Originally from New Jersey, the Jersey Wooly is a small mammal weighing less than 2 kg and with long hair. It is the result of crossbreeding between the French Angora rabbit and the Dutch dwarf rabbit in the 70s of the last century. He is a happy, friendly, affectionate and sociable rabbit, who likes to go out to play and show affection to his guardians. It is therefore a very good breed of pet rabbit which is very popular in the United States. Their care does not differ too much from that of other rabbits, except for their long coat, which requires careful maintenance.Keep reading this article from PlanèteAnimal to learn more about the Jersey Wooly rabbit, its characteristics and its care.
Origin
- America
- United States
Origin of the Wooly Jersey
The Jersey Wooly comes from the United States, more precisely from New Jersey, and it appeared in the 1970s, the result of the cross between the French Angora rabbit and the Dutch dwarf rabbit. At the start of crossbreeding, the first Jersey Woolys retained the characteristic body length of the French Angora, but over the generations they were born smaller and smaller, due to the genes that cause short stature. Dutch Dwarf Rabbits Today, the Jersey Wooly is a small rabbit, but not a dwarf, with woolly fur thanks to Angora genes.
It was recognized as a breed in its own right by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) in 1988, although in 1984 a woman, Bonni Seeley, presented the first specimen in an exhibition organized by this association.At present, it is one of the rabbits that participates most in shows and competitions in the United States and America, and it is one of the favorite breeds as a companion rabbit.
Jersey Wooly Bunny Features
Jersey Wooly is small in size and weighs no more than 2 kg. His body is strong and has a proportional and square head. Their ears are erect and small, and they are 5 to 7 cm long. Its eyes are round and shiny and their color matches that of the coat. The body is short but compact, with well-developed shoulders and hindquarters.
However, the most striking feature of their physical appearance is their woolly-looking coat, which comes in various colors and shades. Contrary to what happens with Angora rabbits, this woolly coat offers more ease of maintenance because it has many guardhairs, thicker than the curly hairs which are under the wool, which gives it a texture thicker and easier to maintain.
Wooly Jersey Colors
The coloring divides these bunnies into six types:
- Wooly agouti: these are brown, squirrel, opal or ivory rabbits.
- Wooly broken: this is one of the most common types and they are white rabbits, with or without other colors in combination.
- Wooly tan: these are exotic colors, such as silver black sable, otter blue, pearl, pearl silver, silver with blue or with black, or even otter black.
- Wooly self: includes black, lilac, chocolate, blue and white with blue or red eyes.
- Wooly shaded: refers to the colors of the turtle or smoked pearl.
- Unique colors: blue, black, lilac or chocolate.
Jersey Wooly Rabbit Character
Jersey Wooly Rabbits are great pets for their good behavior.They are affectionate, calm, intelligent and docile, as well as very sociable and playful, very much enjoying the company of their loved ones. Despite their small size, they love to get out of their cage and explore the house, to see people, animals and all the objects they find.
Something to highlight about these rabbits is their great sociability and they get along very well with children. They generally get along well with people of all ages and are not shy about approaching them for affection, games and attention.
Caring for a Jersey Wooly Bunny
To keep the coat of these rabbits in pristine condition, tangle-free and clean, they should be brushed 1-2 times a week, increasing the frequency of hair loss, which usually occurs in spring and summer. Unlike one of their relatives, the Angora rabbit, the Jersey Wooly does not require trimming to maintain its fur.On the other hand, giving them a bath is not recommended, as it is a very stressful procedure for them and it can cause problems such as heart problems. So when your Jersey Wooly gets dirty, simply wipe it with a damp cloth.
On the other hand, these rabbits should live in a spacious cage, depending on their size, so that they can move and jump freely. In addition, they must leave it free for a little while every day in order to stimulate their mind and evacuate their energy more effectively. The cage should contain space for rest and food and be cleaned daily. It should also have a smooth floor covered with straw or wood shavings.
Food should be at least 70% hay-based, supplementing the menu with fruits, vegetables and rabbit food. They must have fresh and always accessible water, preferably in rabbit troughs.In addition, one should always check the condition of their teeth. To do this, you must offer them wood or objects to gnaw. In this way, disorders such as malocclusion or problems with growth and asymmetry are avoided. Additionally, claws should be trimmed only when necessary and with a good understanding of the technique. We explain it to you in the article How to cut a rabbit's nails?
Finally, the Jersey Wooly must undergo routine veterinary checks in order to prevent diseases, check its he alth, vaccinate against hemorrhagic diseases and myxomatosis, as well as deworm regularly to keep it free of internal parasites, such as coccidia or worms, and external such as mites.
Jersey Wooly Rabbit He alth
Depending on the care they receive, Jersey Wooly rabbits have a life expectancy of 7-10 years. The most common pathologies that can affect them are:
- Viral Hemorrhagic Disease: Can cause death after fever, bleeding, runny nose, cyanosis, screaming, opisthotonus, pneumonia, anorexia, prostration, gait disturbances or seizures, among a wide variety of other symptoms bass.
- Myxomatosis: a viral disease that causes myxomas, which are nodules on the skin, and can also cause inflammation of the eyelid, ear infection, dyspnoea, fever or seizures.
- Dental malocclusion: consists of uneven wear of the teeth, causing dental asymmetry with lesions in the gums and mouth and predisposing to infections.
- Respiratory system problems caused by microorganisms such as Pasteurella: in these cases there are clinical signs such as runny nose, dyspnoea, coughing, sneezing or pneumonia.
- Skin Myiasis: The long hairs and skin folds of these rabbits may be ideal places for flies to lay their larvae and for worms to form.Fly larvae tear the skin, burrow and cause itching, pain, infection and wounds.
- Fungi: these organisms cause skin changes, forming lesions such as papules, pustules, circular alopecic areas and urticaria.
- Digestive system disorders: these occur when the rabbit has an unbalanced diet, which predisposes it to infections by microorganisms, which can also be caused by internal parasites or by obstructions resulting from hairballs , due to the length of its coat. The clinical signs are vomiting, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, dehydration and malaise.
Finally, sterilization or castration is important in order to prevent tumors of the reproductive system (cancer of the testicles, ovary, breasts) and other problems such as cysts or infectious processes or inflammatory diseases to which they seem to have a certain predisposition.Remember that to keep your rabbit he althy, it is necessary to periodically visit the exotic veterinary center to perform good preventive medicine and thus diagnose he alth problems as soon as possible.
Jersey Wooly Pictures
