Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where do llamas and alpacas come from?
A: Llamas and alpacas come from Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina in the high plains areas called the "Altiplano" (elevation: 8,000'-15,000'). Llamas were first brought to the United States by William Randolph Hearst in the 1920's for his personal zoo. Alpacas were imported much more recently, beginning in the '80s. Llamas and alpacas are not wild animals.  They were domesticated from their wild counterparts, the Guanaco and Vicuna, 6,000-7,000 years ago by the Quechua Indians making them one of the oldest domesticated animals. Their fiber and structure were improved more recently (1,500 years ago) by the Incas.

Q: What kind of personality do llamas have?
A: Llamas by nature are very intelligent, gentle animals. They are relatively inexpensive to maintain, relatively disease-free, and are quick to learn, cooperative, and patient in training. Their quickness to learn can make them, at times, mischievous.

Q: Do they spit?
A: Yes, they do spit, primarily in self defense. A bred female llama will spit at advances from a male llama. An over-handled llama, improperly socialized, will think humans are llamas and will spit as a normal course of action against the other "llama". A mistreated or mishandled llama may also spit at humans.

Q: What do you do with a llama?
A: There are seven main uses for a llama, many compatible in the same animal.

  1. A pet and companion

  2. A sure-footed, alert pack animal

  3. A source of excellent fiber (similar to alpaca)

  4. An animal trained to pull a cart

  5. A show competitor: 4-H Projects, parades

  6. A competent guard animal, very effective against small predators

  7. A breeding animal, as a source of income

While we do not eat llama meat in North America (we don’t eat our pets, note that eating horse meat is outlawed in many states but accepted in parts of Europe), the Incan word for llama meat is the base for the English word “Jerky.”  In South America they do eat alpaca and llama meat, but they usually cannot afford to waste resources.

Q: What's the difference between alpacas and llamas?
A: Size and fiber quality. Llamas were primarily bred to be a beast of burden, and alpacas were bred primarily as fiber producers. An average alpaca stands 34"-36" at the withers, where an average llama stands 42"-48" at the withers. An adult alpaca will generally produce 5-8 pounds of high quality exotic uniformly crimped fiber in a single fiber fleece, each year.

Q: Do llamas produce fiber of high quality? How much do they produce?
A: Llamas are excellent fiber producers too. They usually have a dual fiber fleece, however, which includes 80-100% fine crimpy fluff and 20-0% straight coarse guard hair. The fiber is hollow, making it excellent for creating warm clothing. It is also oil free and has no inherent odor. The qualities make this fiber a spinner's dream, and it may be felted as well. The amount of fiber varies from animal to animal, but an average is about 2-5 pounds per year. Most llamas can be sheared every other year.  To guard against the heat, some should be sheared every year and some every third year.

Q: Can you ride them?
A: We generally don’t recommend riding llamas, except for small children. Even then the llama must be trained to accept a rider. An adult male will reach a weight of between 300 and 450 lbs. and stand 5 to 6 feet tall. They are expected to carry approximately 1/4 of their body weight, so a rider or load of between 75-115 lbs. may be carried. This weight may be increased to a maximum of 1/3 of their body weight as the llama reaches top physical conditioning.

Q: Can you take them back-packing?
A: Llamas are great friends to have when you want to head to the high country for a little camping and back-country trekking. Because of their soft foot (two toes, with toenails) they leave no scars on the trail. Because they are modified ruminants, their fecal matter comes as very well digested, almost odorless pellets. They can usually browse for their food as they go along the trail. All in all, they fit into the mountain trail or back-country environment very well.

Q: How much space do they need?
A: Llamas can be maintained in a backyard; however, it is best that they have a good sized area. Llamas are very athletic and like to run and play. This could be an acre or two. Llamas are efficient digesters and usually one horse will graze about as much as 5-7 llamas. They can easily jump most fences if sufficiently motivated, but train to fences as youngsters and usually don't jump. A minimum 4' high stock fence is recommended for protection against feral dogs and domestic dog packs.

