Suggestion - Angora rabbits

[LadyCricket]

So, one thing that annoys me about this game is that there's really no good reason to keep a rabbit hutch. Rabbit reproduction is stupid slow compared to chicken reproduction, so a chicken coop is the superior way to farm higher-quality meat and bones. However, simply speeding up rabbit repro would make it far too easy to farm furs. So, the solution I propose is to make rabbit farming more worth your while through a new product: angora wool.

In real life, angora "wool" is the fur of an angora rabbit, which depending on the breed either needs to be sheared or can be shed naturally. It's something of a luxury good, since it's second only to cashmere in fineness. Therefore, if the devs aren't going to speed up rabbit repro, I propose that they introduce angora rabbits to give us a different reason to farm rabbits. Here's how I propose they work:

Acquiring rabbits and wool

[*] Angora rabbits are never spawned in the wild, only born in rabbit hutches. A bunny rabbit born to two regular rabbits has a very small, let's say 2%, chance of being an angora rabbit. Baby angoras should be distinguishable from regular bunny rabbits from birth.
[*] If one parent is an angora and the other is normal, they have about a 40-50% chance of birthing another angora. If both parents are angora, all their offspring are also angora.
[*] Alternative: use Mendelian genetics. All bunny rabbits born in a hutch have a 1-2% chance of being born angora through mutation. When an angora breeds with a normal wild rabbit, the offspring are all normal rabbits but carry angora genes. When two normal rabbits carrying angora genes breed, 25% chance of angora. When an angora breeds with a carrier, 50% chance of angora. When two angoras breed, all offspring are angora.
[*] Other than the rules surrounding angora genetics, breeding angora rabbits works just like breeding normal rabbits. There's no change in gestation period, litter size, or the rules governing quality.
[*] Angora rabbits are shearable like sheep. When a rabbit is ready to be sheared, its sprite and model should change to make it look much more fluffy. Once sheared, the sprite and model change to make it look more like a normal rabbit, and the name on its tooltip changes to something like "sheared angora rabbit"
[*] Rabbits regrow their wool at a very slow rate; let's say one unit of wool per adult rabbit per week. Sorry, but it is a luxury good.
[*] Slaughtering an angora rabbit gives you all the same products as a normal rabbit. You get no additional wool from slaughtering an angora.


Uses for angora wool

[*] Use a spinning wheel to craft two units of angora wool into angora yarn. If you have one unit of angora wool and one unit of sheep's wool or mohair, you get regular or mohair yarn.
[*] Use a loom to craft 3 units of angora yarn into one unit of angora cloth. Angora cloth has a beautiful silver-white color, and this should show up in variable materials.
[*] Using one unit of angora wool at a loom gives you gauze that is identical to regular gauze.
[*] Angora wool can also be used in crafting recipes that require regular wool, like Wool Stuffing. If you don't want to waste your angora wool, get it out of your inventory before you begin crafting with other wool.
[*] Gear suggestion: 5 rabbit hides + 10 angora wool + 2 silk thread = Luxury Coat. Gives a +5 Charisma buff at base 10 quality, and can be gilded.
[*] Gilding suggestion: 4 angora wool + rabbit hide + bone glue = Bunny Poff. Gives agility and charisma.
[*] Curio suggestion: 3 Easter eggs + 5 angora wool + 2 rabbit hides + 2 string + 4 straw = Easter Bunny. (a rabbit doll holding a little basket with easter eggs in it)

Other

[*] When dropped into the overworld, an angora rabbit does not run away like a wild rabbit. They're domesticated, after all.
[*] Wild animals such as foxes react to angora rabbits the same way they do to normal rabbits. Basically, don't take them out of their hutch unless you're trading them.
[*] Potentially can be bred for better wool quantity and quality, like sheep.
[*] Allow players to name individual rabbits. In addition to letting you have your very own Bugs Bunny, this would help players keep track of their rabbit's breeding lines.

What do you think? I'm a relatively new player, and I'd appreciate if some more experienced players could help refine this idea and offer suggestions.

[shubla]

[*] Curio suggestion: Easter Bunny. (a rabbit doll holding a little basket with easter eggs in it)

That is a great idea.

[MinionTwo]

I LOVE this idea, but you forgot one item...

2 bunny fur + 2 strings = Bunny Fur Bikini!

[Avu]

I like it. Seeing how it's basically muuuuch harder to raise q and mass produce than silk I'd suggest the gildings afinities and chances are very very desirable to offset that. But I like it.

[Apocoreo]

Good suggestion, Could even have different breeding speeds for normal rabbits vs Angora. Faster for normal, we might start seeing cities have separate hutches for them.

[meowtits]

i love this!! would make rabbits so much more worth it for both hermits and villages

[Apocoreo]

Seeing how it's basically muuuuch harder to raise q and mass produce than silk.

I'd say it's easier to mass produce these for those with less time to play, but those with more can do silk easier than this.