Frequently Asked Questions
We now have a new online booking system for our poplar Alpaca & Lama Experiences. Our experiences (Platinum, Gold or Silver options) are great for adults and children alike, providing a full experience during which you will really learn about and connect with these endearing animals and not just be given an animal at the end of a lead.
There are now two ways to book.
The first is by visiting our website farm page and clicking on the BOOK NOW button. This gives you access to our online booking system so you can make an instant booking without waiting for us to get back to you. You will be able to select your experience type, date and time of your visit. You can also use this link to purchase vouchers for family or friends and they will then have access to our online booking system when they redeem their voucher.
If you would rather not use the online booking system or you are after something tailor made, we are more than happy to discuss your needs and find a suitable date for your visit. Just get in touch via email or our online contact form and we will book you in. All you need to know about what our experiences involve can be found here. You can still book an experience voucher directly from our online shop either as a pdf file, or for a little extra we can post a voucher to the recipient with a free message. There is also an option to include gift wrap and a small gift. Please note that although these vouchers are not compatible with our online booking system, our online calendar is accessible and useful for all..
Yes, we are happy to ship all our products overseas (apart from our colostrum supplements). Just send us a message from our Contact Us page.
You may be subject to import taxes into your country so do take this into account when you purchase.
If you let us know the exact items you wish to purchase (a screenshot of you shopping cart will do) we will weigh and measure the parcel and do our best to obtain the most competitive quote for you.
You can then choose whether to pay extra for full insurance on your parcel. If it goes missing we will not be responsible for this and so we strongly advise you to pay a little extra for insurance.
We regrettably cannot accept returns from overseas due to customs and import taxes.
We feel 12 months is ample time to book to visit us and we advise on purchase, not to leave it until your voucher is about to expire before you book, to avoid disappointment. If you have had exceptional circumstances you may contact us directly BEFORE your voucher expires to discuss extending although an extension fee of £15 per person will be incurred and these are offered at our discretion because it reduces our capacity for new bookings and for those with in date vouchers. You will then be offered dates which fit into our existing bookings. Alternatively if you bring 2 or more full paying additional participating guests we will extend for free if availability allows.
We cannot indefinitely extend vouchers as we like to give a personal experience so do not have large groups or overwork our alpacas. Therefore we only have limited availability to visit each year. We also close when it is muddy over the winter for health and safety reasons, and these dates depend on the weather each year so bear this in mind so please book your date well in advance to avoid disappointment.
If you are considering alpaca ownership we can certainly help. We have registered alpacas for sale and we offer BAS accredited alpaca husbandry courses for new and prospective alpaca owners.
If you are interested in finding out more about keeping alpacas we have outlined the main considerations in our Buying Alpacas blog here
Yes we are fully insured to accept students from veterinary universities and are on Bristol University’s recommended placement list. We also accept animal care students from Weston College. We have a maximum of 3 students at one time. Cadbury Alpaca’s also welcome general volunteers. Find out more about being a volunteer on our alpaca farm.
Vet students and animal care students will learn about handling alpacas and llamas, parasite control including access to microscope and diagnosing internal parasites, pasture management, care of pregnant alpacas and newborn cria, alpaca nutrition, foot care, administration of medicines and how to identify and prevent illness in camelids as well as assisting with the fibre production side of our business.
Daily tasks might be feeding mineral supplements, topping up hay, cleaning water troughs, weighing cria (sometimes bottle feeding), paddock and shelter cleaning, halter training, assisting with alpaca experiences and guests, learning about alpaca fibre and helping with our products, weed control and assisting with any medical and health needs of individual animals.
We are on the X6 and X7 bus routes direct from Bristol city centre, and the Westlink bus service links Langford veterinary school and surrounding villages and ourselves.
If you would like to learn more about caring for alpacas please follow this link to the BAS for a series of short videos on caring for alpacas
If you are coming to help during the birthing season we ask that you watch this alpaca birthing webinar link from the Langford Large Animal Practice before your placement click here to access
And we ask all students to watch this webinar by the BAS alpaca welfare secretary on general alpaca husbandry before your placement click here to access
There are also several YouTube webinars by the BAS which are optional viewing if you are interested in camelid health and alpaca farming.
YouTube links for Webinars:
Andrea Turner, First Aid for Cria https://youtu.be/myeyRACOL3k
Libby Henson, Using the registry and App https://youtu.be/sas_w6IjEpA
Libby Henson Making Show Entries online https://youtu.be/IrvGFa8aldY
Mary Jo Smith, The new fleece judging system https://youtu.be/MgTfcwGFpu4
Sam Lane, Seed mixes and pasture management https://youtu.be/0MburIP0yKk
Dr Kylie Munyard, Colour genetics in alpacas https://youtu.be/ShuwaozkmBA
Victoria Barret, Camelidynamics https://youtu.be/lIeZEpK3fjg
Neil Payne, Diversification https://youtu.be/Xoph2hzXNsE
Paul Vallely, Fleece Analysis https://youtu.be/x61SOhudTMQ
Tim Hey, Preparing for Shows https://youtu.be/3piyyaokGHY
Sue Loach, Basic Husbandry https://youtu.be/V8h_ho9x2uI
Sarah Caldwell, Preparing for Birthing https://youtu.be/WcTeACCBsZI
Duncan Pullar, Estimated Breeding Values https://youtu.be/qnuHyMdjfBU
Kate Brookes, Make Alpacas your business https://youtu.be/wIwbJctTzPo
Ami Sawran, Alpaca Parasites https://youtu.be/ABab_fSXFGI
Ami Sawran, Injection techniques and medicine storage https://youtu.be/rwfk8bZObJ8
Wesley Habershon Nutrition https://youtu.be/1SQ_Ce0Lmlk
Lissie Gercke, Haemonchus In Alpacas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bSxZtAo6GY
Marty McGee Bennet How farm layout shapes camelid behaviour
Sarah Caldwell – preparing for birthing
A general link to further Langford Vets Farm Webinars is here
If you would like to learn more about camelids you can join the British Camelid Veterinary Society here which is free for vet students.
There are lots of useful resources and tutorials such as toenail trimming, body condition scoring, cria feeding on the UK alpaca vet website here
Good reference book for vets:
Glovebox Guide to Alpacas by Jane Vaughan
What to bring? We advise suncream/hat and insect protection as required, waterproofs/overalls, sturdy boots, packed lunch and water bottle and gardening gloves.
All our alpacas have incredible personalities so be warned – they are highly addictive!
Here are some further resources for students and our herd health plan. We can go through these on your placement.