Q: Do they bite or kick?
A: They do not bite or kick like a horse. A human isn't in danger of being kicked or bitten by a properly socialized and desensitized animal. They will kick at a fly or something around their back feet, but because the foot is soft it's just not as dangerous as a horse's kick and isn't used as a primary self-defense measure.

Q: Is their manure good fertilizer?
A: Their manure is excellent fertilizer and may be applied to the garden immediately. Because llamas are not nomadic (stay in a defined territory), and mark their territory with their dung piles, they usually wait to get to a dung pile to defecate or urinate.  The few communal dung piles make manure collection much easier.

Q: Do they get along alright alone?
A: Llamas and alpacas are herd animals, and are most happy when in the company of other animals, preferring other llamas or alpacas. It is not recommended to maintain a lone animal.

Q: Do you have to castrate the males if they won't be used for breeding?
A: Not every male must be castrated. This is an individual choice by temperament, and many get along fine without castration. There is some disagreement among breeders and owners regarding this subject.

Q: Can llamas be used as guards for smaller livestock?
A: Llamas have been used very successfully as guard animals for sheep, goats, miniature horses, and even Alpacas. They are very intelligent and curious, and have the ability to recognize family pets, neighbors' pets, and the difference between them and coyotes. Their curious nature and athletic ability bring them into close proximity to the coyote, causing the coyote to turn tail. Gelded (castrated) males are preferred as guard animals. They work best without other llamas, in this case, adopting the herd of sheep (goats, miniature horses, cattle) as their "own" herd.

Q: How long do llamas and alpacas live?
A: Llamas have a life expectancy of approximately 20-25 years.

Q: When do they reach breeding maturity?
A: Breeding capability is reached by 16-24 months. Some breeders start females at 12 months (some females will be capable at 9 months), with most breeders waiting until 24 months to allow full development of the mother's growth. Males usually don't reach sexual potency until 24 months, with the rare one becoming potent as early as 12 months.

Q: What is the gestation period?
A: The gestation period is 11-1/2 months (350 days average).

Q: When do females stop breeding?
A: Females will breed throughout their life.

Q: How much do the babies weigh when born?
A: Average llama cria (baby) weight is 25 lbs, alpaca crias average 16 lbs. Almost always a single cria birth. Twins are very rare.

Q: What is Berserk Male Syndrome? - or - Can llamas or alpacas become over-bonded or over-handled, and how can this be avoided? What are the results of this type of over-handling/mistreatment?
A: Berserk Male Syndrome (BMS) is usually caused by bottle feeding a cria and/or fondling, playing llama games (bumping, nudging, running with, and cuddling) while a youngster. The young llama then bonds so completely with humans that s/he thinks that humans are llamas too. As s/he grows, s/he begins to play rougher and rougher, until he becomes unmanageable and (not she here) quite dangerous. Females will develop the same bond, but their activities don't include chest-ramming and "serious" conflict, but may include frequent spitting at humans and a general difficulty in handling.

 CAUTION: This phenomenon can become VERY serious and many times ends with the (male) llama being euthanized. Once they reach adulthood, turning them around is very difficult, requires intensive training and may not be successful.  If you have a cria that requires bottle feeding, immediately consult an experienced llama handler for explicit instructions how to avoid BMS.

Llama socialization begins with their mother and is augmented by the herd.  Mother llamas respond differently to their different crias, not unlike humans.  Llamas whose mothers don’t object to human interaction are at risk of becoming “pushy,” if not developing full blown BMS.  It’s hard to resist the cute little llama that wants to insert itself into everything you do.  If you have a young animal that is pushy-affectionate, beware. This is usually the beginning of difficult behavior and will more than likely develop into "nasty" behavior. Steps should be taken immediately to redirect any pushy behavior.

Compiled and edited by Michael Shealy, with input from many others. Provided by David Vorous and the Yosemite Llama Ranch.