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We have a llama called
George, we think he is about 3 years old, we are not quite sure as
he was a gift.
He is kept with 3 goats in our orchard and
is brought in at nights. We give him a hay net and about
half a kg of
llama mix. Is this to much or to little? We asked the vet but he
wasn't sure. P.B
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Ad lib hay is fine
but the mix is rather a lot. Llamas like concentrates and are greedy
for them so it always seems as though they are hungry, but I would
be inclined to halve the quantity.
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I am doing some
research on our Festival Mascot, the Folklorama Llama, and I am
wondering why the Llama is known as a world traveler?
Thanks for your help,
B.G, Winnipeg.
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I was delighted to learn that a llama is your
Folklorama mascot but I'm afraid your question defeats me and have
to confess I had never heard of it referred to as a world traveller
in any literary sense! In a literal sense,
of course, the llama does trek great distances in South America and
its virtues have resulted in llamas beginning to travel the world
viz-a-vis the growing demand internationally for owning
them...
If you do learn any more on that theme I would
be delighted to hear and throw the question open to
anyone and everyone reading this...???
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In your
"lamanac" you say you have been using a pour-on wormer but that some
people do not think pour-ons work with llamas and that you would
report back if it did. Can you tell me how you got on as I would much
rather use a pour-on than inject. J.G. |
We worm our llamas three times a year. Having
used Dectomax pour-on for a full year we recently had a few dung
samples tested and they came back with negative results. We feel
confident therefore, that the pour-on did its job well.
It is useful to vary the
wormer, however, and so, I plan to use Ivomec Super Injection for the
next round of worming.
If you have only a couple
of llamas and can ensure that each eats its correct share of hard
feed, a third alternative is to use a wormer in powder or granule form
that is mixed into the concentrates. The problem here lies in being
sure the llamas take it up. They are very deft at using their lips
like fingers in selecting what they wish to eat and what they wish to
reject!
I should add that
our experience does not constitute a scientific study. Also the
wormers' mentioned are not licensed in the U.K for use with
llamas and so their use is entirely at the owners risk.
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We are considering
llamas to graze 3 acres of grass that is part of 30 otherwise wooded
acres ... Fresh spring water is always
available and we plan to build a self serve type shelter with hay
available that the llamas could use at will.
This property is 2 hours from our primary
residence, and we visit weekly for at least a day or two. We have no
other livestock, because we are not there enough to take care of
them. Would it be appropriate to keep several llamas under such
circumstances?
It certainly appears from what we have
read thus far that if any livestock animal might be appropriate
for our situation, the llama will be it with its relatively low
maintenance requirements.
Your website is far and away the most
complete and informative of any we have found for information on
llamas. Thank you, B.S
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Your three acres with fresh spring water and
shelter sounds ideal for a bachelor group of five or six llamas, but the
lack of
surveillance is not without
possibility of problems.
Leaving any
livestock unattended for long periods always
attracts an inherent risk: things can go wrong, animals
can get ill or hurt... Hardy and self-sufficient
as llamas are, five to six days unchecked on a weekly basis,
would represent a high percentage of uncertainty over the long term.
Is there anyone who could
pop over on a casual basis occasionally
when you are not there? Whilst some
breeds of animal when left may need a number
of routines carried out by a carer, in the case of
your llamas it would just be a case of
having someone "cast an eye"
over them,
checking that all is well and giving
you a call in the event of any concern. Back to
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We are interested in having llamas but are
worried about how they'll get on with our dogs. We've seen the lovely
pictures of llamas with your dog and read in your FAQs that they get
on well but have been told by others that llamas do not like
canines!!! Can you put our minds at rest please? V.R |
I remember seeing a wonderful photo on a German
website of a large mountain dog leading a llama with the llama's lead
in its mouth and the llama trotting obediently behind! Most dogs and
llamas get on fine together once they know each other, and a large
number of the llama owners that we know have dogs too!
Some media articles about llamas as livestock guardians have
misreported them as having an innate dislike of
dogs but this is simply incorrect. The llama will chase out strange dogs that
appear to threaten the stock but not, for example, be in the slightest
bit bothered by the farmer's own sheep dogs, even when they are rounding up the
sheep.
It's simply a question of sensible introduction and a little patience. Keep
your dogs on a lead when they are near the llamas for the first few
encounters and until the llamas have got used to their new home and to
the dogs. Increase contact slowly over a few sessions and you should
find that dogs and llamas settle together quickly and well.
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I so enjoyed your
Lamanac. Now that the year is over, have you
really stopped? - I hope not. AE.
P.S When the Spanish
invaded Peru, was this the Spanish Lamada? |
Thank you very much. I enjoyed writing it and have
thought of continuing, but it was intended originally as just a
one-off which leaves me with a bit of a dilama.
