M Claire
Exploring the pasture
Hi all, I am just learning the ropes with a family of German Angora rabbits and with the hot weather finally coming on, I need to get to work on their coats so that they'll be healthy and comfortable.
I've tried clipping with scissors and shears, but it just isn't for me. The rabbits get bored and fidgety and I'm always worrying that someone is going to get nicked. And it takes AGES!!!
After removing a few mats in extremis with my husband's beard trimmer, I decided to go with an Oster A5 clipper, having seen how quickly it cuts, how close in you can get with no danger, and also observing that the rabbits actually seemed more relaxed and still while I was using an electric trimmer.
The clipper I ordered came with a 9mm (3/8") clipper head, which is not nearly short enough in to cut angora wool effectively. I am hesitating between getting a really short head (1 mm) or an intermediate length (3 mm).
I called a groomer for advice and gave her my specific situation with the rabbits, and she suggested a thing called a shaving knife (that's the direct translation from the local language), apparently called a trimmer in English. It's basically a comb with razor-sharp cutting blades between the teeth. Apparently it's better than clippers for wool quality and you get a really close shave, but that could be a negative point insomuch as I can't turn up the heat in the rabbitry and would be worried about bareskinned rabbits catching cold and getting bloat in the spring and fall.
Does anyone have experience with this? I'm more concerned about wool management and rabbit care (and not spending an entire day sheering rabbits...) at this point than pristine wool quality.
I've tried clipping with scissors and shears, but it just isn't for me. The rabbits get bored and fidgety and I'm always worrying that someone is going to get nicked. And it takes AGES!!!
After removing a few mats in extremis with my husband's beard trimmer, I decided to go with an Oster A5 clipper, having seen how quickly it cuts, how close in you can get with no danger, and also observing that the rabbits actually seemed more relaxed and still while I was using an electric trimmer. The clipper I ordered came with a 9mm (3/8") clipper head, which is not nearly short enough in to cut angora wool effectively. I am hesitating between getting a really short head (1 mm) or an intermediate length (3 mm).
I called a groomer for advice and gave her my specific situation with the rabbits, and she suggested a thing called a shaving knife (that's the direct translation from the local language), apparently called a trimmer in English. It's basically a comb with razor-sharp cutting blades between the teeth. Apparently it's better than clippers for wool quality and you get a really close shave, but that could be a negative point insomuch as I can't turn up the heat in the rabbitry and would be worried about bareskinned rabbits catching cold and getting bloat in the spring and fall.
Does anyone have experience with this? I'm more concerned about wool management and rabbit care (and not spending an entire day sheering rabbits...) at this point than pristine wool quality.
