Some alpaca questions..

[ChocolateGal]

Ok, our neighbours are really nice, but their alpacas are way overdue to be shaun, (i can't spell it right). Their fur is thick and notty and i can see they get really overheated this season, especially the bubs, who are one yr old and aren't used to this heat. She says they need to be shaun soon, but haven't got around to it.

I've been waiting now for ages and i'm starting to see them suffer. It awful, is there any way do you think that i can cool them down. I am reletively friends with them as i sometimes feed them in the paddock, but they do get scared of a lot of things.

Their toe- nails are also grows excessivly no so they shoot outwards. I'm very frightened if they get hurt by them. I'm not seeing any pain right now, but i suppose that'll all come down to the shearing.

And also, the babies are boys are one is very, very hormonal. It's quite sad when he does the whole big boy thing, but he doesn't know how to stop. The other little boy is often pushed to the ground and i'm usually pushing the hormonal one off. Usually this little boy is very sweet and kind, but sometimes he get's into little rages, biting not only the other baby alpaca, but his own mum and other alpacas. What can i do. Do i just wait until their shaun so they can be desexed.

And the other baby alpaca who is getting abused called Spot, is very submissive and i'm scared that one day he'll leave the pack and get killed but a dog of something. Is there anything i can do to get him more positive. He does like a pat once in a while, but he runs away alot from people and i can see he is very upset.

Humm..

Thankies
Choco

[Cecelia]

Thanks so much for caring about these alpacas.

Cooling them off is prety tricky especially if they are not shorn. A lot of llamas and alpacas are scared of water so hosing them off is sometimes difficult. If you have a hose nearby try to get them used to the sound of the water and after a while make it so it mists their legs. After they are used to that ( which for most alpacas takes a while) you can spray their legs and bellies lightly. NEVER spray them on their backs or necks that just makes them trap heat in and destroys the purpose of spraying them off.What has the average temperature been lately? What type of shelter do they have? If they have a loafing shed or barn then ask their neighbors about purchasing fans for them. They normally take great comfort in kushing(lying down) beside fans. Most alpacas take a great while to get to know somebody so congrats on making the first steps Shearing will be very good for them though but probably quite difficult with all the mats and such.I don't really know what you can do about their toenails. They are actually really easy to cut if the alpaca is holding still which quite frankly normally doesn't happen....... Do you know of anybody in your area that has an alpaca farm or has had experience with llamas or alpacas? If so then encourage your neighbors to ask them for help with their toenails. I have found most llama and alpaca people to be very friendly and helpful.
When the boys play how does the one on the bottom usually react? A lot of alpaca crias play is really rough. How old is the agressive one? Alpacas normally get gelded at around 2 years of age but should be removed from all females around the age of 6 months. Are they fenced in at all? I'm just full of questions. Thanks again for caring about these wonderful guys and gals. Please keep us updated and feel free to ask any questions


Cecelia~thellamallady~

[ChocolateGal]

Thanks Ceceila, I think i'm going to go with the mist idea to cool them down, cause they don't like going into their shed and the just sleep at the top of their hill.

Their aren't many alpaca people around to see for their toe-nail problem but the closest is the shearers, so i'll just have to wait.

The abused alpaca just acts like he's givin up. He cries. The aggressive one is just over 1 yr, but he's to small to ... *mate* with the older alpacas. They usually just spit at him and then he gets frightened. They are fenced in but they do have a very wide area.

Thanks!
Choco

[Cecelia]

Good tell me how it goes. I haven't actually tried it before but some of my friends have with their llamas and alpacas.

A year is plenty old enough for him to be able to mate with them. I just hope they continue to spit him off so he doesn't get too cocky. lol

I'll pray for you, Cecelia~thellamallady~