Angora rabbit loves to get dirty

[momofonly]

My angora rabbit is now about 5 months old, and has grown a lot. I groom her to the best of my ability every week, and spend some time every night picking hay and grass out of her fur. She's in a hutch with hay-filled litter boxes, and I try to let her run outside in the yard a little each day because it hasn't started snowing yet here.

She really seems to like getting her fur all dirty though! If she finds loose dirt in the yard, she'll dig at it and get it all over herself. Tonight I saw she had shredded a lot of the newspaper in her litter boxes. I line her litterboxes with newspaper with hay on top because the breeder had her "paper trained."

Is this normal? Other rabbits I've had seemed much more meticulous with their grooming (like a cat).

 

[Heartlandrabbitry]

My angora rabbit is now about 5 months old, and has grown a lot. I groom her to the best of my ability every week, and spend some time every night picking hay and grass out of her fur. She's in a hutch with hay-filled litter boxes, and I try to let her run outside in the yard a little each day because it hasn't started snowing yet here.

She really seems to like getting her fur all dirty though! If she finds loose dirt in the yard, she'll dig at it and get it all over herself. Tonight I saw she had shredded a lot of the newspaper in her litter boxes. I line her litterboxes with newspaper with hay on top because the breeder had her "paper trained."

Is this normal? Other rabbits I've had seemed much more meticulous with their grooming (like a cat).

It's normal for them to dig, wild rabbits burrow underground. Mine dig all the time when I put them outside. For shredding newspaper that's normal as well! Rabbits will eat pretty much anything, especially newspaper

 

[CrimsonRose]

Each rabbit is different and does weird things...

I had a rabbit who for a whole year kept himself groomed quite well... then out of the blue one day he started backing up to a corner and rubbing his butt... (this is the same corner he would pee in) so his once white bottom was nasty brown... I tried bathing him and seriously cleaning his cage... a week later he would do it all again... we did this routine for months...

Finally I put him in a whole new cage and he stopped...

your bunny sounds like she likes to dig... so maybe she is bored and looking for something to do... see if toys in her cage stops the paper shreading... as for outside try putting hardware cloth over the areas of soft dirt so she isn't able to dig there and maybe after a few tries she will stop...

or give her something to dig in... such as a pail of white sand... it won't stain her fur and maybe will be easier to clean out (not sure I don't own angora but figure the sand would brush out easier than dirt)

 

[dbunni]

While angoras are a fun breed, the coat is not one for those that want to litter box train. They are, in essence, a large dust magnet. If you are planning to keep the litter box, remove the coat. It is that simple. A short dense coat of 1" - 1 1/2" would be best. Anything past that will just attract materials. In the litter box don't use hay, paper, straw, shavings, or cat litter. I've know some that use the pelleted horse beddings or ... I think ... Yesterday's news. But all need to be cleaned dily as they break down and will clog the coat.

Toys ... toys ... toys ... toys are an angoras best friend. Keeps them from getting into trouble ... and a bored angora just loves to chew & clean ... and when we chew we ingest wool ... and then wool block! UGHHHHH! Don't forget the veggies ... mine get a regular diet of pineapple (dried), papaya (dried & pilled), apples, bananas, broccoli, caulif, parsley ... etc.

That said ... the ideal cage for an EA is wire. This is the best way to keep the coat clean and maintenance to a minimum. I have a family that has several EAs and GAs. They have nice houses (inside their house) that are designed to look like cabinets, but have hidden drop pans. The buns also have a ramp droping down into a play area below their house and a large 'family' area.

Good Luck ...

 

[momofonly]

Yes, she is definitely a dust magnet!

I will try some new toys. I gave her a few paper towel rolls filled with hay, but she peed on them! I also have a hayball that rolls in her cage, but I'm not sure she uses it. I had a grass mat in there before, but it got soiled to the point where I had to get rid of it. Maybe I'll buy another one since she's started shredding things.

We're in MA where it's cold right now. It's been freezing or below the past few days, but no snow yet. I moved her into our unheated enclosed and insulated porch a few weeks ago to protect her more from the elements. Her water bottle hasn't frozen, so it seems to be staying above freezing in the porch.

I have a double-decker hutch with the pull out metal tray beneath. I actually have a litter box in each level. She has been using the downstairs one as the toilet, and the upstairs one she keeps clean. I think she is either just eating the hay, or bedding down in it to keep warm. Since we have cold winters, I don't really want to take the hay away.

She gets greens every night and papaya tablets weekly. She is actually pretty fussy about her vegetables. She won't eat carrots or parsley and she doesn't seem to like spinach much either.

Every other rabbit I had before would eat any green leafy vegetable or herb that I gave it. Go figure.:/

 

[dbunni]

no snow ... how lucky ... my buns are singing "White Christmas" right now. And one doe decided to pick the coldest point to bless me with another Giant! The latest chocolate otter giant is cuddled into a heating pad and mom's wool! have been changing water 3 times a day for the past week. Gotta love winter. But the buns do! Last winter when it was below 0 i have some cute photos of whiskers frozen and the buns playing! Angoras and winter ...gotta love the combo. At times i forget they have the coat i wish! Who wouldn't love an Angora coat to cuddle into!