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?? Frequently Asked Questions ??Overview Alpacas are friendly animals, calm, inquisitive and easy to care for. They prefer not to be cuddled or stroked though do enjoy human contact and will gather round whenever you enter the paddock. Like all animals, alpacas exhibit individual personalities with some being more confident than others. They are herd animals, requiring the companionship of their own kind and will become stressed if separated from their paddock mates. Their defense against attack by predators such as attacking dogs is to chase them away or run the animal down and stomp on it with their forelegs. However, alpacas have become the fatal victims of savage pig dog attacks so are still vulnerable. Generally, they only kick or spit if irritated or nervous, and mostly at each other! Alpacas do get used to family dogs and cats. Feeding Alpacas are ruminants and have a single stomach that is divided into three sections. Like cows, they chew a cud. Alpacas can be grazed on a variety of paddock grasses, however, high endophyte rye grass should be avoided if possible as alpacas can be susceptible to ryegrass staggers. Staggers can be easily treated but the animal is best removed from the rye grass during treatment. Some hay, baleage or lucerne during winter is advisable when grass is in short supply. Hay should be available all year round as it provides necessary roughage. It is wise to clear paddocks of noxious weeds (see below for toxic plants and trees) and nuisance grass such as barley grass. When the seed spikes of barely grass become dry and brittle they can easily penetrate their soft padded feet, fibre and ears. If not detected, the seed can pierce the alpaca’s skin and travel into the body of the animal, entering the blood stream and causing nasty infection. Alpaca pellets can be purchased through CRT and since most alpacas really enjoy them it gets them used to interacting with people. Don’t over feed pellets. A couple of handfuls a day is sufficient. They can be taught to eat out of your hand but begin with putting some pellets in a flat plastic dish. We use medium sized draining trays from pot planters. Toxic plants and trees Generally, toxic plants that affect other livestock will affect alpacas. It is therefore advisable to prevent access to the most common plants listed below.
Handling Alpacas are a manageable size, growing to about 1 metre at the shoulder and weighing up to 70kg at full size. They are naturally submissive – crooking an arm around the neck up near the head and placing the other hand firmly on the alpaca’s back holds them. It is not advisable to tap them on the rear end when rounding them up as this elicits a kicking reflex that can then become a bad habit. Maintenance Maintenance is minimal compared to nearly every other type of farm animal. Annual shearing, toe nail clipping two or three times a year, 5-in-1 vaccinations yearly and 2 or 3 A,D,E vitamin shots per year (depending on feed quality). A routine inspection is all that is normally required of the owner. They do not require crutching or tail docking and do not suffer from fly strike or foot rot. Shearing Alpacas are shorn once a year, usually in spring or early summer depending on your climate. Shearing is the biggest maintenance required and normally requires an alpaca shearer to come and do the job. The preferred method of shearing is to lay the animals on their side and restrain their legs with a tether at each end. This protects both the shearer and the alpaca from being accidentally injured. Shearing is a good time to trim toenails and give vaccinations. Contact your breeder for information on available shearers. Shelter Although they are happiest living outside in most weather conditions some form of tree shelter, barn or three-sided shed is a sensible precaution to provide protection in the worst weather and for shade in summer. They are not keen on rain or strong winds and while they can cope with some extremes fully fleeced, newly shorn this can become a real problem. Australia suffered many alpaca deaths in just such extremes where temperature between pre shearing and post shearing suddenly plummeted. Unlike sheep, alpacas have no lanoline in their fleece so cannot repel moisture in the same way. Fencing Fencing for normal stock is quite adequate for confining alpacas. They are generally placid and gentle, and do not try to escape unless under threat. They can jump with remarkable ease in these circumstances. Of course stud males, kept beside females, have a strong incentive to jump fences. Breeding Alpacas produce one cria (baby) every year. Pregnancy is 11.5 months and animals are usually mated two weeks after birth. Females are mated from 16 months to 2 years and will breed until they are 14 – 16 years old. Fibre Alpaca fibre has to be handled to really appreciate its qualities. The fibre is very fine and so has a wonderful silky feel to it. It comes in 22 different natural colours, is hard wearing, warmer than wool and yet lightweight. It washes easily and when wet it does not suffer that awful woolly smell.
Frequently Asked Questions Can we buy one alpaca? Alpacas are herd animals therefore cannot be kept on their own. Without other alpaca company they can fret and die. Prospective owners need to be prepared to purchase at least two animals so that they have the company of each other. The sex of the two animals is not relevant. Do they get on with other animals? Alpacas are often grazed with other animals. If running with different livestock they will pick up the internal parasites associated with the other animals and should be put on the same drenching regime. Because of the risk of the alpacas being kicked, caution should be used if running them with cattle or horses. Once accustomed to their new environment they will happily tolerate the pets of their owners. Not surprisingly there will be exceptions to this, particularly with aggressive dogs. Do they travel? They are content to travel though not so keen while being loaded. The usual way is to put them in an enclosed stock trailer, horse float etc where they will happily sit down and enjoy the journey. If using a stock trailer some protection from cold weather is advisable. We use a cover that fits over our trailer. Are alpacas dangerous? Alpacas have a wonderful nature. They are gentle, curious, placid creatures, are very easily trained to a halter and can be handled quite safely even by children. How much land do I need? Anyone with a couple of acres has enough land to keep alpacas. A stocking rate similar to sheep is a good guide. They have a very soft tread that ensures they do little damage to paddocks even in the wettest weather. Alpacas have communal dung heaps so parasite infection is not common, however, because this grass is very high in nitrogen they do not like eating it. What sounds do they make? They communicate constantly with each other by various means including body language. The sound most commonly heard by humans is a soft humming that they usually make when they are unsure of things. Alpacas make a shrill alarm call if threatened in any way.
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