Two english angora bunnies

Question
Hello, I'm aquring two english angora bunnies just over 6 weeks old in teh begging of march, a male a female. I do plan to house themseperatly and do plan to breed them later on. I was wondering since its been so long ago that I bred rabbits(I used to breed holland lop/dwarf crosses) that I've forgotten what its like to own rabbits all together. First can you tell me whats the proper cage sizes for these type of rabbits? I belive they max out at 6-9 pounds. I was also wondering what exactly is to be fed in tehre daily diet...just pellets and hay? Can I feed hay cubes instead or actual hay because loose hay caused my hives to flare up when I had rabbits and guinea pigs years ago). What sort of handling do they need? If they are tame it'd be nice to handle them on occassion. How offen will the cages need changing will two rabbits make my room stink?

Answer
The larger the cage, the better, of course. If they are going to mature at 9 pounds, though, I doubt they are purebred english angoras, or at least they are not from very good stock. English angoras have a normal weight of 5 yto 7 1/2 pounds. Are you breeding for wool or for show? If you are breeding for wool, then it does not really matter, so long as they are healthy and come from good wool producing lines. If you are breeding for show, I highly recommend choosing another breeder.

At any rate, I would recommend at least a 30x30 inch cage.

Get a feed specifically made for wool breeds, if at all possible. If not, feed a high quality alfalfa pellet. Hay cubes can work, so long as they are not alfalfa hay. Most hay cubes are alfalfa. Timothy hay, oat hay, or grass hay is the best. It is high in fibre (very important, especially in angoras), and it is not too high in calcium like alfafa is.

They will need to be brushed at least once a week. Depending on how good of wool quality they have, you may need to brush more. Softer wool will need to be brushed more, and baby coats also need to be brushed more. You can make less work for yourself by having a breeder show you how to clip the coat short. Of course, if you are showing them or want their wool, this is not an option. Be sure to brush everywhere, including combing through the foot pads. If the foot pads mat up, it can cause very painful sores on the feet. Even if they are clipped, they should be handled often. Daily is best. This will keep them docile and friendly. You will still need to comb the foot pads once a week, even if they are clipped.

If they are indoors, changing the cage litter twice a week or more is ideal. That will keep the odor down. Rabbit urine IS very smelly (it has a lot of ammonia in it), so if you let it build up, it will stink a lot.