So you have caught the alpaca bug and you would like to find out if buying alpacas is right for you?
Look no further, here are the basic considerations for alpaca keeping and ownership.
Space
A minimum of 1 acre of well drained pasture (with a mixture of grasses) per 3-5 alpacas, a basic stock fence, shelter, and ideally more space to rotate and rest pasture.
Plan
Why are you wishing to keep alpacas? Are you buying alpacas for a business venture, flock guardians, fibre producers, public attraction or just looking for some very special pets? This will be useful when deciding on you first purchases such as age, breeding status, type (suri or huacaya) handling and training. Remember alpacas need to be kept in single sex groups of 3 or more for welfare reasons (they are herd animals and rotational sleepers). If you have mixed ideas, we advise starting with a group of 3 gelded boys.
Housing
A three-sided light and airy shelter facing away from prevailing winds with enough space for alpacas to distance from each other. They don’t like dark spaces or small doorways, so large doorways and clear roof panels are ideal. They don’t need shutting in each night but do require continuous access to shelter. Ensure a small catch pen adjacent to shelter for handling and husbandry is available and feed them in there daily. Consider vehicle access and water points.
Budget
What quality of pedigree alpaca can you afford and can you afford to maintain your alpacas’ health with minerals, vet fees, correct camelid feed, medications, good quality hay and of course your time.
Basic Husbandry
Can you provide continuous access to clean water, fresh hay and shelter, twice daily checks, mineral supplementation, access to good grazing, 3 monthly toe nail trimming, weekly body condition scoring, regular paddock cleaning and maintenance, regular faecal testing for parasites, 6 weekly Vitamin D supplementation over winter, vaccinations and annual shearing?
Safety
Check for poisonous plants, avoid barbed wire and electric fencing, public footpath safety (eg dogs, public), bio security (eg from wildlife and other livestock), keep other animal feeds out of reach.
Purchase Agreement
Ideally purchase from a reputable alpaca breeder who have registered their alpacas with the BAS and who offer an after sales support package.
What We Offer
Cadbury Alpacas currently have pedigree registered suri and huacaya alpacas for sale.
We will ensure they arrive fully vaccinated, wormed, halter trained, and provide a vet certificate of health. We will offer ongoing support answering any husbandry questions, and always happy to offer welfare advice. We strongly recommend prospective and new owners attend a BAS affiliated husbandry course and we are accredited to provide these as well. Click here to book or contact us directly.
We will safely deliver your alpacas to you for free to Bristol and North Somerset, mileage chargeable beyond.
Final health warning – please be advised alpacas are highly additive and your life may change forever…don’t say we didn’t warn you!!
Links
Please consider joining the British Alpaca Society.
There are also lots of useful husbandry sheets on their website here.
Here is a link to some of our alpacas for sale – but please get in touch as we usually have more for sale than are advertised.