Llamas are very thrifty animals -- they prosper without excessive amounts of expensive feed or extra special care. Some owners spend less than one hundred dollars per year to feed and provide veterinary care for each llama they own. There are, however, some llama-specific care and maintenance considerations. What follows is a brief overview--not intended to be the final word on the subject--and offered in hopes that anyone considering life with a llama gets a bit of a realistic idea of what's involved. Please consult the additional resources listed below, other llama owners in your area, and your veterinarian for more thorough information on how best to care for your llamas.
Some of the following information is excerpted from my book, Packing With Llamas, published by Pine Grove Press and available through your local bookseller or from this website.
Health Care - Feeding Llamas - Housing Llamas - Additional Resources
A regular health care program for llamas includes annual vaccinations for tetanus and any other local livestock diseases, regular worming for internal parasites, monitoring for external parasites, shearing plus occasional grooming, and toenail trimming as needed. Because conditions vary from region to region, owners should consult their local large animal veterinarian for his or her recommendations concerning routine veterinary care.
Removing excess wool from your llama will keep his or her coat healthy and make your grooming chores easier. Llamas do not "shed" their wool like a horse or dog, but will, over time, molt a bit of their fiber. This can clump up and make large mats, a process that leaves an unsightly and unhealthy mess. You can brush out the woolly undercoat if it's not too matted already (it can be spun into yarn or hand-felted) or shear to a length of an inch or so. Shearing can be as simple as using sharp scissors to remove the wool on the llama's back, sides and rump. In areas where summers are warm and/or humid, llamas should be shorn or combed out annually. In cooler areas, every other year may be all that a medium to light-wooled llama will require.
Llamas have a unique foot comprised of two fleshy pads (similar to a dog's pad) and two horny toenails that require trimming when they grow out faster than they wear down. This can be done using anvil type pruning shears available at garden supply stores or with trimmers purchased through llama supply catalogs.
Llamas can get lice, both biting and sucking types. If you discover hair loss over the withers, across the chest, or near the tail, or if you notice a llama scratching or rubbing these areas excessively, you should examine him thoroughly for tiny lice. Your vet will be able to make recommendations regarding treatment; it varies depending on the type of lice. Llama lice are not transmittable to humans.
Like other livestock, llamas are subject to internal parasites and should be regularly de-wormed. Your local veterinarian is the best source for type and frequency of treatment.
Llamas grow a set of six fighting teeth, two on either side on the top of the mouth and one on either side on the bottom, which are most pronounced in adult males. These teeth can cause injury as llamas play and wrestle in the course of normal herd interactions. The teeth should be cut off at the gum line after they erupt, between the ages of two and three. This is a simple procedure that can be done using an obstetrical wire saw with adequate restraint and most often without sedation as the llamas seem to experience very little pain from the procedure. It is highly recommended that owners of two or more un-gelded male llamas have the fighting teeth removed in order to prevent accidental injury and possible disfigurement.
Manure maintenance is important in order to maintain the health of your llamas. It is important to remove this manure at regular intervals, especially from feeding areas. Llamas make these chores easy, though, by depositing their manure in "dung piles" at various spots in their containment area. In addition, llama manure is an excellent fertilizer and can be used in gardens (its highly-processed character makes it safe to place directly in the garden without "ageing"). It may also be burned, once thoroughly dried. Llamas living amid their own manure are subject to infection, parasites, and other illness.
Llamas graze on grasses and forbs (non-grass herbs), and they browse on trees and shrubs. A llama may be somewhat selective as to what suits its palate, but keep in mind that trees, bushes, flowers, and vines are all fair game. Llamas are very efficient in their digestive process, much more so than a sheep, cow, or horse. Classified as modified ruminants, llamas digest their food in a unique, three-compartmented stomach and chew a cud.
What and how much you feed a llama should depend on his or her age and physical condition, the season, and level of activity. Basically, good grass or oat hay, mineral salt, and fresh water will fill most of a llama's needs. A rule of thumb (and please remember that we all have different-sized thumbs) is to feed about 1.5% of a fit llama's weight in hay. For an average-sized, 350-pound llama that's around five pounds per day, less than a ton of hay per year, especially if grass pasture is available for part of the year.
