We Love Camelids!

[littlesparrow11]

I don't know either, but I'll do my best to help if you want

Do you feed your llamas any treats (like carrots, apples etc.)? I've recently started introducing my girls to new foods, with mixed results

 

[Watermelon123]

I don't know. I think the teaching techniques will probably translate at any age, just might take more reps for the older ones who are set in their ways.

That is true. At least for mine.

Before I even started actuly showing I tried diffrent llamas. One of which was older and he did fine. Its just I didin't have the connection with him than I did with my Doc. In short, as long as the llama trusts you, you should be great.

Doc's Dad:


Doc a couple years ago:

And yes, we do have a thing for red heads

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I have given them some horse treats in the past but haven't with the newer ones. Gaining the trust is truly the hard part with older ones. I can halter them all and I am going to get my hubby to help me construct a kind of chute that I hope will allow me to work their feet. Some of them really need a trim and we have GOT to sheer this spring.

What do you guys do with your fiber after you sheer?

By the way, Doc and the girls are gorgeous!

 

[Watermelon123]

I have given them some horse treats in the past but haven't with the newer ones. Gaining the trust is truly the hard part with older ones. I can halter them all and I am going to get my hubby to help me construct a kind of chute that I hope will allow me to work their feet. Some of them really need a trim and we have GOT to sheer this spring.

What do you guys do with your fiber after you sheer?

By the way, Doc and the girls are gorgeous!

After I sheer I send the fiber to a small, family owned company that turns the fiber into roving and yarn. I then make stuff with it or sell it.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I need to find that around here. I know there are fiber artist close by. How on earth do you keep the fiber (on the llama) clean? We have 13 acres and they are into everything, rolling, rubbing and are covered with stuff.

 

[Watermelon123]

Before shows, I spend a good 2 hours brushing Doc. That's why he is so clean. I have no shute, so I have to tie him up. He has kicked at me but has never spat at me. But be prepared.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

OHHH, I have already had the full spit experience. I understand that they do it if they feel threatened or afraid but I have one girl who got all bent out of shape at me the other day and I have no idea why. I wasn't doing anything different than usual but she was not a happy camper. I am never really sure what to do when they do that. I know I don't want to back down, so I usually just try to stay put and take it so I don't reinforce bad behavior by leaving, which is what they want you to do.

I had a heck of a time when we got the first two and it took me a while to figure out why but here's the story:

We got Sonora & Ladyhawke first. We had them bred before we picked them up. They had been in a herd of about 50 plus or minus most of their lives. When we got them home, they spent a couple weeks stareing over the back fence at the cattle herd across the street. I coaxed them in with feed and now they almost trample me when it is feeding time.

Ladyhawke was VERY defensive and would spit frequently when I would get close to her. The breeder said this was unlike her, she had been a show llama, demonstrations, around kids, all kinds of stuff, so I thought I was really doing something wrong. I tried really hard not to crowd her and just spent a lot of time trying to be near her so she would accept me.

During this time, I began to notice odd things that she would do and I finally figured out that she has a vision issue. The breeder was unaware of this and I honestly think Ladyhawke was unaware she didn't see well until she was removed from the herd. She has adapted well and now has the pasture pretty well mapped out but will sometimes lose the other llamas if they walk off from her but she is able to rejoin the group, it just takes her some time.

After she had Denalli in the spring, she has calmed down a lot. I think her stress was a combination of losing her herd, being in a new location, realizing she couldn't see, being with a single llama who is very independent, and being pregnant and hormonal.

Now she is a total food hound but I can lead her about anywhere with a bucket of feed. When I halter her for a walk, she is a bit reluctant to go far from the others. That is something I want to work on with all of them when the weather warms. Hopefully next week.

 

[littlesparrow11]

We also send the fiber to a mill to be processed into yarn- keeping the alpacas clean before that is mostly just a "cross your fingers they don't roll in any mud" sort of deal! After shearing, I spend a good deal of time going through each fleece and picking out the hay/shaking out the dirt. The mill also washes the fiber before it is spun.

It sounds like you and Ladyhawke have come a long way together! If I'm ever getting spit at for seemingly no reason I also stand my ground, but also put up one hand in front of their face (like I'm stopping traffic) and say "No," which usually works.

 

[Tuhmu]

I actually just got my llamas a couple weeks ago, I have Lola and baby Ebony. I originally went up there to see Ebony but decided before I went up there, to get Lola who is about 6 months but then I saw the condition that Ebony was in and I couldn't leave her there. These pictures are from when I just got them home. Ebony had a real bad bacterial infection on her eye, a frozen or cut in half ear, was a bit runty (due to the previous owner starting to cut her back to on milk even though she's only 2 months old, AND they were giving her a 20 oz bottle of milk that had only three tablespoons of milk replacer in it. She of course didn't like the "flavored water" she was getting. Now she chugs the bottle and gets three of them (correct milk replacers / water ratio)

So I took her to the Vet asap, and that's when the vet said it was a bacterial infection on her eye, and I've been putting ointment on it. She turned into a little celebrity there, we were there for an hour or so and EVERYONE had to come back and see her and get their picture with her lol. She just ate up the attention, looking for a bottle on everyone.

In just the two weeks I've had her she's noticeably put on weight, seems shiny-er, and her wool is so nice and soft now. Plus her eye is all cleared up now! Though it looks like she is going to lose the top half of her ear.

She really is such a little sweety, and its been hard trying to just be the milk provider as recommended. To avoid crazy llama syndrome or whatever its called (beserk?) She's seemed to accept Lola as the parent and me as the food source..lol She does whatever Lola does, Lola scratches her head, Ebony does it too. Lola goes to eat hay, Ebony pretends to eat hay.

(she has started to eat a little hay and the llama pellets in addition to her three bottles, so that's a plus).

 

[littlesparrow11]

Oh my goodness

Those poor babies!! Boy are they lucky you got them out of there... Irresponsible owners/breeders like that should not be allowed to have animals.
Glad to hear that little Ebony is doing better now!