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Alpaca Math

As most of you know about a year ago we bought Hope, our first alpaca. It was kind of an accident…Robert kept seeing her for sale on Facebook and kept bringing it up, and we finally went to see her. Her teeth were overgrown, her fleece was matted, and she had big, beautiful, brown eyes. Sold! We borrowed a trailer from the farm down the road (he just kinda chuckled when I told him what I needed it for) and brought her home.

 

I quickly started researching alpacas, better late than never I suppose! Although she was their only alpaca I soon discovered that alpacas really need other alpacas because they’re herd animals and it’s stressful for them if they are not part of a herd. A mere month later Bella was delivered to us in the back seat of a pickup truck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Several months later the ladies are doing well but Bella is still a pretty nervous girl. More research and conversations with people who know more about alpacas than I ever will and we decide we need to add another alpaca to the herd. You see, Bella came from a herd of seven down to two, possibly the cause of her nervousness. This is when I started thinking about breeding Bella.

Prince Charming

At the beginning of our alpaca adventure we met some wonderful people with an alpaca farm about an hour from us. They came with their trailer and took Hope to get her teeth trimmed, endured my panicked text messages in winter when the temps were dipping into single digits, and invited us to come and see the tiny and adorable Prince Charming when he was born a few months ago. So off we went for a visit to Shady Brook Farm Alpacas! As promised, Prince Charming was both tiny and adorable!

 

After much cria (that’s what a baby alpaca is called) cuddling we were just hanging out, talking, and looking at the other alpacas when I saw Perl. I guess you could say Perl and I had a moment…I looked at her, she looked at me and it was like we had this instant connection, she just couldn’t take her eyes off of me, it was magical…or maybe it was the treat in my hand, I’m not really sure. Regardless, I was smitten but not quite ready to take the plunge since I was still thinking about breeding Bella. But maybe I could get Perl and breed Bella too? More thinking to do…

Fast forward threeish months and I’m back at Shady Brook Farm Alpacas for Herd Health Day. I see Perl again and the magic is still there. Okay, she acted like she didn’t see me but I think she was mad because I talked to Prince Charming first. After all the herding and shots and spitting I learn that Perl is for sale…Yay! I also learn that Sky is Perl’s sister and they are bonded so they have to be sold together…hmmm, okay, that’s probably doable. Then I learn that Sky is pregnant and due in three weeks…uhhh.

Perl in front, Sky in back.

After some discussion, some texting, a phone call, and some emails we became the new owners of Perl, Sky, and ? They are still staying at Shady Brook as it was too close to Sky’s due date to move them.

? was born today at 2:14 p.m. at Shady Brook Farm Alpacas. He is teeny tiny weighing only seven pounds, eight ounces , but he seems healthy and strong. Thanks go out to Valarie for trusting us enough to sell us her girls, Mike and Glo for taking such good care of them, and Melanie for being there to make sure Sky and ? were healthy.  I can’t wait to bring them home!

Mama and cria.

About 20 minutes old.

Comments

  1. Carolyn Cottar Draper says:

    Precious so cute all of the Have fun

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