Yes there are as many was to feed an angora as there are angoras. But if  you are asking, here are some suggestions that may work for you.

Several different schools of thought:

To only feed pellets – after all a lot of research and development went into producing this product in the first place. They are time and cost efficient.

What kind of pellets? – what is end product? Show, fibre production, meat – commonly a higher protein pellet is sought for an angora.

The most likely deciding factor will be what is available at  your local feed mill

How much pellet? The smaller the rabbit the lower the quantity. You could just give a set amount each and every day. Free feed for other then nursing does and kits, can lead to too fat rabbits. It has been said that too much food while pregnant can lead to its own problems. Probably the most appropriate format would be to weight the rabbit, compare to what standard weight is and then either up , lower or maintain ration accordingly. (generally between ¼ - 1 cup)

To combined pellets and fibre. To avoid wool block a regular regime of fibre to aid in keeping the digestive tract clear is recommended. Some do every day hay and pellets. others one day a week, only hay and no pellets, or perhaps 3 days pellets, one day hay, 3 days pellets, one day hay and so on.

It is generally recommended that any dietary problems, diarrhea, wool block, etc, that the rabbit be put on a diet of strictly hay till the problem clears up.

What kind of hay? Consider the possibility that alfalfa may be too rich, and that grass hay does the job just fine.

an assorted list of thoughts shared on Showbunny, with credits to the writer: 

. Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2002 12:26:08 EST From: JWPERSON@aol.com Subject: Re: Feed question Without getting into the different brands of rabbit feed, most rabbit breeders will feed between 15-19% protein and 16-18% fiber in the diet. Quite honestly, if we raise rabbits for show, breeding and meat, there is a different diet necessary for each. And technically, each rabbit should be fed a diet geared towards age, breeding status, breed, purpose and time of year. So there really isn't any catch all diets. However, most rabbitries do well on one particular mix and then supplement rabbits that need it based on variables. For example, junior animals being raised for meat purposes need to have a high level of protein for rapid growth and need to be free fed. Mature show rabbits not in breeding need a lower protein (since growth is no longer an issue) with added fat content to fill them out and condition them. Pregnant does need high protein and fat content to provide nutrition for the growing babies and to maintain condition and assist in milk production once the litter is born. Young rabbits intended for any purpose need lots of protein as well. Mature pet rabbits can be maintained well on a lower protein and lower fat content. All of this also depends on the breed as well as the time of year. Fiber is a very important component of the diet. Although many feeds denote the fiber content, it is often in such small particle size that it doesn't have the desired effect. It is always a good idea to supplement with grass hay a few times a week. The GI tract must be kept moving and dietary fiber is instrumental in keeping the mobility of the GI tract at the proper rate. If the GI tract slows down, it retains feed longer, which can provide an environment for harmful bacteria to grow. It will also precipitate gastric stasis and accumulation of hairballs. Grass hay has much lower levels of most nutrients and it's primary roll is to provide long fiber to the diet to aid the GI tract. The best feed is made from Alfalfa meal as it's primary protein source. If you read the labels of a lot of brands, you will see that it simply denotes "forage crops". This could be anything. Alfalfa meal comes finely ground to be used for the pelleting process and has varying protein levels, from 14% all the way up to 21%. However, you don't want to exceed 18-19% protein since this can lead to loose stools and a constant state of molt in some rabbits. Other ingredients include but not limited to: Wheat Middlings, Soybean meal, ground oats or barley and always contain a vitamin-mineral premix. To understand how a diet changes for a particular rabbit, lets use a Junior New Zealand Doe (age 8 weeks). While this young rabbit is growing, she needs to be free fed a diet high in protein (about 17% or more) in order to maintain rapid growth rate. Often, it is necessary to keep this diet in place until the age of 6-7 months if the rabbit is being kept for show or breeding. If the doe will be placed into production, this diet will not change, except for increasing the fat content so that when she is in production, she will not lose flesh condition during pregnancy and lactation. A doe that is in poor condition when she kindles may be less able to nurse the litter. The future development of the litter may suffer. The increase in fat content should be done at breeding time. You do not want to add it before since fat does have a problem conceiving. If the doe is not placed into production, but will be shown, the amount fed should be restricted, the protein level reduced to about 16% and the fat content increased to add condition. If the mature rabbit is not going to be shown or bred, a restricted diet should be fed with normal levels of fat. Now if you follow a Netherland Dwarf, there is a different schedule. Smaller breeds mature much more quickly and if kept on a free feed diet from a young age, may mature into oversized animals that are fat. The protein content never needs to go beyond 17% at any time during the lifetime of the rabbit. Pregnant does may be given additional amounts of feed but free feeding would not be a good idea for this breed. Mature Netherland Dwarfs should be fed 15-16% protein and normal fiber and fat content. Young rabbits can be fed a slightly higher protein level but this diet should be changed at about 3-4 months of age to avoid excessive fat. Weather has a great deal to do with how a diet is determined as well. In cold weather, rabbits require more protein and fat in their diets. It is vitally important that water be available all the time and not be frozen for long periods. The less water a rabbit consumes, the less it will eat and the quicker it will lose condition (which can spiral out of control). A rabbit that loses fresh condition in the winter has a very difficult time maintaining core body temperature. In hot weather, rabbits often eat less because the feed is not used to maintain body temperature. During very hot weather, it is best to reduce the protein level and fat level so as not to overload the system. Fat rabbits have a harder time avoiding heat stress than their more lean counterparts. The question of diet is pretty complex and it is important to understand that each rabbit needs to be evaluated as to what it will need for the given circumstances. If one brand of feed is purchased (which is the norm in most rabbitries), it may be necessary to obtain supplements to modify the diet of a particular rabbit or group of rabbits based on need. The best way to determine the primary brand and type of feed is to determine the largest "group" of rabbits you will be feeding. In other words, if you have a barn full of new zealands and most will be in production, then the feed you will get will be based on that. The rest of the rabbits that do not fit into this category will have to have components added or subtracted from their diet to adjust for that. For example, if the pellets purchased are 18% protein for does in production, one can reduce the amount of protein in the diet (if one is using a brand with high protein) by feeding grass hay one hour before providing a measured portion of feed. Grass hay is low in protein and will reduce the protein level in the overall diet to less than what the pellets contain. Always remember that everything you provide to your rabbits daily is their entire diet and feeding all kinds of supplements must be calculated into that diet to determine what the rabbit is actually getting. I hope this helps to answer your question about feed. Karen Fischer ________________________________________________________________________

