My Pet Alpaca

First of all, FRESH clean water every day.  Alpacas are known not to drink stale water.
Alpacas are ruminants, so having pasture grass and/or a good supply of grass hay available is necessary.   Alpacas prefer to graze in an open pasture than to be closed in a stall.
A feed supplement called pellets is given to the animals daily to be sure they are getting the nutrients they need. The alpacas are given between one half and one cup per day depending on their needs. Males and weanlings receive one half a cup while females in the last half on pregnancy and lactating moms are given a full cup.
Granular mineral salts should be available to your alpacas.  Salt blocks are used successfully by some farms, but many alpacas will not lick a salt block. Because our soil is selenium deficient, we offer our animals a mineral salt with a high selenium content. Mineral salts can be purchased at farm supply stores.

What about CLEANING PASTURES?
Pastures should be cleaned every couple of days. This helps in lessening the spread of parasites. The alpacas are very helpful with this task since they have communal dung piles. These piles will be scattered in several places in the pasture.  You can even decide where you want a dung pile to be by placing some fresh droppings in a new spot.  This works well when opening up a new pasture.
Once the pastures are cleaned the ‘paca-poop makes great fertilizer. This fertilizer can be placed directly on plants because it is not "hot" and won't burn your plants.  ‘Paca-poop is coveted by gardeners and is often referred to as "black gold".
 

What kind of SHELTER do they require?
Alpacas require only a three sided shelter giving protection from the sun in the summer and wind in the winter.  Make sure you face it away from the wind.  Big fancy barns are more for the alpaca owner than the alpacas. Alpacas will spend most of their time outdoors.

What kind of FENCING do they require?
Fencing needs to be put up with the thought of keeping predators out more than to keep alpacas in.  Because alpacas can injure themselves by sticking their necks through holes in box wire fencing, five foot tall 2" X 4" no climb fence is recommended. It may be necessary to add hot wire to fences depending on the predators in your area.  Barbed wire should always be avoided. Alpacas have big beautiful eyes that are easily damaged on the barbs. Alpacas normally do not challenge fences.
 

What about VETERINARY CARE?
Alpacas should be wormed, vaccinated and have their toe nails trimmed. We do this every six months. Worming may be suggested more often in other parts of the country. You can also just have fresh poop taken to the vet and checked for worms for $5 or so.  Alpacas are very resilent.  Most of our injuries can be cared for right here at the ranch without a vet.  Most vets will give you advice over the phone so they don't have to be seen.
 
What is so Special about their FIBER?
Their fleece can sell for $2 to $4 an ounce depending on quality and how it's processed.  That's $300 to $500 an alpaca per year. Alpaca fiber is stronger and warmer than wool.  It lacks lanolin so it can be worn by those who are allergic to wool.  Alpaca garments are softer than cashmere, lightweight, come in 22 natural color, and are often seen around the world in the fashion industry. Alpaca fiber can be handspun, knitted, woven, or felted.

What about SHEARING?
Shearing needs to be done once a year. This is usually done in the spring before the hot weather. Shearing can be done by the farm or professional shearers can be hired to come to the ranch.  Be sure to call the shearers early if you take this approach.  You want to shear yourself, Gateway Farms Alpaca is the BEST website on blow by blow how to shear your alpaca.  His website is full of great information.  Pictured here his John Merrell of Gateway Farms Alpaca.  He came by this year when we ran into some trouble shearing and was fabulous. 

WHAT DO ALPACAS DO BESIDES GROW FIBER?
 They make excellent companion animals and are also show animals with high aesthetic appeal. They have lovable dispositions. Alpacas are easily trained to lead and are gentle enough to be handled by children. They are great for 4H.  They are always a hit in a parade.

ARE ALPACAS DANGEROUS?
Absolutely not! They are safe and pleasant to be around. They do not bite or butt and they do not have the teeth, horns, hooves, or claws to do serious injury. Alpacas are very intelligent, they can be trained to halter, load and unload in a trailer, and can be taught to perform simple tricks.

 Alpacas SPIT, don't they?
Spitting is perhaps the least endearing feature of alpacas. It is one of the few defense mechanisms an alpaca has and is quite an effective deterrent. The material is basically regurgitated or recently chewed grass and it brushes off when dry. It does have a distinctive and somewhat offensive odor and it is best to avoid being a target. However, it is quite rare that alpacas spit at people. It is normally used as a pecking order mechanism with other alpacas. If a human hit occurs, it is usually because the person has not read the signs properly when stepping between two squabbling alpacas.  If you are handling a difficult alpaca you can smell, hear and see the warnings that the alpaca is working up a spit. 

Can I run alpacas WITH OTHER LIVESTOCK?
Alpacas can bond well with other types of animals. Naturally, alpacas and large aggressive dogs are not a good combination, but there are many cases of quiet dogs mixing well with alpacas. Individual alpacas have been very successfully run with sheep and goats to act as fox guards. The alpacas tend to bond with the foster herd and they are naturally aggressive toward foxes. If running with different livestock, alpacas will pick up the internal parasites associated with the other animals and should be put on the same worming regime.
Because of the risk of the alpacas being kicked, caution should be used if running them with cattle, donkeys or horses.

HOW MUCH ACREAGE does it take to raise alpacas?
They are an ideal small acreage livestock. You can comfortable stock between five and ten animals per acre. This makes the alpaca ideal for people who have only a few acres. If you have poor grass conditions (lots of dirt and big weeds that block out thicker growth) you would stock 5 or less.  If you have lush, thick grass (such as bermuda grass) then you could stock up to the 10 alpacas.

A great website that is specifically about gelding alpacas is www.alpacageldings.org.  It is still under construction, but it already offers tons of information.