Alpacas are probably one of the easiest pasture animals to look after and we have friends who keep a couple of neutered males which have no extra care whatsoever. Having said that, there are some simple procedures which will help ensure that your alpacas are kept in in the peak of fitness and which are important if you want to breed or show alpacas.
Many alpaca owners offer basic training in the care of alpacas and the British Alpaca Society offers training courses in a variety aspects of alpaca husbandry. If you buy any alpacas from us, we will stay in touch and be at the end of the phone for any questions or problems. If required we will be happy to visit you to ensure everything goes smoothly if you are taking on alpacas for the first time
Huaycaya alpacas do need shearing once a year, otherwise their fleece gets too long and they may be too hot in the summer. Shearing them is a little different from shearing sheep as they are somewhat larger so we would recommend a specialist shearer. There are now quite a number of shearers and we will be pleased to recommend some that we know handle alpacas carefully.
They occasionally need their toenails cutting, especially if they stay on grass the whole time. This is not a difficult procedure but you may need some help from someone more experienced a first couple of times.
It is also an idea to get them vaccinated regularly. We would recommend three types of vaccine: Firstly for general pasture animals such as Heptomax (annual). Secondly a vaccination against blue tongue (annual). Although there have been no incidences of this in the UK, they can contract it. Finally we suggest you give them a vaccination aganist worms and other infestations such as ivermectin.
They are pretty hardy and will stay outside in virtually all weather, but a shelter is a good idea, if only so that you can check them over in the dry! They can sometimes get foot rot or diarrhoea in very wet weather - a well drained area within the paddock will help avoid this.
They can be prone to infestations of mites. These are not life threatening but they can lose hair over parts of their body and look a bit moth eaten! We have tried various remedies including ones from the vet such as Ivermectin and various herbal remedies such as aloe vera and calendula. We find the best solution a herbal remedy called neem from India - we purchase special oil - 'Stop-it-all' from Karen Ruggles.