Frequently Asked Questions - Alpacas

To add a new Alpacas are members of the camelid family. The camels, that most people are familiar with are from Northern Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China and Tibet. However, there are four other camelids without "humps" that are indigenous to South America: two of them, llama and alpacas have been domesticated for thousands of years; where as the other two varieties, guanacos and vicunas, continue to roam in wild herds today.

The alpaca comes in two breed-types: huacayas (pronounced wah-Ki-ah) and suri (SOO-ree). Huacayas, the more common type, account for about 90% of all alpacas, and have fluffy, crimpy fleece that gives the animals a teddy bear-like appearance. Suris, on the other hand, grow silky, lustrous fleece that drapes gracefully in beautiful pencil-locks.question go to app settings and press "Manage Questions" button.

People often confuse alpacas with llamas. While closely related, llamas and alpacas are distinctly different animals. First, llamas are much larger, about twice the size of an alpaca, with an average weight of 250 to 400 pounds, compared to an alpaca whose weight averages 100 to 200 pounds. Llamas are primarily used for packing and guarding herds of sheep or alpacas, whereas alpacas are primarily raised for their soft luxurious fiber.

Generally around 15 to 20 years. The longest documented lifespan of an alpaca is 27 years.

No----- they are safe and pleasant to be around. They do not bite or butt and do not have sharp teeth, horns, hooves, or claws as do some other types of livestock. they move gracefully and adroitly about the field and are therefore unlikely to run into or over anyone, even small children. Occasionally, an alpaca will reflexively kick with its hind legs, especially if touched from the rear, but the soft padded feet usually do little more than just "get your attention".

Since alpacas have been raised as domestic livestock for thousands of years and since the end product is their fleece, like sheep, they are classified as livestock by both the U.S. and Canadian federal governments.

Alpacas are very quiet, docile animals that generally make a minimal amount of sound. They generally make a pleasant humming sound as a means of communication or to express concern or stress. Occasionally you will hear a shrill sound, called an "alarm call", which usually means they are frightened or angry with another alpaca. Male alpacas also "serenade" females during breeding with a guttural, throaty sound called "ogling".

All members of the camel family use spitting as means of negative communication. They do get possessive around food, and thus may express annoyance by spitting at other alpacas that they perceive are encroaching on "their" food. Also, they spit at one another during squabbles within the herd (usually involving two or more males). From time to time alpacas spit at people on purpose, but it is more common that humans get caught in the cross-fire between alpacas, so it's best to study their behavior and learn to avoid the most vulnerable situations.

Females become sexually mature at around 18 to 24 months of age and once they reach 90 - 100 pounds in weight. Males can display sexual interest from a few weeks of age but are not sexually active or fertile until 18 months to 3 years of age. (There will be individual animals that fall outside these age ranges.)

Alpacas do not have a breeding season and provided they are receptive, females can be mated at anytime of the year. Like rabbits and cats, female alpacas are "induced ovulators" which means it is the act of mating that causes them to ovulate.

Alpacas mate in the "cush" (prone) position and if a female is not receptive (already pregnant) she will refuse to go down and probable will spit at the male. This rejection response, known as a "spit-off", is used in the management of the female to regularly monitor the progress of the pregnancy.

The average gestation period is 11.5 months, but some pregnancies that go over a year are not uncommon. Births are generally trouble-free and most occur before the middle of the day. Crias (baby alpacas) should be 12-20 pounds at birth and most will be on their feet and nursing within 1 to 3 hours. The mothers will become very protective and the cria will stay with its mother until weaning at 4 to 6 months of age.