Alpacas are easy to take care of but remember that they do need attention. Here are some things you need to keep in mind.

• Females and males need to be kept separate. You want to be able to select the sire of the offspring and you want to be able to know when you can expect the new cria. Depending on the weather location of the farm, certain months of the year should be avoided to prevent harsh winter or summer environments for the young cria.

• Alpacas do not eat much feed, about as much as a dog, however they enjoy snacking on grass out of a pasture and in the form of hay. They are rather picky in what they eat but there are several types of forage that are harmful to them, such as red clover and buttercup. It is recommended that orchard grass with a small amount of alfalfa be the animals' only options for consumption.

• Alpacas are susceptible to heat in the summer months. They need access to shade and fans. Depending ont he severity of the heat other options should be applied as well. We use a type of mister in order to keep their body temperature down. Alpacas love getting their bodies (not heads) sprayed down with a hose too.

• Vaccinations and worming medications are needed occasionally.

• Other body “maintenance” is required from time to time, such as getting their fleece sheared, grinding their teeth, and trimming their nails.

• Alpacas are clean animals and poop only in certain places. They do not leave their droppings scattered throughout pastures like most animals and do not graze where they poop either. In order to keep their areas clean and parasite free, we suggest either raking or vacuuming (yes vacuuming) their poop at least once a day.

• Alpacas do not test fences. Herdsires will lean against them in order to show off to the females but other than that, the only purpose of fencing is to keep predators out. The fence surrounding the animals should have a close wiring pattern, as seen in the above picture, and should go all the way down to the ground. Alpacas can not defend themselves very well and every possible way of keeping them safe should be explored.

If you have any questions or would like help in designing an alpaca area, just contact us.