2LearnVicugna pacos
Alpaca
The alpaca is a South American camelid domesticated from the vicuña and kept mainly for its fine fleece. Alpacas are gentle herd animals with soft padded feet that are light on the land. They live in groups and share communal dung piles.
Keeping
How it is kept
Kept for
- Fibre
- Temperament
- Gentle, shy and strongly herd-bound
- Mature weight
- 50–85 kg
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years
- Gestation
- 342 days
- Forage
- Efficient grazers that need good grass or hay, clean water and a mineral supplement made for camelids. They eat less than you might expect for their size.
- Housing
- A field shelter from wind and rain and secure fencing. Their shared dung piles make paddocks easy to keep clean.
- Good to know
- Alpacas should be kept in groups of at least three. They are shorn once a year and need their toenails trimmed regularly. Male youngsters should not be bottle-raised alone as pets, because they can become aggressive towards people as adults.
Breeds
Alpaca breeds
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