Here on the farm we are everything alpaca and llama! Charlotte, who runs Cadbury Alpacas, has a wealth of experience in breeding and looking after alpacas and runs the very popular Alpaca and Llama Experience Days. Cadbury Alpacas are breeders of high quality pedigree suri and huacaya alpacas and like all breeders, have had occasions where a cria needed some urgent attention after birth. With this in mind we have written a guide on how to care for a cold alpaca cria.
In their native surroundings of South America, cria are usually born into a warm, dry and sunny daytime climate and will have dried off and warmed up by nightfall. In our variable UK climate, cria are frequently born in some pretty unpleasant conditions with rain and low temperatures which can leave them extremely vulnerable to hypothermia.
NORMAL NEWBORN CRIA
A normal, healthy newborn cria needs to shiver to produce body heat, just as humans do. For this to happen the cria needs to find the energy to shiver and it does this by breaking down a special form of fat called brown adipose fat. Most healthy newborn cria that have reached maturity and been born full term have a ready supply of this brown fat and are therefore able to shiver after birth and raise their body temperature.
PREMATURE AND SICK CRIA
Cria that are born prematurely, those that have suffered from placental insufficiency, or those that are just generally unwell, frequently do not have enough brown fat to set off their shivering process. If they are born in a cold environment and are unable to raise their body temperature, they can quickly suffer from hypothermia.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF HYPOTHERMIA IN CRIA?
There are a few signs to look out for in a newborn cria which may indicate hypothermia:
- poor or reduced reflexes
- generally lethargic and/or depressed
- disinterest in trying to feed
- slow or shallow breathing
If a hypothermic cria is left untreated it can lead to an irregular heart beat and eventually death. If a cria suffers from continued hypothermia it can damage the lining of the stomach and secondary infections can set in so quick treatment is essential.
How to care for alpaca cria
Vulnerable newborn cria often need mini alpaca coats and jackets to keep them dry and warm. Cadbury Alpacas have started offering alpaca supplies by introducing their unique Cria Base Layer sets and always have a clean set of these on hand to help protect vulnerable newborn cria when our Waterproof Cria Coats are not enough by itself.
These ingenious, hand knitted and stretchy base layers are made from 100% British alpaca wool and are designed to go underneath a waterproof cria coat or jacket to give extra warmth and insulation against wind and cold. With the unique alpaca hollow fibre providing thermo-regulation and moisture wicking, alpaca wool is the perfect material to use for these cria base layer sets.
HOW TO TREAT A HYPOTHERMIC CRIA
If your cria is premature or if you think it may be hypothermic then you first need to take it’s temperature and monitor it frequently. Use a rectal thermometer with lubricant, record the temperature and log it. The normal temperature for a cria can be anywhere between about 37.8 and 39 degrees celsius. Anything below 37 degrees is considered hypothermic and the cria will need gentle warming. Great care must be taken not to heat the cria up too quickly as this can cause the blood to rush to the surface of the skin and away from the internal organs which can cause a decrease in core temperature, not an increase. If you think your cria might be hypothermic:
- Dry the cria off as thoroughly as possible
- Move the cria and dam to a sheltered or covered area with an auntie so dam will relax
- Warm cria up from the inside out, by assisting a feed from the dam, or if unsuccessful, offering a warm colostrum replacement or milk from a slow flow lamb bottle
- Put the cria in a Cria Base Layer Set
- Fit a weatherproof cria coat or jacket
- Lie the cria on a dry blanket and surround with blankets or cushions to make a barrier
- You can use a hot water bottle but this must be wrapped in a towel so that it is not in direct contact with the cria itself
- DO NOT try and use warm water to heat up a hypothermic cria, for instance immersing the cria in a bath
- NEVER try and use an electric blanket on a cria
- DO NOT put the cria against any form of direct heating such as a radiator, heater or aga
Monitor the temperature of a hypothermic cria every 1 – 2 hours as you are warming them up. You can assess whether to check again by referring to the bullet points under ‘What are the signs of a hypothermic cria’ above.
The Cadbury Alpaca Cria Base Layer sets are specifically designed for premature, dysmature, unwell crias or those born during cold weather. The base layer set provides an extra layer of insulation and is designed to be worn under a normal cria coat.
These base layers are also invaluable if you have a nervous dam who won’t relax or feed her cria whilst penned up indoors. The knowledge that the base layer will keep your cria warm outside will help everyone relax outdoors.
They are also particularly helpful for suri alpacas as, due to the parting of their fibre along the backbone or under windy conditions, (wind can penetrate underneath a waterproof coat) the newborn suri cria is at increased risk of becoming cold and lethargic if not enough brown adipose fat is stored in adverse weather conditions, leading to problems.
The base layers comprise of either a neck warmer (scarf), belly warmer, or both as a complete cria base layer set and are available in brown, black or grey. Base layers items are hand knitted in a stretchy ribbed style and will fit most cria up to 9.5kg. When fitting on male cria tuck the belly warmer a little further forward so that it does not get wet when the cria passes urine.
Base layers should be hand washed in cold water with non-biological detergent before being used on different crias to ensure that the dam accepts the cria. For alpaca dam and cria acceptance problems, rub the base layers (and any alpaca coat used) under the tail of the cria so that the dam will recognise the scent.
We also sell Waterproof Alpaca Coats which are the perfect outer layer for a cold or newborn cria who is still too young to regulate their temperature or a cria who is born in colder months.
Cadbury Alpacas also sell other alpaca supplies for people who breed or keep alpacas – check out the Alpaca Supplies section on our website!
If you have any queries or need further advice on any of our alpacas supplies or need more information on how to care for an alpaca cria or our Cria Base Layer sets, please Contact Us.