Angora breeders; how do you find good homes?

jen74145 · #1 03/31/10, 08:37 PM

My family is vegan these days, so our uses for rabbits are limited. But perhaps this is for the best, as I tend to make pets out of even the nastiest tempered bunnies, lol. I have found someone who raises French and English Angoras.

Now see... trouble is, this is Texas. I fear people would buy kits and they'd wind up suffering in the heat once the new wore off, or they would go ungroomed. People here tend to just stick a rabbit in a tiny cage, give it pellets and that's it. Uh, angora without hay= dead angora.

IDK. I would love to raise them, but since we do not eat meat I'm at a loss. Not like we could cull extras.... especially after I've gone and named them and made friends with them and all.

Do you sort of take preorders? I'd likely only breed when I wanted someone new for the herd, so, eh, once a year if that.

Somerhill · #2 04/01/10, 10:11 AM

That's always a concern among us angora breeders. I try to "screen" my buyers - finding out how much they experience they have, how much they have read about angora care, if they really have a good idea of the amount of time needed to care for them. Mostly, I find that people who want them for fiber production are a good risk - they want the wool, and so take care of it while its growing in. So selling them at a fiber festival is a good place to find good, caring owners.
Also, make sure the buyer knows that if the rabbit becomes to much work for them, that they can bring it back to you. (don't refund money - just take it back) Assure them that even if its badly matted, you will take it back, clean it up, and find another home for it - no questions asked.

Lisa
http://somerhillfarm.blogspot.com

Madame · #3 04/01/10, 02:13 PM

Why breed them? why not just keep a few for yourself and spin the fur into yarn?

AllEarsRabbitry · #4 04/01/10, 02:52 PM

I don't breed angoras but have run into similar issues with my AFL's. It's rough - I have 18 kits right now, and though I will keep 8 or 9 that still leaves a lot that will need homes, and mostly boys.

Fortunately with my lines, once they blow their jr coat, you rarely have to groom. Most of my rabbits are groomed simply because I feel they should be - they don't really need it.

I have a pet EA, he's older (nearly 7) and has health issues that have creapt up this year. I love EA's, will probably always keep 1 as pets. Although George has a really bad coat, I may actually spend a bit more and get one with a better quality coat. I may even keep two. Don't know how to spin yet but have someone to teach me. I have been collecting fuzzy wool and will spin that too.

Good luck =)

Tracy Sayre · #5 04/05/10, 09:59 AM

I've found the best people to sell angoras to are other angora breeders and handspinners. Angoras require so much grooming and you really have to keep an eye on their condition so they don't really make very good pets for the general public. I would sell to a vet or a pet groomer as well but if some one wants a wooly pet rabbit I usually recommend the american fuzzy lops. Once the adult coat is in it just doesn't matt like an angora's coat.
There will also be rabbits in the litter that shouldn't be sold. You have a gift for taming rabbits but I don't and other people don't as well. You really need to select for temperment if you're going to sell them. Also when you get a new line you should breed them for two or three years to see if they have problems like wolf teeth, crooked tail, white spots, poor health, bad tempers and poor mothering carried recessively before you start selling them. Trust me, you'll feel awful if you sell stock that later proves to carry wolf teeth or something else. This means that you'll have a bunch of rabbits you don't want to sell. If you don't want to find some one else who will eat them then you'll have to keep all the babies from your test breedings.
Another tip when buying stock: Just because the rabbits are beautiful, you bought them from a well known breeder and you paid big bucks for them don't skip you're two or three years of getting to know them! They could still have serious problems with health, mothering ability and temperment that isn't obvious in the rabbits when you buy them.
This is more answer than you asked for but I guess I'm going on because I'm starting my third year with my current rabbits. I have 14 rabbits and only two of them have names. The market is so small that there is really no reason to sell anything other than your best. Rabbits with poor characters, mothering abilities or physical deformities should never be sold even as woolers and I wouldn't give them away either. If you really want to breed rabbits you need to have a way to deal with the unsaleable ones. Good luck, Tracy Sayre

jen74145 · #6 04/07/10, 06:46 PM

I'm late responding; HT hates my computer lately.

I have read and mulled. I have found a lady who seems very serious about the breed, and we discussed the whole "finding good homes" aspect. I think for now I may just stick with pets, though if I did decide to breed, she is happy to find places among her network for extras.

We'll see. I may go out to her place later this weeks to take a look.