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| Frequently Asked Questions About Alpacas... Why Alpacas?! How are Alpacas different from Llamas? What do you raise these animals for? Do they taste like chicken? Are they expensive? How are Alpacas transported? Are there different kinds of Alpacas? How much land does it take to raise Alpacas? How easy is it to care for Alpacas?
What type of food do Alpacas eat?
What is the life expectancy of an Alpaca? Can I pet them? . How can I learn more about them?
  A: Ask any Alpaca rancher and they will all tell you the same thing: “There’s something magical about these creatures.” Couple that with the knowledge that Alpaca breeding can be a very lucrative business, appealing to people of all ages and from all walks of life, is it any wonder that the popularity of Alpaca ranching has seen a dramatic increase in the past decade?
A: Even though they are both from the camel family, i.e., "camelids", they have certain differences. The Alpaca’s ears, necks, and overall height are shorter than that of a Llama; and an Alpaca’s ears don’t curve in like a Llama’s does. Llamas are used as pack animals, while Alpacas are raised for their fleece, which leads to the next question...
A: Alright, we know that's three questions, but they are all related. Alpacas are raised for their fabulous fleece, which is very much like cashmere. Their hypallergenic fleece, which comes in 18 different natural colors, is used to make things like sweaters, jackets, gloves, baby booties, baby blankets, pillows, throws, rugs and even teddy bears! Many owners sell their animals, raw fiber and finished goods—like Aubrey Oaks Alpacas does! These sales can generate nice receipts to sustain on on-going Alpaca ranch income stream. The fact that the registry of Alpacas in North America (through A.R.I.) has been closed since 1998 makes them more valuable to both ranchers and prospective owers alike. But, as with any commodity, prices are affected by our economy in general. For the most part, as our nation's econmy has faltered through the end of this last decade and the beginning of the current, prices of Alpacas have become more economical. One of the reasons that we have chosen to raise Alpacas is that right now, here in the U.S., they are not eaten. You'd have to travel to Peru to find out how one would taste... A: They are not dangerous at all, if you use wisdom in handling them. They do not have sharp front teeth, horns, or claws that would make them dangerous. The only thing that they can do is kick their hind legs, buy they don’t kick hard enough to cause any severe damage. Most mature males will always have razor sharp fighting teeth—but these are used against other males as they live up to their name in their male-to-male herd dominance encounters. Sometimes you may see a male with a scissored ear, or even find that a male in the herd has been castrated by another male. This is rare as fighting teeth are to be kept trimmed. But male Alpacas generally don't hurt a human—unless you get your finger in the wrong place! Alpacas eyes are on the side of their head so they can’t see anything directly behind or in front of them. Because of this, Alpacas may become frightened and kick when approached and touched from behind.
A: For short distances, Alpacas can be transported in a mini-van, in the back of a regular size van, or even in the back seat of a pickup truck. As the vehicle starts to move they will “cush” (sit down.) We own a 16' stock trailer which we use to transport them. This includes transporting them to the many Alpaca shows that are in Texas and the surrounding states.
Q: Are there different kinds of Alpacas? A: Yes, there are two types. Suri (pronounced: sir'-ee) Alpacas have long twisted locks that lay somewhat flat on their bodies. They stream in an elegant manner when a Suri runs. Aubrey Oaks Alpacas raises Huacaya (pronounced wah-kay'-ya), which are cute & fluffy when their fleece grows long through the fall & into the winter months. There are over 8,000,000 Alpacas in South America with Huacaya in the majority. There are also over 150,000 (nearing 200,000) registered Suri & Huacaya Alpacas here in the U.S. Huacaya outnumber Suri here in the U.S. on more than 4,000 ranches. The first ones were brought to the U.S. in the 1980's. Importation of Alpacas into the United States (that can be registered with A.R.I.) has been closed since 1998.
Q: How much land does it take to raise Alpacas? A: You can place 5 to 10 Alpacas on an acre of land, depending on the way that the land holds rain/snowfall, the terrain and the quality of the pasture. Alpacas are very easy on the land. They have padded feet so they don’t tear up the soil. Having only lower teeth and a strong upper dental pad, they don’t pull the grass up from the root, nor do they graze it all the way to ground like a horse does. They can also be raised on a dry lot and fed only hay. Their unique barnyard habits make them desirable for "urban ranching." Alpacas are like a cat in that they always go to one or two places in the pasture to "do their business," thus making pasture clean-up a relative breeze.
