Sad news about Preston the alpaca

[seminolewind]

You are a lucky girl! I love them too.

 

[Sebrightmom]

Thank you. I am lucky to have a mother like I do. Without her I would not have him.

 

[scarter]

I'm glad that someone else suggested getting him a buddy. You really do need two for them to be happy. Also I guess you read this but unless you want babies every 12-13 months don't get a female. And if you do have babies make for certain that he has good conformation and blood lines. Is he registered? You can get help with this through the International Lama Registry. You need a guelded male for all to be happy at your household if he is still intact. Is this guy young? You should look into beserk male syndrome and study up on it if so. They need to know their boundries for you to love him later on and for your son to be safe. Storey's carries a good book for caring for llamas I'm sure there are good aplaca books out there. I know that llamas don't have to have grain but we have to feed area specific minerals that our vet makes up for us. Pasture grass during the growing season and hay grass during the winter makes for a nice healthy lama. We feed ours apple horse treats broken up occasionally. I hope you have fun with your guy. We just kept my friends children for the weekend and our kids and their kids did "shows" all weekend with obsticles and had the best time in the paddock area with our llamas. I would have made them leave the llamas alone but when they unhaltered them the llamas followed them almost begging for more!

Do you know that you need to deworm him regularly? Look into meningeal worms. You need to have a good regular program in place or you will have huge costly problems. We use Ivomectrin for cattle and inject on the first of the month until they aren't eating grass anymore and then use another product for winter.

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

I don't know if this is of any real help to you, might all be info you already have.....BUT.....
Around here at the local "Fleet Farm" and "Farm and Fleet" stores they sell llama food and milk replacer for the babies...It's actually the same for sheep...Llamas sheep and alpaca's all require the same thing in the feed...No Copper.....They also have mineral blocks for them.
You can use a horse dewormer for the alpacas and llamas. It will help with the brain worms they can get..(mangial worm-sp??) From what I was told you don't need to do monthly unless you have a larger deer population around you...Most people I have talked to worm quarterly or bi-annually.
They have fighting teeth that should be trimmed if not already done(we never trimmed ours though and have had NO problems yet). The females take 11-12 months for gestation. Don't go into first heat cycle until around 18 months. Males are usually mature at the same age...(those dates are not a FORSURE thing, just what I have read and been told--Nature might have it's own agenda). Hoof trimming needs to be done...If you have a rocky area or set things up for them to naturally trim there feed you shouldn't have to do it as often. Then the shearing....So many things can be done with the fiber....the possiblities are endless....
I have been told that if you have a male and don't plan to breed to fix him as around 2 years old or so(when mature) they can become dangerously mean. They no longer look at you as there caretaker, but instead as either a threat or even as a possible mate...

. So the once nice and gental pet he was can become mean and pushy.

I personally don't have alpacas (can't afford to hardly look at them....

) but we do have llama's. And I know the care and stuff is almost exactly the same....
Best of luck with your alpaca...
Shawna

 

[scarter]

I think you should make a good plan with your vet. If you have any deer population at all where you live you run the risk of meningeal worms. They incubate in the spine and cause parylization. Good to get your vets dewormer plan for your area. There are several wormers on the market to use and rotate as to not cause resistance. Also, about horse wormers, llamas are ruminates so you need to go with cow vaccines. Funny that they sell salt licks for llamas. llamas don't lick they slurp. That is so funny to me.

 

[monarc23]

yay for your new buddie

but i want to suggest something, dont house him with your goats. goats are stinkers and will eat and rip pout your alpacas wool if they get bored. Goats in the past butchered my horses tail numerous times.

 

[Chirpy]

I'm so happy for you! Alpacas and llamas are wonderful!

I raise llamas, my neighbor has a huge Alpaca ranch. You've gotten lots of great advice here but I did see one thing that I wanted to mention.

Llamas can make great guard animals. Alpacas are not guard animals, they need guarding. Alpaca ranches often use llamas to guard their alpacas.

Enjoy your new boy, get him an alpaca friend as soon as you can and have him castrated if he isn't already.

 

[Sebrightmom]

Thanks for information. The more I learn the more I wonder what I got myself into. It seems that I am doing everything wrong. How much are you suppose to feed them? I have asked several different people. They tell me what I am suppose to feed, but not how much. I have been looking for him a friend, but can't find any that I can afford.

We do have deer where I live but not a lot. What is the best thing to give him to worm him?

He is registered and still a real man.

I guess I will have to gelded him, if I want to keep him a pet.

I can't find any grain and minerals for him. Everyone says they can order it, but it will take a week to get it in. I have been giving him my goat grain right now.

I don't have grass hay, but I am trying to get some. We have our own hay field but it is pure alfalfa.

One thing I am starting to understand that alpacas are a lot harder than horses and goats.

 

[scarter]

He needs straight pasture grass right now. You don't have to give him anything else but minerals right now. Then I know llamas eat about a bale of hay a week give or take a little for winter. You will need to weigh him and give him a body condition check on him periodically to see how he is fairing. I wish I was more up on alpacas for you but if you check the pelvic area do not think he is starving. It is supposed to be bony there. If it isn't he is too fat. I know also with llamas if their legs are brushing (not the fiber) then they need to diet.

http://www.wisconsinorgle.org/page.asp?nid=126&pid=35 this might help you some. On the right hand side there is a download called something like recommended practices for llamas and alpacas. In that download there is also some websites that can help you out as well. You will get it soon. Right now your main goal probably should be getting a buddy to teach him how to act so you won't have a problem animal on your hand in 6 months and so he won't be miserable and lonely and then a plan of action on your vet practices.

In all the information I just wanted to make sure that you know that lama with one L includes the alpacas so you can look for information under those headings too.

 

[Chirpy]

I don't ever give my gelded llama grain. (Unless it's for a special treat.) I only give my females extra feed (other than hay) when they are pregnant or nursing. Otherwise they all only get pasture grass during the summer months and grass hay during the winter. A fat alpaca is never good and is actually worse then a slightly skinny alpaca. The best way to tell if a llama or alpaca is over or under weight is to feel along their spine. If you feel a fatty bulge around the spine, they are overweight. If the spine is bony and standing out (so to speak) they are too skinny. It's kinda hard to do since their fleece is so poofy but after you've done it a few times you can just feel the differences and know how they are doing.

I suggest one flake of hay, per day, for each alpaca/llama. I divide that up between morning and evening feedings. Possibly more during real cold weather. You need to watch them all the time to make sure they are getting enough but not overfeeding. If you feed them in the morning and the hay is still there in the afternoon, they are getting too much. If you feed them in the morning and they inhale the hay, you probably need to add a little more.

They are like most animals. Some are easy keepers, some are not. I have one fat cow of a llama that came to me that way and I can't get the weight off her no matter what I do. She throws the nicest crias I get though. It's far easier to put weight on them than to take it off.

I use horse mineral licks for my llamas, my neighbor uses an expensive (but great) loose mineral for her alpacas.