Rabbit 101: Angora

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History

There're several stories regarding the origin of Angora rabbit. One of the accepted theory said that the origin of Angora was date back to the early 18th century, approximately in 1723. A sight seeing sailors from France who pulled into Turkish port called Angora (now Ankara) saw a native women wearing really beautiful shawls  that they never seen before.  

The fitness and silkiness are surpassed the shawls in their country of France. So they ask about the shawls and to their surprised it was made from Angora wool. So the sailors take some of the rabbit back to France. Later, other country also start to develop Angora rabbit which was specifically breed for their fine and excellent wool. 

Care

Angora rabbit needs special attention compare to other breeds. Believe it or not, its long hair is the real enemy    face by the rabbit and its owner. If left ungroomed, the rabbit will attempt to groom itself. Too much grooming will cause a wool block, where the rabbit's digestive system will be greatly impeded by the rabbit's hair.

Rabbit can die from serious wool block. Cat and dog can vomit when they have hair ball, but unfortunately rabbit can't. 

How to overcome hair balls?

Prevention is better than cure. Several precautions should be taken in mind when keeping this breed:

1. Regular grooming

2. Provide a proper diet (feed them hay, various fruits and veggies)

3. Give them pineapple juice and papaya treats (contain enzyme that can prevent wool block)

4. Cut their long hair properly

Fur Mites

Chances for Angora to has fur mites is quite high. If the rabbit's skin turn red, irritated and constantly scratching, or you notice a bad case of dandruff, then fur mites may be the major cause. Once you notice this problems, it's best to consult professional breeders for advice and treatment. Otherwise, you may also take your rabbit to the vet before the disease become awfully worse.

Exercise

Don't prison your rabbit in the cage all the time. They need regular exercise (just like us so we don't end being unhealthy) which also can help to prevent wool block. If you don't have a good time monitoring them playing outdoor, allow your rabbit running in a fenced area, e.g.play pen. The bigger the better.

Predators

For those who keep this prey animal as a pet, they should really concern about the predators as well. No matter where you live, town or rural areas, predators will be your major problems. Dogs are the most common problems and potential killer. Even when you keep your rabbit in the cage, there's no guarantee for your rabbit safety. You must put your rabbit in a very safe place (inside your house) or a place where predators cannot reach them. 

Dogs can be surprisingly determined to get access to rabbit. There's always a report about dog attack; cages ripped apart, head lost, rabbit still alive with part of their body was eaten, skin ripped off rabbits etc. Thus, don't be such a naive about the possibility of dog attacks or else you'll be regret.

English Angora

French Angora

Giant Angora

Satin Angora

Rabbit Disease: Snuffles

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Snuffles is a respiratory tract problem which is similar to the common cold in man. This disease is highly contagious and can become worse if left untreated. My first rabbit, Aoi, died because of this disease. At first I did some research about rabbit snuffles when I notice Aoi had a runny nose. Then I came across of one rabbit owner that said his rabbit also had a snuffle. He just isolate the infected rabbit, place it in warm place and soon the rabbit will recover itself.  

Well I try to follow his advice but I noticed that Aoi's condition is worsening from day to day. At last I decided to bring Aoi to vet since I saw her become hard to breath. From snuffles it leads to pneumonia which made Aoi gasping for air. But I'm too late! That evening when I'm just about to take Aoi to the vet, I saw her lying breathless in the cage. She's dead. I kept blaming myself for her death. If I take her to the vet early she would be alive and never end her life in such a terrible condition. It's such a painful lesson to me. 

What is the cause?

It can be caused by different factors but the most common one is infection with the bacteria Pasteurella multocida. There're different strain of this gram negative bacteria and depend on the strain the signs can be either mild to severe. Rabbits can be easily infected by this bacteria when they're stressed or has suppressed immune system. 

What are the signs of snuffles ?

The infected rabbit will develop a watery discharge followed by sneezing and then thick whitish to yellowish nasal discharge. In some severe cases the rabbit will develop pneumonia or bacteremia (a bacteria enter the bloodstream). 

