Grooming the Show Bunny

Shepherds Hydrangea

GC CR Ice Maiden

GC Shepherds Lydia

Tulamores Caprice

Growing a beautiful coat of wool doesn't start with a comb, brush or blower but with good nutrition, fiber and clean water. It starts many months before you might actually be showing your rabbit with care and nutrition as a baby. I have always said that wool breeds require a good deal of patience and waiting for wool to grow. A good quality rabbit pellets, fresh grass hay and clean water will give you the best quality wool but it is a waiting game. My best english angoras may never be shown or do well as juniors because they are at home growing in that winning senior coat. It has density but not much length at the junior age and it really shouldn't need much grooming. Just keeping it matt free and clean is the plan at this age. Then as the coat starts to blossom, more intense grooming is needed but less often. I think the best coats need very little care and just seem to never tangle. The bunnies just see to sit there and look beautiful.

The woolies are a little different in that they go through the junior "uglies". This can be a full out molt or just a weird looking growth spurt where none of the body parts seem to go together. If you like them as babies most likely you will like them again after the growth spurt. It is a little frightening when they hit this phase as you often think they will never grow out of it. The senior coat is the most beautiful coat and the most easy care.

As show season creeps up on us, lets just sit back and watch the wool grow.