SO WHAT'S IT TAKE TO OWN ALPACAS?

Here are some basic tips for happy Alpacas

Alpacas are herd animals and should NEVER live on their own. For the welfare of the Alpaca they do better with at least one other Alpaca or even better three or more. Putting an alpaca in with other livestock and thinking it will be happy enough isn't in the best interest of the Alpaca. They are also LIVESTOCK and don't belong in a city backyard or apartment and taken on walks like the family dog. To own Livestock in Australia you are required to apply for a Property Identification Number, which is available from your states Agriculture and Primary Producers Office.

• Alpacas should always live in same sex groups ie: all females or all males - never leave an entire male with females (unless you have a large herd of females and a large paddock and your doing paddock matings - and this should have a time limit on it ie: a month then remove the male) Llamas & Alpacas breed like no other livestock - The anatomy of an entire male Llama or Alpaca is different to other species where the tip of their penis is a hard and cartilaginous tip, this penetrates into the uterus during coitus. During intercourse the corkscrew penis rakes the lining of the tract opening the vagina to infection. And in the case of an already pregnant female penile penetration into the uterus can cause her to abort. Here on our farm our entire males have their own paddocks along side each other for company and we do controlled matings. Entire Males left with other livestock such as sheep or goats can and will also mount them - causing injury and in extreme cases death to the other livestock. The same can be said for putting an entire male in with wethers. Please also keep in mind some wethers can also continue to 'mount'. If you have just a few females and you wish to explore the option of breeding we recommend getting in touch with a larger breeder and doing outside matings - these often come with live cria guarantees if purchasing matings from a reputable breeder. Just remember just because you don't see any bad behaviour during the day from your entire male - doesn't mean it isn't going on at night.....

• NEVER purchase a 'baby cria' - as cute as these guys are they need to remain with their mothers and herd for a minimum of 4 months but no longer than 6 months then be weaned... The exception to this would be when a mother cannot feed her cria on her own for health reasons or dies unexpectedly and the cria needs to be bottle raised.. Even a bottle raised cria should always where possible remain with its herd. Cria should NEVER to over handled by humans (google Berserk syndrome in Llamas and Alpacas to see why)

• Alpacas require annual shearing here in Australia - generally mid to end of spring just before the summer months - it's always a good idea to book your shearer in as soon as possible to ensure you don't miss out as most shearers travel throughout states shearing as they go - if your unsure if there are shearers in your area or when they are travelling through you can contact larger breeders in your area or head to the Australian Alpaca Association where you can find a list of shearers for each state. During shearing you can also have toenails, and vaccinations done - just ask your shearer if they offer this service (most do).

• Get your animals in a catch pen as often as possible to conduct health checks these include - body condition scoring Body Score Check Chart, you cannot tell the condition of an alpaca in full fleece just by looking at it - you need to run your hands over the body to assess, Check ears for grass seed, look at toe nails - if overly long cut them - check mouth for abscess and dental issues, check eyes are clear and no injuries (this is something you should look at each day when checking your animals) check for mite or lice evidence. Check colour of gums and inner eyelids - they should be a nice pink color if pale or white its an indicator they may have worm burden - if this is the case get a FEC completed at your vet asap to see what your dealing with - Alpaca and Llamas can go down pretty quickly from Worm Burden - DON'T WILLY NILLY WORM for the sake of it - Do FEC's as often as you can - we do ours individually at least every three months by sending it off to places like Worm Check Australia and then treat as required. You do not want to build resistance to your treatments.

• Every 6 months Alpacas also need their annual vaccination - this is usually UltraVac 5in1 - ADE & Cophos - depending on where you live in Australia ADE should be given more often in cold wet areas - Alpacas require higher levels of Vit D - chat to your local breeder or a vet versed in Alpaca Husbandry. We also administer TNN Might Minerals TNN Australia this product is in our opinion excellent in supplementing our alpacas with their mineral needs. It also is a great tonic if you have a 'flat alpaca'.

• A good idea is to also have a catch pen with a roof overtop and if you can a couple of walls to shelter from wind & rain this is also somewhere the animals can be penned when needed to do husbandry or vet visits - have the animals food served in this area to encourage them to use it - keep their hay nice and dry in this area also.

• Alpacas require Ad-lib hay such as Oaten, Barley or Lucerne as well as decent pasture to graze - some breeders also offer hard feed to their alpacas such as lupins or alpaca pellets - its a good idea to talk to other breeders and work out what works best for you and your situation.

• Book into any local Alpaca Workshops being held in your area - these are a wealth of information often run by experienced Alpaca Breeders there is also lots of information on the Australian Alpaca Association website.

• If wanting to buy Alpacas we highly recommend visiting as many Alpaca Farms as you can - many breeders are more than happy to share their knowledge on Alpaca ownership and in most cases if you purchase from these breeders they are there to assist you long after the sale - unlike the dodgy seller on Gumtree looking to make a quick dollar.

Alpacas are truly unique animals they deserve to live in a stress free Environment & handled with Respect, Patience & Care