P.S - Yes, and when the
Conquistadors tragically slaughtered huge numbers of llamas it was
truly a case of Lamageddon. Back to
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It says quite a lot on
your website about training llamas and advance training them. We just
want them for our field to graze it. Do we need to have them trained?
Do they have to be trained? J.L |
Many
of our clients buy llamas just to enjoy having them
around, graze their grass and watch them at play. Llamas certainly
don't "have" to be trained for anything. They do not need to be
exercised (beyond their own natural field exercise) and as long as
they have grass (or hay) and fresh water, they can be left to their
own devices.
We do halter train all our youngsters as a matter of course, however,
and once you have them it is then entirely up to you as the owner
whether you keep this up or just leave them to graze.
For those that do want to trek with their llamas or put them to the
cart etc, then we offer "advance training" as an option.
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Please may we have your
very urgent help. One of our llamas Topsy got his leg badly caught up
in loose barbed wire hidden in long grass and still attached to the
fence. He badly ripped the leg ligaments and broke it in his struggle
to free himself. The vet thinks it too bad to mend and that he cannot
survive on three legs and we should put him down. Can you help please?
O.H |
Fortunately amid this terrible luck, we arrived
home minutes after this message was left. The leg was a front leg, and
nasty though the damage was, three-year-old Topsy can, and now will,
live without it. A conversation with the vet persuaded her that if it
was unlikely to mend amputation was a perfectly acceptable course.
Many years ago when we lived in Gloucestershire we had huge snow
drifts one winter, and 5-year-old Bourneville (she was dark chocolate
brown), broke a front leg in a snow covered rabbit hole. She had
recently arrived in a group we imported from Holland, was quite
nervous of people and was not halter-trained. On this occasion,
however, when I went out to check the stock she limped straight
up to me, stood quite still as I slipped a head collar on her and
allowed me to lead her into her shelter. Bourneville hobbled
around with a home made splint for the two days it took before the vet
could get through to us and her leg mended well.
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I have a quarter acre of
rough grass and no other animals. I would love to keep a llama on it
but am told it is not a good idea. As an expert do you agree - would
it really mind? Thanks for your reply. WT |
From my experience one llama on its own is not a
good idea and unfortunately a quarter acre is rather on the small
side. Your address suggests a rural village and that suggests there
will be farms near you(?). If so, try to find a friendly neighbour or
farmer who will let you use their grazing. I suspect many will be
delighted (especially if they have sheep and know what good guardians
llamas make - and if they don't know, print out the bumph from this
website and show it to them). Then bite the bullet and get two llamas.
They can graze your quarter acre and you can then move them on to
other land to rest it and let it grow back, and to give the llamas
their natural exercise...
I hope it works out - let
me know how you do.
P.S: Isn't an expert
someone who knows more and more about less and less?
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At what age can a female
llama be mated? RF |
We recommend that they are mated from around the
age of two.
Paul, we feel
that if a female is well grown and healthy then any time from 18
months is just fine. T.S.SBack to
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On our visit to your lovely
llamas we noticed one thing that we have not found on your website. So
this is not a question but a bit of info I think would-be owners will
find useful - especially any that have had sheep or cattle. All your
llamas have lovely clean bottoms. No yucky mess on them or on their
backsides or their coats... a big plus! J.J |
Thank you for a good point! I must admit that I
had never thought too much about it! Llamas certainly are very clean
generally, and particularly so at the rear end! They are also
relatively smell-free (at least I can't smell anything, but perhaps
that is to be expected being around them for so many years!).
Also, when they calve all the
females (hembras, mares, hinds etc - see below) usually gather round
to greet the newborn. If I arrive at this point it can be difficult to
work out which is the mother because there is no evidence at the back
end... Back to
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We see that you refer
to your adult llamas just as males (or studs) and females, but you
call the youngsters calves or cria. If the youngsters are calves,
shoudn't the adults be bulls and cows? P & Y.B |
I freely confess that after fifteen years of
breeding llamas I ought to have sorted this out by now...
In South America the terminology varies from
region to region and tribe to tribe. Cria, (for calves at foot)
is the most commonly accepted term used in North America and Europe;
far less common is Machos, for the entire males, and Hembras for the
females.
While I am personally very
content with "calves", bulls and cows just do not seem to fit at all
comfortably. Ditto rams, ewes and lambs... So what about stags and
hinds? I don't think so.
If English terminology
were to be adopted my vote would go to stallions and mares (but still
calves rather than foals?).... I wonder what other llama owners and
visitors to this web page think? Do email us your opinion
Contact
TalkingLlamas
Here in the U.S we do
use the South American terminology a lot but I like your idea of mares
and stallions - sounds good. Amy L.
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