The rescue last month of 175 alpacas found starving at a ranch in Polk County raises questions about proper ownership and care requirements of alpacas and llamas.
Alpacas and llamas tend to "bridge the gap" between pets and livestock, says Dr. Chris Cebra, a camelid expert and professor of large animal internal medicine at Oregon State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
“They’re functionally livestock, in that they live outside and forage for grasses and hays,” says Cebra, who assisted in the rescue, “but they certainly have personalities.”
People get them for variety of reasons; some hope to make money from breeding or selling them or spinning their fiber into yarn.
Others enjoy showing them or employing them as “lawnmowers.”
Camelids in Oregon
In the United States, llamas were beginning to grow in popularity in the 1970s, and their camelid counterpart, the alpaca, was imported from South America around 1984.
Oregon’s llama and alpaca industry has been fairly active in Oregon since the 1980s, Cebra says.
The industry peaked here around early 2000, when the school’s veterinary hospital was treating 400 to 500 of the animals per year, but it’s declined in recent years, he says.
With more than 16,300 registered alpacas, Oregon boasts the nation's third-largest population of the animals, after Ohio and Washington.
Choosing the "alpaca lifestyle"
Suzanne Campbell, who runs Sherwood-based Alpacas of Oregon with her husband Doug, loves being able to live around animals without the drawbacks of other types of farming.
“We’re not getting up at 4 a.m. to milk the cows,” says Campbell.
She was looking for a “pet with a purpose” back in 1990 when she started out with a goat and a couple llamas, and quickly realized the alpaca’s appeal.
Alpacas are shy, gentle and curious, she says.
“It’s a wonderful country lifestyle that’s fairly easy,” she says, “with low efforts for huge rewards.”
Their soft wool is ideal for spinning.
It's hypoallergenic, lightweight and "four times more insulating than wool," says Thomas Betts, who operates Cascade Alpacas of Oregon in Hood River with his wife Connie.
They’re also fairly easy to care for and maintain.
Llama and alpaca care
Alpacas and llamas can live up to 18 or 20 years, so owning them is a long-term commitment.
They are hearty animals requiring minimal veterinary care, other than routine vaccinations and parasite preventatives.
“They are pretty self-sufficient as long as they’ve got grass, water and a food source,” Betts says. “If you can take care of a cat, you can take care of alpacas.”
The basis of their diet should be roughage, such as orchard grass or timothy hay, and a Vitamin D and selenium supplement.
Their biggest requirement is sufficient space.
“Usually the rule of thumb is five to 10 alpacas per acre,” Cebra says. (At the Falls City ranch where the rescue took place, as many as 200 were kept on three acres).
A minimum of two or three acres divided into several smaller paddocks is ideal to prevent over-grazing, Campbell says.
They should have at least a three-sided shelter and good fencing.
They’re herd animals, so you’ll want to start with at least two. Campbell advises
You’ll need to shear them once a year and trim their toenails every so often.
Some may need to have their teeth periodically trimmed. Alpacas and llamas are prone to a dental condition called malocclusion, Cebra says.
Other health issues include parasites and digestive issues.
If you are considering purchasing an alpaca or llama, Campbell advises being thoughtful about what you hope to get out of the animal. Don't count on them to be cash cows, because "there's not a quick return on investment."
Those who just enjoy the llama and alpaca lifestyle will likely get a lot of enjoyment from their animals.
“But people who went into it for an investment, they’re assuming the same type of risk with alpacas as they would take with other investments,” Cebra says.
“The market can go up and down, and what do you do with them when the price goes down? You still have a live animal to care for.”
If you want to help:
Interesting facts about alpaca and llamas