Are you a Star Trek fan looking for that perfect pet to express your appreciation of the show but don’t want to wait a few hundred Star Dates to go and get your own Tribble?  Fear not, help is at hand.  The Angora rabbit may not breed as quickly as a Tribble (they breed like, well, rabbits) but you may well have found the pet of your dreams.  Let’s face it, that Targ was always out of the question anyway.

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They may not have originated from the planet Iota Geminorum IV and they do not breed every twelve hours – in fact they have their origins in what is now modern day Turkey and although were not well known in places like the US until the early part of the last century they are one of the oldest domesticated rabbits known to mankind.  The Ankara part of Turkey has also produced the better known Angora goat and cat.  Of course the first thing that you notice about them is their wool and this is what made them popular in the first place.

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Like any secret, once it was out their spread was speedy.  They became popular with the French nobility of the eighteenth century who prized them for their long and gorgeous wool.  One can only imagine if a pet angora came to the mind of Marie Antoinette as she was walked to the guillotine.  Perhaps she had better things to think about at that exact moment in time but she will, throughout her life, have worn many precious garments made from the wool of this creature.  Not only does this rabbit look like a tribble but you get to have a jumper made out of its wool each year.

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The rabbits spread throughout Europe in the 1800s as a captive breeding animal with little or no thought to the possibility of it as a household pet.  However, their benign treatment was guaranteed – unless these animals are looked after with a lot of care and attention their wool will become tangled and useless.  When the owner is ready to take the wool it can be sheared or combed off.  It can even be plucked – which is a lot less painless than it actually sounds.

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Although they generally resemble large dusters the rabbits are quite gregarious.  They get used to human contact from a very early age and so won’t get upset when friends call and want to (inevitably) pet them.  Overall there are five recognized varieties, the largest by far being the ‘giant’ breed which (once again, inevitably) produce the most wool.  These boys are big.  The other breeds are the English (the smallest) the French (not as fluffy and rumored to look like rabbits), the German (large) and the Satin which produces the softest wool.  Phew.

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There are similarities to other fictional creatures as well as tribbles.  The mogwai, made famous in the film Gremlins, was never to come in to contact with water – the consequences were somewhat mind boggling.  While the angora will not start squealing and popping if you accidentally spill some water on it, to get them wet is really not a good idea.  The wool takes forever to get dry because it has sponge like properties.  Before anyone points this out, however, yes – they do drink the stuff and that is the exception when it comes to their proximity to water.

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Each rabbit needs to be brushed daily – and for about half an hour, so unless you have a large and willing family the number of angoras you can keep will be strictly limited to the number of hours available in a day.  There is a huge amount of work involved in this but the rewards are self evident.  You get a loving pet and a new cardigan every now and again.

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Although the French variety (above) looks most like a rabbit to human eyes it is often thought of as the cutest too.  The rabbits can pick up quite a lot of dust and dirt with all that wool so they are generally kept in cages with wire floors. This may sound a little cruel but they have such fluffy feet that it does not damage them in any way and means that their dropping can fall through on to a tray below and so not become entangled.

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A few gentle strokes before the wool comes off is usually a good idea.  Although the rabbits are usually fine with being shorn, it can be a little traumatic to a young rabbit having it done for the first time.  They can pick up quite a speed if they run off too!  If you are considering owning one of these little guys they are not made for bedsits – they need plenty of space in which to run around and frolic.

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Shearing is the usual option.  This lady in New Zealand is preparing to take the wool off the angora – and then it will be spun and used in a variety of garment.  Although the most usual way, there is off course the option of spinning the wool straight off the angora, as the lady below ably demonstrates.

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The clipping, shearing or plucking needs to be done at least four times a year, and although this is what the rabbits were originally bred for it is a byproduct of the grooming process.  So you can rest assured that you are not exploiting your little tribble in any way shape or form!