Pets That Give Back

What do you do, when you live in town but desperately want to raise some sort of fiber pet to appease your fiber cravings?  Get Angora rabbits!

We have been raising Angoras for about 3 years now. They are by far the best pets we have ever had. They are quiet, cuddly, and easy to clean up after.

There are different breeds within the Angora breed. Germans, German Giants, French, Satin, and English.  I started off with a German/French Hybrid, then acquired an English. English wasn't the right breed for me, so from there I got a French.  German/French hybrids are nice, and I love them.  But after I felt a 100% German, and learned that they give up to 5 POUNDS of fiber a year, my heart was stolen.

Did you know, that Angora fiber is 7 times warmer than wool and has a micron count of 10-13? That means it is incredibly soft.  Another great interesting fact is that angora fiber doesn't need to be washed. Rabbits are surprisingly clean animals. 


Every 90 days, angora rabbits are ready to "blow" their coats, or be sheared. When a rabbit starts to blow it's coat, it means it's time to pluck their hair. Plucking doesn't hurt them.  Like a dog sheds it's coat, so does certain breeds of angoras.  A gentle pull, and the hair comes out easily.  


Angoras also come in a variety of colors. Which makes kindling time really fun! Peaking into a next box after kindling, is like opening up a box of jewels. You never know what you are going to find.  There are chocolates, blacks, whites, chinchilla, blue, lilac, fawn, red, chestnut, torts, and a mixture of these.  All of the different colors, means different colors to blend and play with. 


Angoras are truly the pets that give back. One rabbit, will give you not only gobs of fiber every 90 days, but you get wonderful fertilizer for your garden, meat (if you choose to butcher), and breeding them is easy so you get even more fiber and fertilizer from the babies. Occasionally we do run into other fiber artists who want to buy the babies too. That makes me happy knowing that I am helping spread the love for the craft of spinning. 




If you are a fiber artist who lives in city limits, and you desire to have some sort of fiber pet, try the angora! You will not be disappointed.

Madeline with one of our rabbits