Some breeds take more time to groom then others. While you may fall in love with the size or look of one particular breed, also consider the time that is necessary to keep your angora in good shape and the hours needed each week for grooming. If you have a busy lifestyle, it may be advisable to consider grooming requirements over the look of a particular breed or bunny.

    There is nothing sadder then a 6 months old bunny that was purchased with good intentions but then was neglected by the new owner and returned to the breeder or turned in to a shelter for lack of time and grooming. Such bunnies can be matted to the skin, and can require extensive work to get the wool removed. On occasion, such bunnies have to be put down due to acquired health problems from lack of care and grooming. 

    I myself have always loved the French Angora. My first pet angora was a French Angora, and it remains the main breed in my barn. I have, at one time or another, owned all 4 Breeds of Angoras, and can offer an impartial opinion of all 4 breeds. For the beginner and pet owner, I would always recommend the French Angora as the preferred breed for the first Angora owned.

    Here is a list of the 4 recognized Angoras and their breed specifics:

    French Angora : A large bunny at an average of 8 to 12 pounds in weight at maturity, a good breeder and with good mothering instincts. Different bloodlines available dictate the size and wool growth, but today's good quality French should be around 9 -10 pounds in weight and should grow a very dense coat, with an average harvest of 5-11 ounces of blanket (top and sides) fiber every 4-5 months, with a length of 3-6 inches in that time. Of course, harvest is greatly determined by nutrition, grooming, and bloodlines. A baby can't be very much better then it's parents, and genes play a large role in wool production.

    French Angoras have 2 types of fiber: the straight, coarse and long guard hair, a coarser type hair which should be dispersed evenly in the entire coat. This fiber separates the softer undercoat and keeps it from matting/webbing. Guard hair carries the largest amount of color pigments, so French Angoras and other angora breeds with a good amount of guard hair will show colors extremely well.

    Underneath the Guard hair grows the soft, downy fiber called the undercoat. This fiber is what gives Angora fiber the softness, the cloud like feel, and it is highly insulating. A good balance between both fibers is very important in a good angora, for wool production and for ease of grooming.

    French Angoras have a face, ears, and feet covered with short, normal fur, and the wool covers the rest of the body . Small tassels of wool are allowed on the tip of the ears, also called tufting. Dense wool covers the entire body of the bunny, but for spinning, only the wool from the top and the sides is used to make yarn.

    The body type of a French Angora is long and "commercial". The shoulders should be broad, the hip bones should not protrude, and the overall bunny should be long like a loaf of bread. Due to the size and body shape, French Angoras are excellent breeders, with an average litter of 8 babies. However, it can vary. I have had as little as 2 babies and litters as large as 11 babies.

    French Angoras require a large cage due to the need for exercise, to prevent obesity and to allow for a clean bunny. I would recommend an all wire cage 30x36 inches large, with a minimum height of 18 inches. The door of the cage has to be 12 x 12 inches or larger, or the bunny won't be able to fit through it.

    Satin Angora : A beautiful bunny, very similar in size and overall look to the French Angora, the Satin Angora was developed by crossing a French Angora with a satin rabbit of short fur. The result is a shiny, glass like fiber that reflects the light. Satin Angoras have a very fine diameter in wool and due to that require more grooming then a French Angora. I would recommend to groom a Satin at least twice a week.

    Satin Angoras average a smaller harvest in fiber, and grow wool slower then a French Angora at this point. They still need a good amount of dedicated breeders to develop the breed further. Satin Angoras were developed just recently and also come in a wide variety of colors.

    Giant Angoras carry long wool all over the body, and have varying amounts of wool growth on the ears, from the tip down to the base of the head. ARBA allows a variance in ear tassels, but they are required. Facial wool, also called "facial furnishings", include side burns of long wool that cover the mouth partially and need special attention with grooming. Long wool should grow on the forehead of the bunny, creating a sort of bangs that hang into the face and often over the eyes. Again, ARBA allows for some variance in the amount and length of facial wool. Some Giant Angoras have very little facial wool, while others have a heavy furnished face. Wool also has to cover all 4 feet, from the toes on upward to the leg. This wool can reach great lengths. Some of my Giants have 2-3 inches of wool on their feet, and special care has to be given to all of this extra wool in delicate places to prevent matting and soiling.

    Giant Angoras require a good grooming every week if you plan to show, with special attention given to the areas that will matt more: the feet, the face, the ears, and the belly. Most breeders use a special blower to groom the very dense and long wool of the Giant Angora. It allows for good separation of the fiber and helps speed up the grooming time. Face, ears, mouth, and feet will still need to be brushed by hand, at least once a week if not more. If the owner does not plan to show the giant angora, clipping the wool that is NOT used for spinning Z( feet, tail, belly, face) once a month will keep the grooming chore down to a minimum.

    Giant Angoras are a rather new Breed here in the US and are somewhat sensitive. Many Breeders in the US had tried to raise Giant Angoras and lost the initial investment rather quickly. Giant Angoras require extra nutrition, extra care, and special attention since the current bloodlines available in the US seem to be sensitive to illness if neglected, are very sensitive to heat and humidity, and require a fairly large cage to be comfortable. Breeding these lovely creatures has proven to be a challenge for some. The pure gene pool we currently have to work with needs improvement in some areas, and breeders work hard in doing so. But, in my opinion, they are worth the extra attention.  Feeding requirements for a Giant Angora can vary from 1 to 1 1/2 cups of pellets daily. You'll have to adjust the amount depending on how much your Giant Angora will need to maintain weight and density.  My own Giant Angoras eat 1 1/2 cups of pellets daily while growing, but will cut back to 1 cup of pellets when 10-12 pounds in weight.  

    English Angora : Every time you see an Angora in a book, it's most likely an English Angora. Having been around for quite some time, this little Angora is the smallest of all 4 breeds. It has an average body weight of 6 pounds. Maximum weight for a adult female for showing is 6 ½ pounds.

    These Bunnies have a short and cobby body. When correctly bred the body resembles a beach ball. English Angora wool has few guard hairs, and the fiber is mostly undercoat. For that reason, colors are rather pastel in the body wool and show darker on the face where there is short fur. A black English Angora will have dark gray to light gray body wool. English Angoras of some bloodlines can grow wool for up to a year. Some breeders have found ways to prevent the natural molting cycle of the fiber and some show English Angoras that carry up to 14 inch wool that has been grown for up to 12 months. This is for showing, and is not practical for home bunnies at all. English Angoras sport facial furnishings and ear tassels, plus wool on all 4 feet, much like the Giant Angora. Basically, the only differences in both English and Giant Angora is body type, body weight, and texture of wool. Due to the lack of guard hair in English Angoras, grooming time is greatly expanded. A bunny with more than 1 inch of wool will need to be groomed 2-3 times a week, especially in those areas where friction will increase matting. The longer the wool grows, the more often you will have to groom. High humidity, heat, dirty cages, and insect infestation all increase the need for more frequent brushing.