- Llamas and Alpacas A guide to Management
- Llama Keeping
- Alpaca Fleece what can you do with it?
An alpaca
(Vicugna pacos)
is a domesticated
species of South
American
camelid.
It resembles a small llama
in appearance.
While they can look formidable when first viewed, like a large sheep with extended neck the Alpaca is a quiet, timid animal.
They are known for their fleeces as high quality wool which commands a good price compared to sheep wool. If you ask someone about Alpacas the information they have is probably little. In fact they get mixed up with llamas the bigger animal.
The next point of note by the novice is the spitting reputation they have. I have seen little of that and perhaps there was some activity that prompted the spitting. I know of one alpaca that has spat on occasions but usually its because he has eaten food to fast and its got stuck in its throat.
If the ears are forward then the animal is not as comfortable as it should be,- ears back is a sign of contentment.
The books mentioned are on different aspects and all three would be a good collection for someone wanting to get to know the animal and its general up keep with a view to keeping them as pets or for stock.
Like most things prices are variable from young boys as £200 to mothers with Cria (young alpaca) at foot for several thousands. Despite the call years ago that prices would rocket, a mixture of supply (over 40,000) and lack of major new rearing businesses has meant prices are not as firm as expected. Breeding can result in more males than females and they can be surplus to requirements.
With a few acres the need for a lawnmover can be dropped, as a couple of boys can keep your grass trim. They are well behaved when it comes to toileting and they are a good guard to hens and small animals from predators.
It is well known that alpacas need to be housed together. It is not good for the animal to be living on its own. This results in sales of several animals rather than one at a time.