How much/what to feed? Easy! What *I* recommend as a starting point that has worked for the vast majority of the people I advise is to do the following: THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT POINT OF ANY FEEDING REGIMEN IS CLEAN, LIQUID WATER AT ALL TIMES!!!! (Did I yell loud enough or shall I do it again? yes? Ok, here we go!) Water must absolutely must be available to the rabbit in order for it to eat and process what it consumes! Find a good quality 16 or 17% protein pellet that has AT LEAST that much fibre listed on the label. If you can find one without corn in the first four ingredients, do. If not, you may have to pay closer attention to the gut than otherwise. FOR ALL RABBITS: Give only pellets to start; hay will come later, as will treats. Give the rabbit a measured amount that is close to the amount they seem to eat in a 24 hour period of time. Check starting at about 20 hours, and if they are out of pellets, give a measured amount more. Remove what is left at the 24 hour point and calculate how much they actually consumed in 24 hours. Then give them JUST that amount, and repeat the check. The goal is to have them eating all their pellets and to be just a little hungry at the next feeding, up at the front of the cage and active. After about a week, you will see that the amount consumed is pretty consistent, and you can move on to the next step, which is adjusting that amount for the conditioning of the animal--which has a major effect on its long-term health. This really emphasizes the need for REGULAR feeding and observation of your rabbits; a fat rabbit lies around a lot (kinda like us!) and it's harder to tell if something is wrong or if they are just couch-tatering. Now that you've figured out their needed pellet intake, based on what they are actually eating, watch their body condition. You want a firmly fleshed, well-furred, cheerful and active rabbit, not a fuzzy lump with fangs, or a lean mean hairball. :) A rabbit of proper conditioning will be active in its cage, very active if let out to exercise, and will eat willingly and well. Muscles will be firm and well-toned. A fat rabbit is, well, fat! :) A little too well-filled in the belly and over the shoulders; the dewlap, if any, may become inordinately large and be 'sloppy'. It should just be loose skin with a small amount of 'slop' rather than something that might help her hibernate! LOL! Dewlap size does vary with breed, age, and individual genetics, so get used to what your rabbit's 'normal' is. HAY AND TREATS: Once you have a healthy, well-conditioned animal, you may start giving other foods on an occasional or regular basis; the ONLY supplemental food they should receive regularly is a grass or grain type hay, and that, again, only in what they will eat in a reasonable amount of time (old hay on the cage floor breeds disease, amongst other problems!). If the rabbit is healthy and happy on pellets only, you actually do not have to give treats OR hay at all! Many rabbits live to a ripe old age on just a good pellet. Wooled breeds or rabbits that molt heavily should rarely, if ever, be without a source of the long fibre so desperately needed to prevent a blockage! Treats that can be given are SMALL AMOUNTS of things like parsley (one of the very few truly 'safe' greens in plentiful amounts), berry vine tips and leaves, apple tree leaves/twigs, willow twigs/leaves, mulberry leaves, dark green vegetables and a wide variety of fruits. I do not recommend feeding those vegetables which are high in oxalic acid content such as spinach or rhubarb! Why are small amounts so important? Because the rabbit is starting with a well-balanced pellet and perhaps high-fibre/low-protein hay, you should strive to KEEP that diet as balanced as possible so that all nutritional needs are met in what the rabbit can and will consume on a daily basis. So treats are just that--things given in SMALL amounts, and not too frequently. Parsley is a very safe 'treat' to give for those rabbits inclined to beg; a sprig will make them quite happy without being so much as to unbalance the diet. HAY TYPES Hays come in several types, LEGUME, GRASS, and GRAIN. In general, grass and grain hays can be generously given provided the rabbit consumes its pelleted ration and maintains condition. Legume hays should be fed only sparingly and seldom, as they will easily upset the gut if given in quantity, as well as disrupt the balance of many elements in the diet. Timothy, brome, orchard, ryegrass, and fescue are all grass hays--they provide much fibre and not a lot of protein. They also tend to be lowish in calcium. Oats, wheat, barley and ryegrain hays are grain hays; they are higher in energy than the grass hays, since they are cut when the grains are in 'milk' stage and at their highest nutritional value. Pea, peanut, alfalfa, clover, and lespedeza hays are leguminous hays; they are cut at about 1/3 bloom stage and are extremely high in protein, calcium, and energy. Very potent and high in overall nutrition, many are used as a base for the rabbit pellets you feed. HOW DO I KNOW WHAT IS 'RIGHT'?? When you have a feeding regimen that works for you and your rabbits' well-being, you've got it right. :) There is no 'one true way' in rabbits--you have to do what works best for you and yours, while still being flexible enough to try something new if you think, based on experience and research, it might be of benefit. Hope that helps!! Pamela Alley, RVT RNRQ@cncnet.com