How to treat?

Bring the rabbit to the vet is the best you can do. Usually the treatment is by giving the infected rabbit an antibiotics for 14-30 days. If the infection goes for days or weeks without treatment, this disease will become chronic and very difficult to eliminate. 

How to prevent?

Before buying a rabbit, ensure that the rabbit is free from any infection, especially runny nose. Observe all rabbits on location and make sure snuffles is not present. However, a healthy appearance rabbit can also develop signs of sickness later on if she's stressed. 

Reducing stress is crucial to prevent a rabbit become infected. Common causes of stress in rabbits are:

-improper housing

-long journey

-chill condition

-improper diet

-overcrowd

-aggression from other rabbits

Rabbit owner should be aware of the signs of this disease and seek veterinary attention at the first sign of illness.

Beware, I'm watching you!

Rabbit 101 Part 4

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Siberian Rabbit

It is a very graceful rabbit with an attractive coat, coloured black, blue, brown or lilac. The siberian was first bred in the UK around 1930 but its ancestral is unknown. They're bred mainly for its nice fur and also as a pet. 

Silver Fox

The Silver Fox's fur is coarser than the fur of other rabbits, one and half to two inches long, and when stroked from tail to head, the fur stands up. It has an unusual unique coat. This combined with the length and coarseness of the fur resembles the fur of the Arctic Silver Fox for which the Silver Fox rabbit is named.

Tan

The color marking of the Tan are reminiscent of a Doberman pinscher, especially the black and chocolate varieties. The undersides of this rabbit, which include the tail, stomach, chin, and ears, are colored in "tan" fur (almost more of a bright orange). The rest of the rabbit is colored in black, blue, chocolate, or lilac. They are very energetic rabbits.

Jerry Woody

Originated from Thailand. It's a crossbreed from local rabbit in Thailand and English angora. The purpose of this breed is to enhance the short fur of local rabbit and make it become more fluffy and attractive.

Teddy Bear

Originated from Thailand. It's a hybrid from Jerry Woody and other hairy breed. Teddy bear rabbit is very popular in Thailand and Malaysia not only because of its attractive coat color and long hair, but also because of its price that's affordable (the price in Thailand is far more cheaper than Malaysia, hence it's affordable). 

Woody Toy

Also from Tailand. It's developed from Teddy bear rabbit but Woody Toy is smaller in size compare to Teddy bear because of dwarf gene (come from Netherland dwarf's gene).Its appearance is similar to Teddy bear in term of their long fur, only their ears is shorter and bodyweight is lighter. 

P/S. All these three breeds (jerry woody, teddy bear, woody toy) is not in the list of ARBA (american rabbit association) and only popular in Thailand and Malaysia. So you'll never found this rabbit in other country. Their names also is not very popular in google compare to other breed. But for sure they're very cute and fluffy! 

Rabbit Poop?

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For those who own a bunny must deals with their poops everyday. A single mature rabbit can produce a lot of poops, especially the large breed, e.g. flemish giant, new zealand, checkered giant etc. They eat a lot and of course make a lot of waste. 

The best part of rabbit manure is that it's not as stinky as cat and dog's. Virtually, dry rabbit manure is odorless unless it's wet or soak by the urine. Since rabbit's diet is only on vegetation and don't eat meat, the smelly bacteria that dissolve meat is not there. Instead, rabbit waste is a good source of nutrient and phosphorus, thus they make an excellent fertilizer for plant's growth and flowering. 

To use it as fertilizer, simply take their waste every morning (usually rabbit eat and poop a lot during night) straight to your plants. Not only you make your plants happy but also eliminate the bad odor at the cage. Another use of rabbit manure is to make a compost pile. Making a compost pile will help conserving the environment which benefit yourself, your garden, your environment and most importantly our mother Earth.

