Keeping Alpacas

Health & Husbandry

As alpacas are preyed upon in their natural environment, they are very stoic and hardy animals, rarely showing illness until it is serious; for this reason, it is important to know your animals when they are well, so that you can more quickly spot any changes in their behaviour. Alpacas should be checked twice a day – turn over a bucket, take a seat & some time out to relax with these beautiful, intelligent & calm creatures – you’ll be glad you did! Despite the list below, alpacas are relatively easy to care for!

Foot Care

Keep a regular check on toenails and trim as necessary to prevent discomfort for your alpacas. Each animal differs in its need for foot trimming so it is a good idea to check every 8 weeks. Alpacas have soft pads so are very gentle on the land.

Teeth

If the teeth protrude beyond the palate, it can be difficult for your alpaca to graze properly and the teeth will need trimming back; your vet can do this for you with clippers or dental wire or if the shearer is due, this is a task quite often done at shearing time.

Adult males have fighting teeth which need to be removed at around 4 years old to stop them injuring each other.

Abscesses are not uncommon in alpacas, so checking teeth regularly and watching for signs of ‘drooling’ is important.

Condition Scoring

It is a good idea to 'condition score' your alpacas once a month by feeling along the spine about 8 inches from the neck; if the spine feels sharp, your animal could be underweight and should be checked to find out the cause – it might be that teeth trimming or worming is needed, or just an extra ration of food away from the other animals.

If you can’t feel the spine very well, your animal might be overweight, which can cause problems with fertility or birthing and general fitness.

Vaccinations

Suggested clostridial vaccinations are Lambivac, Heptavac P, Ovivac or Ovivac P. Your vet will be able to help you decide which one to use, though none of these products are licensed for use with alpacas in the UK.

Cria should be vaccinated at 2 weeks and then 4 weeks with a 2ml dose of Lambivac, followed by an annual booster staring at 6 months.

Do not vaccinate a pregnant female within 1 month of her due date; the best time is when she is ‘open’ and just ahead of her next mating.

Worming

After checking faecal samples, your vet will advise which products to use; there are a variety of injections and drenches available, the choice of which and the dose will depend on local conditions and whether or not your alpacas are grazed alongside other animals.