must be over 8 months and weigh at least 10 pounds while a buck must weigh 9.5 pounds
These rabbits grow slowly, and they may take up to a year to grow to its maximum weight and size. In some cases, a buck may take 1.5years to fully mature.
Colors
Currently, ARBA recognizes only one color, the Ruby-eye White (albino rabbit) that is all white. There are other colors including black, but ARBA has not accepted them.
Coat
Its coat has three wool layers with the soft underwool being the innermost layer, followed by awn fluff and finally the awn hair. Only the Giant and German Angora have the awn wool.
- Underwood- It is deftly wavy, soft, medium-fine and has a shine that is gentle.
- Awn fluff – wavy, stronger with guard hair tips
- Awn hair or guard hair – this fiber must be present and noticeable. It is straight, straight and must protrude beyond the wool.
The Giant Angora produces more wool than Satin, French and English Angoras but not the German one. Unlike the German Angoras that do not molt, it undergoes a partial molting.
Giant Angora wool
The Giant angora wool should be harvested three to four times in a year using a pair of sharp scissors or shears, and one bunny can produce between 1-2 lbs of wool per annum.
Care and grooming
Ensure the cage is the right size for your bunny, i.e., spacious to allow it to stretch, sit or stand upright on their hind legs with some space remaining. For outdoor enclosures, go for wooden ones. Let them be raised from the ground, have a ramp leading to a fenced area to keep predators at bay.
Indoor enclosures can be made from a wire with a plastic bottom where you can put their beddings. Avoid cages with wire on their bottom since they might not be comfortable to your bunnies’ feet and cause sore hocks.
Spot-clean any dirty place and remove any droppings daily while at the end of the week, you can change their beddings and do a thorough cleaning.
To avoid matting, ensure you brush its wool after every two days or as you will deem necessary. Remove any debris present. In case the wool becomes dirty or soiled, do not bathe the whole rabbit. Instead, spot-clean them using a damp towel.
Their diet should consist of about 80% grassy hay, 16-18% protein pellets, fresh rabbit friendly greens, fruits and vegetables that are safe and rabbit friendly. Certain greens and vegetables can be harmful.
Indoor rabbits should be given some time to roam around the house if it is rabbit proofed or a fenced and secure garden. The outdoor ones can also roam on the fenced garden to bask in the sun. Use this time to socialize with your bunnies.
Health issues
Always ensure they do not end up with wool blocks, i.e., unlike other pets that self-groom such as cats and dogs that can regurgitate any ingested fur, rabbits cannot. This presents the risk of them accumulating and being stuck or blocking their digestive tract.
This makes the rabbit feel full, refuse to eat, have fewer and smaller dropping and can cause death if not dealt with early. Talk to your vet in case of wool blocks.
Overgrown teeth is another problem as their teeth can grow and hurt the soft tissues in their mouth. Ensure you give then enough hay and roughages to help grid them slowly, and other gnawing toys or objects.
Also, check for rabbit ear mites, fleas, flystrike and deworm your bunnies twice in a year. Do not forget to check for any ill-health symptoms such as loss of fur, loss of appetite, watery eyes, runny nose, coughing, high fever, sneezing, among other symptoms.
Owing to their thick wool, they are vulnerable to temperature changes especially within a month after shaving and when temperatures go high.
Temperament and behavior
The Giant Angora rabbit is considered docile and gentle. Ensure they spend time away from their enclosures to be able to interact with people and show their personalities.
Owing to their huge sizes, they are not suited for people with young kids who do not know how to hold big pets since they can injure them or get injured. Ensure you train your older kids on handling these bunnies.
With love and patience, you can train them to use their litter boxes. Place the litter boxes strategically to avoid droppings all over the house.
Giant Angora rabbit for sale and price
You know everything about Giant angora bunnies. If you are considering getting a set as pets or for their great fibers, there are many places you can buy them including in the various rabbitries, rescue centers, and breeders.
We found the following having a few of these bunnies on sale.
Their prices will vary but expect to spend anything from $50 to $300. The show and pedigreed will be expensive when compared to those that are not pedigreed.
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