So here the instruction to make a compost pile:

1. Dig a hole at the corner of your yard (at least 2 ft)

2. Gather all your organic kitchen scrap (vegetable peel, uneaten rice, old fruit or whatever that you throw after eating your dinner except bones) and add it into the hole.

3. Dump the rabbit's waste inside the same hole.

4. Use the pitchfork to mix the new and old scraps.

5. If it's too dry, water the compost until it's moist and mix it well to ensure all the components are breaking down.

6. You can  add your kitchen scraps and rabbit manure once in a week (by gathering them) if you're too lazy to dump it directly to the hole everyday. Always ensure the compost is moist.

7. You're ready to add the compost into your garden once it has broken in dark, rich mixture.

Happy Bunny said "my waste is useful, how about yours?"

Rabbit Coat Color

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Self family: A rabbit that's one solid color all over its body

E.g: black, chocolate, blue, lilac, ruby eyed white, blue eyed white

note: REW and BEW are not true self family color

Blue 

Black

Red eyed white (REW)

Blue eyed white (BEW)

Lilac

Shaded family: Has a darker color on it's nose/muzzle, ears, feet and tail.

E.g: siamese, seal, marten, chinchilla, smoke pearl

sable marten

siamese sable point

Chinchilla

smoke pearl

Agouti family: Has bands of different color on each hair shaft.

E.g: chestnut agouti, shaded agouti, frosted pearl, lynx, opal.

opal

chestnut agouti

lynx

frosted pearl

Tan pattern family: Has silver marking on belly, underside of the tail, marking by the nostrils,circles around the eyes.

E.g: black otter, blue otter, tortoise otter, sable point marten.

Blue otter

black otter

Tan

Harlequin: Had band of orange or white with color.

E.g: Japanese harlequin, magpie harlequin

magpie harlequin

Japanese harlequin

Other color variation:

Cinnamon

Broken color (black)

Rabbit 101 Part 3

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Checkered Giant- It's a huge and active breed which only available in blue and black in colour varieties. Among its ancestors were the Flemish Giant and purportedly a breed known as the Checkered Lop, a spotted lop.

Cinnamon- Originating in Montana in the 1960s, this breed was developed by rabbit breeder Ellis Houseman. This rabbit is only available in reddish color. 

Dwarf Hotot- The rabbit can be found in only white with dark eyes and weigh about 3 pounds. The Dwarf Hotot is small and compact, a stocky, docile little rabbit much like the Netherland Dwarf.

Lilac- It has a dense silky fur evenly coloured throughout in a pinkish dove shade, and of course they've lilac to lavender coloration.

Satin- A genetic mutation found first in a litter of Havana, the Satin is named because of its soft, shiny coat. They are a commercial type rabbit, with one of the best meat to bone ratios. The satin is a medium size rabbit that weighs about 9 pounds.

p/s: Tomorrow (3/2/2011) is Chinese New Year. Once again I wish Gong Xi Fa Chai to all of you. Happy gathering and have a nice holidays with your beloved family (^_~)

How to Hypnotize a Bunny

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It's not actually fully hypnosis the bunny, but more likely to put the bunny in a trance. In a trance position, it's very useful to trim the toenails, give a medicine or calm the rabbit.

1. Pick it up with your right hand under the front legs and your left hand on the butt

2. Then stick the bunny in the crook of your elbow just like cradling a baby

3. In that position, use your right hand and start petting the bunny's face

4. Once the bunny looks relax, the head will start to fall backwards and then the bunny is in a trance position.

Don't get it? Watch this guy hypnotize his rabbit.

Practice makes perfect. If your bunny struggles for the first time, be patient and keep trying.

Good luck in hypnotizing your bunny!

Life of Rabbits (that you don't know)

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Make up before going out for a date

Wearing a cute dress to impress human

Be a santa claus during christmas

Acting cute in front of camera

Reading a book during leisure time 

Plait a hair before going to bed

Working to support their family

Playing piano as part of their hobbies (not all rabbits like this)

But most of the time they don't like to show off. That's why you see rabbits always like to 

zzzzZZZZ