A brief history of the Angora Rabbit

If you’ve dreamed of having your own small fiber farm, but don’t have the space—or the interest—in raising sheep, llamas, alpacas, yaks, or fiber goats, then Angora rabbits might just be the perfect fit for you. They’re friendly, easy to care for, and produce usable fiber year ’round. And if you wished for more rabbits…they can produce litters of 3-12 kits in as little as 28 days!

The Angora rabbit is one of the fluffiest, most enchanting creatures in the animal kingdom—and one of the oldest domestic rabbit breeds. At Wiggly Goat Farm, we’re lucky to have two delightful Angoras: Acorn, an adorable one-year-old French/English buck, and Buttercup, a beautiful three-year-old full French doe.

Originating in Ankara, Turkey (formerly known as Angora), these luxurious bunnies share their name with the Angora cat and Angora goat. In the mid-1700s, French royalty couldn’t resist their cloud-like coats, and soon, the Angora rabbit hopped its way across Europe, charming admirers wherever it went.

By the early 1900s, these fiber-rich rabbits had made their way to the United States, where they became prized for their incredibly soft, warm wool—known as Angora fiber. In fact, Angora fiber is said to be seven times warmer than sheep wool! It can be harvested through shearing, combing, or gentle plucking, making these rabbits a renewable source of natural luxury.

Angora Rabbit Care

We harvest Acorn and Buttercup’s fiber using the combing method about once a week (or whenever they seem to be shedding a lot), then blend it with llama, alpaca, and sheep wool to create unique skeins of hand-spun art yarn.

Although Acorn and Buttercup might dream of starting a fluffy little family of their own, we have no plans to breed them. For now, they are the best of friends—greeting each other with nose boops and bunny conversations through their enclosure—and meeting new (human) friends during each Barn Visit.