After consulting with your local vet or extension agent, you may want to consider dietary additions such as vitamin, mineral, and protein supplements. These options will depend primarily on the nutritive quality of your local pasture and hay, the age of the llama, and its condition. In most instances, alfalfa hay is overly-high in protein and calcium for a llama's needs, and may place a burden on the animal's metabolism. Remember, these creatures evolved in the highlands of South America, thriving there on low-protein grasses and forbs.
In my experience obesity is the number one llama health concern, so owners should make an effort to learn how to assess the condition of their llama and feed it accordingly. Overfeeding will result in a fat llama, one that will have less energy and take more time to get in shape for pack season, if that's your goal.
Llamas should have access to water which is freshened daily and to free-choice salt supplementation. Additionally, selenium is an important mineral to supplement, if lacking in your region. Several brands of supplement formulated for llamas are available, and trace mineral salt with selenium is readily available. If unsure about the need for selenium supplementation in your area, please consult your local veterinarian.
Generally llamas do not require a large acreage to pasture them comfortably. With a sturdy fence, a small barn or loafing shed, and a fresh water supply, you can easily keep two llamas on a half-acre parcel of land, as long as they also get regular exercise.
Even in northern winters a three-sided loafing shed is sufficient protection for healthy llamas. They'll use it more if they can sit inside, out of the elements yet are able to see what's going on. The area under cover should be large enough to keep the llamas' feed dry and to allow them to get out of the rain, snow, or wind. If you do not have any trees in your pasture, they may use their shed for shade as well. A small corral or "catch pen" is essential, and is most useful when attached or adjacent to the shed or feeding area.
If you live in a climate where the water will freeze during the winters, water trough heaters, or heated, insulated buckets, commonly available through feed stores, are recommended. They should have fresh water available at all times.
Llamas are very easy animals to contain, provided they are fed, watered, and not lonely. They do not lean on fences like horses or cows will, though they do like to stick their heads through pole or wire barriers to graze or just to see what's there, and they will occasionally nibble on wooden fence posts and rails, more often when other "browse" is lacking. Most types of fencing four to five feet high will contain a llama. Smooth wire (electrified or not) is a popular fencing for llama owners. Barbed wire fencing is not recommended. Nylon/wire ribbon, electrified fencing is very useful for cross-fencing pastures into smaller feeding areas.
The following is a short list of publications, equipment sources, organizations and web resources pertaining to llamas. The list is not meant to be complete nor comprehensive. For more information, please visit a variety of web sites and visit with llama owners in your area.
Books
Most of the books listed below may be ordered from your local bookseller, through an on-line bookstore or from Llamas and More Store.
Packing With Llamas, Stanlynn Daugherty, Pine Grove Publishing, fourth edition ©1999
Llamas--An Introduction to Care, Training, and Handling , Sandi Burt, Alpine Publications, © 1991
Caring for Llamas and Alpacas - a health and management guide, Clare Hoffman, DVM and Ingrid Asmus, Rocky Mountain Lama Association, © 1996
First Aid for Llamas and Alpacas , Murray E. Fowler, DVM and Audrey C. Fowler, Clay Press, © 1995
Field Guide to Plants Poisonous to Livestock, Shirley A. Weathers, Rosebud Press, © 1998
Llama Handling and Training--the TTEAM Approach , Marty McGee with Linda Tellington-Jones, Zephyr Farm Press, © 1992 Check out Marty's web site for more information on this training method.
Spinning Llama and Alpaca , Chris Switzer, Switzer Land Enterprises, © 1994
Field Guide to Plants Poisonous to Livestock - Western U.S., by Shirley A. Weathers, Rosebud Press, PO Box 270090 Fruitland, UT 84027. Excellent reference with detailed information and line drawings. Author raises and packs with llamas.
CD-ROM
Llama Talk - Understanding Llama Behavior as a Faoundation for Training and Herd Managment by Cathy Spalding, Gentle Spirit Behavior and Training. A textbook on CD-ROM containing over 100 color photos of llama behavior and recordings of llama vocalizations accompanied by authoritative and descriptive text. www.gentlespirit.com
Periodicals
The Backcountry Llama, edited by Noel McRae, 2857 Rose Valley Loop, Kelso, WA 98626 llamapacker@kalama.com An information-sharing newsletter published four times per year, dedicated to all aspects of packing with llamas. Equipment reviews, classified ads for pack llamas. $15 /year
Llama Banner - PO Box 1968, Manhattan, KS 66502 - Features lots of general information with emphasis on showing llamas
Organizations
International Lama Registry (ILR) PO Box 8 * Kalispell, MT 59901
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