Wanda Twellman <lazyt@nothnbut.net>

Subject: Re: Re: DO NOT FEED RABBITS PELLETS???

Romaine lettuce isn't too bad.  Head lettuce is the big problem as it's like 90 something % water and NO nutrition.  It can cause diarrhea and other intestinal upsets.  Rabbit nutritional requirements have been carefully studied for years and the pelleted feed that is now available has been carefully prepared to fit those requirements.  A steady diet of rabbit pellets certainly won't hurt a rabbit in the least bit.  But many of us also feed treats including fruit.

Let's see, apple slices, pear, plum, peach, slices are all fine.  Just don't give them the seeds as they contain cyanoginic compounds which are the base of the poison cyanide.  Grapes are a favorite treat.  Slices of carrots, sweet potatoes, green peppers, squash, broccoli, the leafy part of celery, stuff like that is fine.  Some rabbits will happily eat fruits like oranges or grapefruit or even ripe tomatoes but many won't because of the high content of citric acid.  But remember that the tomato is a member of the poisonous nightshade family and green tomatoes, tomato leaves and stems are poisonous so don't give those as snacks.  (Frying green tomatoes destroys the poison in them so they are safe to eat.) The potato plant also belongs to the night shade family so no green potatoes or leaves or stems.  Spinach and cabbage in limited quantities

are O.K. but they contain oxalic acid that are extremely sharp crystals which, in excess, can damage the mouth and intestinal tract of a rabbit. Cabbage and cauliflower can cause gas in a rabbits digestive system which can make them uncomfortable.  Blackberry leaves and stems, raspberry leaves and stems, rose leaves and stems and petals are good too.  Down here where I live, when I moved in, wild roses were a real big problem.  Now, 6 years later, I don't have a

single wild rose plant on my place.  I've trimmed them all down so much to feed to my rabbits for snacks that I got rid of them all.  Now I'm working on cleaning my neighbors yards out for them.  Rose hips are safe for them too. Weeds like dandelions, comfy, plantain are all safe as well as long as you don't use weed killer around them.  Many of your mint plants can also make good treats but not all rabbits will eat them.  There are plenty of sites on-line that will tell you stuff that you can safely give your rabbits for treats.  Just remember to not give them to a rabbit in excess or you'll give it a belly ache. -Wanda Twellman

Sorry I should have thought to explain myself better. I'm not going to give out my personal variation, becasuse I'm still perfecting it. Basically, the Purina plan was as follows- all rabbits get 5 oz of pellets. They are weighed weekly. If they are overweight, they get a red clothes pin attached to their cage. That means they get 4 oz of pellets until they are back to target weight. Then they go back to 5 oz. Also, if a rabbit is underweight, they put a green clothespin on the cage. That means they get 6 oz of food. They get that til they get back to target weight. I hope I remembered that correctly. They also had a very complicated plan for feeding during kindling, nursing, and weaning. I didn't take written notes, so I won't attempt to go over that. I believe this was from the video for sale from ARBA, so if you folks want to check it out, it's got lots of good basic information and two of the hardest working guys to ever put a rabbit video together. Hope that answers the questions for everyone.Tim