Q: How easy is it to care for Alpacas? A: They are very easy to maintain. They need to have basic shelter from heat and foul weather. They will not challenge fences; but adequate fencing is need to keep predators out. Being livestock, they do require regular vaccinations, and they need to be on an anti-parasite control program. Their toenails need to be trimmed every couple of month or so, and their teeth may need trimming occasionally. Monthly herd health days to accomplish our regular monthly duties take just a few hours for our herd. Finally, they need to be sheared annually so that they don’t get too hot in the summer time.
Q: What type of food do Alpacas eat? A: They primarily eat pasture grass or hay. Alfalfa hay is not normally utilized here at Aubrey Oaks, but some owners feed it to them sparingly. Orchard Grass hay imported to Texas from Colorado is our favored hay. One to one-and-a-half 60-pound bales of hay will usually feed 20 to 25 Alpacas a day. We have found that 10 bales lasts about 12 weeks for our 6 Alpacas during the summertime. Most owners do feed their Alpacas a type of supplement of grain—but is a very small amount. Our males get ¼ of a cup every two to three days. Most of the grain that is fed to the Alpacas is used for a nutritional supplement and can also be used as a reward for training purposes. Even these foods are regulated based upon our regular monthly weigh-ins & constant body scoring.
A: Alpacas are members of the camel family and can spit. About the only time that Alpacas spit is when they are eating at a trough and spit at each other—usually as a result of territorial issues. It is very rare that they spit on a human. Most of the time that humans are spit on is when they get caught in the crossfire of Alpacas spitting at each other. We owned ours for over 6 months before getting nailed with a little of their green spittle. With time, even the least experienced Alpaca owner can begin to recognize the tale-tell sounds and actions of their herd and will only rarely sport the gift of spit. :-)
Q: What is the life expectancy of an Alpaca? A: We are not really sure how long the Alpacas can live here in the USA. They haven't been here long enough for adequate information to be collected. Information from South America indicates that they can live 15-20 years. We pamper our Alpacas, so we have high hopes that they will live that long or longer here in the USA! Females carry their pregnancy for about 11 1/2 months with twins a rarity.
Q: Can I pet them? (Our most often asked question...) A: Alpacas are generally considered to be livestock, not "pets." So let's talk about the issue of "petting" them... Alpacas generally don't respond to being called by name like a dog would, although there are some owners that assert that they've trained them to respond! In our eyes, they're more like a cat—they will almost always come to you at feeding time; and, though curious, will just as easily walk away from you if they set their minds to it. Most of the time Alpacas that have been raised correctly should allow you to touch them in passing, but they don't normally stand still to be petted—especially if you are new to them. That being said, here at Aubrey Oaks Alpacas, we try to put our hands on our Alpacas as much as we can without trying to make them a "pet." Each Alpaca has their own personality, and some will take to being "petted" more than others. Certain Alpacas personalities will change if they are stressed, scared, expecting or lactating. And, of course, there are generally different expectations for males & females. (But that's another story...) Feeding time in the evenings makes them relatively easy to catch as you can entice them into a catch pen with their food. And, if haltered, most will stand for "inspection," but they can just as quickly buck or tug on the lead. Taking them to show means that we do train our Alpacas to stand still, as this is what they do most of the time in a competitive show. Aubrey Oaks Alpaca Ranch is definitely not a petting zoo, but is a working ranch! All this being said, we've seen an Alpaca or two that is overly friendly, and that can lead to dangerous considerations as well. Imagine trying to cuddle a 150 lb. "lap" Alpaca! That's not going to happen on our ranch!!
Q: How can I learn more about them? A: Websites are wonderful for conceptual learning. But , herd health Saturdays are monthly events that can give you greater insight into the joys of working with Alpacas. For the serious-minded enthusiast that is considering the Alpaca lifestyle, these "work" days are an excellent way learning about what it takes to properly & responsibly raise the beautiful animals. See our Upcoming Events webpage to learn how you might be able to visit us during one of these days! (Of course, we do reserve the right to determine who would be qualified to visit our ranch during these busy days.)
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