# Llama questions-



## Olivia67 (Mar 6, 2008)

O.k. llama experts here goes!

If I get a young male llama, can he be banded around 12 months old or do I have to pay a vet a million $$$ to do it. I think my vet would charge around $200-a lot of money to us for just one little surgery. He charges me around $150 cut the horn off of a ram when said horn was growing into his skull so I assume a full blown surgery like gelding would run around $200 +++. He is a good vet but can be expensive for certain things. 

How hard is it to halter train a young llama? Does he have to be around adult/sane llamas or can I just put him with my Babydoll sheep and have him bond with them and work with him daily of course too. 

At what age can they begin learning how to pack? I have a dog back pack that would easily fit a young llama and would like to start training asap-understanding of course their limitations for weight. 

How do prevent mad llama syndrome? What causes it? It is only in males who have been bottle fed and are still intact? What are the early symptoms? 

Will any llama eventually get used to my own dogs or will they always hate all dogs and will my dogs get spit on? I'm told it stinks to high heavens! Would prefer my house dogs not smell any worse then they already do if possible. 

Do llamas like treats? What kind is safe for them? I get day old bread from a few sources and my sheep and goats love it and it doesn't make them sick, as long as I don't go overboard with it. My mini horses love peppermints, are those safe for llamas?

So anyone who wants to tackle my questions, please do! Before I jump into this llama thing, I want to know as much as possible. I have found some information on line but it's sketchy at best. The alpaca breeder down the road from me is stand off ish and isn't very forthcoming with information. Unless I want to spend about $10,000 for one of her many-many cria alpacas that she breeds every single year. She has somewhere around 50 this year alone and does not sell very many but every year it seems like every single one of her girls has another cria. They are cute but I am very glad that I don't have her feed bill-or her vet bill for that matter either. I guess when you charge that much for one baby alpaca then you can just breed and breed because one or two sales probably pretty much pays for the whole darn herd's bill for the next year. They all seem pretty healthy and sound from what I can see when I drive by at about 60 mph. Yes I'm being a bit sarcastic at this point. I just can't see anyone paying that much for one alpaca cria, unless he poops gold that is and I don't see piles of gold laying around her pastures.

:umno:


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## Olivia67 (Mar 6, 2008)

No one wants to jump in? There has to be a few llama people out there....


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## carellama (Nov 12, 2007)

1---No you cannot band a llama. They need a full surgery no earlier than 18 months so that their growth plates can mature and not develop issues when they grow and when they grow old. 
2 If you want a llama to act like one then they must be in an environment that they know how to be one. Yes they need at least one other like them, in this case a male.
3 llamas can be taught to pack, as well as halter train,early- weeks old,but with a towel over their back. Then progress from there. It is a conditioning process that is easier to start when they are 100 pounds instead of 300

Biserk male happens when you over love llamas. They are not lap animals ,they are work animals and need to be treated as such. They act and react because of fear therefore, treats or strong words mean nothing to them. You need to win their trust and that takes time.
4 I have 4 dogs, 9 cats, 50 chickens , 5 ducks and 6 geese plus 19 llamas and we all get along fine, I expect everything to get along and keep an eagle eye out for anything that could develop into a potential disaster. 

Llamas like a herd, a herd of themselves. You will see single llamas or in with sheep/goats but are they really happy. I hear horror stories concerning their llamas behaviors but it is because the owner did not know how to treat the llama. REad books and get educated first. John Mallon is a great trainor. Read about how he works with llamas. They are enjoyable animals and I love them. However I have created an environment for them and not expected them to live in my world. It works better that way. 
Agape' LLand LLamas


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## Big Dave (Feb 5, 2006)

Well I aint no expert but here goes it. I picked up two more Llamas three weeks back. I would not use the dog pack unless it fit the Llama. Storey's Guide to Raising Llamas will help you a lot. They spit when they are threatened and to ward off attacks. Mine have not spit but the males I have in Texas do. Put a spit mask on them when handling them or just do not threaten him. Call around to see if your vet is the only one who will preform the cut. Nothing like being sent into outerspace on the lowest bidder's rocket(take that as you may). Every one has it's own persona. The two I just got are female. One being the mother @ six years and the baby not quite two yet. They never had halters on til I moved them. I sheared them two weeks ago. Mama head butted me and I had to tranquilize them both. She never spit. FREE catalouge Quality Llama Products, They also have a # to call just for information about the care and feeding. 1-541-451-4347. I am ordering two halters that have been designed by Cathy Spalding just for Llamas. Yeah you can get one at the feed store but let' go back to the rocket statement. They seem to fit around the nose better as they are not mouth breathers.
My mama guards her baby and does it well. I never taught her she just does not like agressive dogs. I have a westie she smells and never tries to paw. You will have fun. Be patient and slow in your movements. It is all about trust. Hope that helps some. 
By the way I don't come on here very often but I just felt the need.


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## siberian (Aug 23, 2011)

Looks as if you have already recieved some good advice. Sorry about my spelling, it is terrible. As far as a mad llama or spitting one, as carellama said, dont over love it. This (everything I say is my opinion) is exspecially true for a male that was bottle feed. Seems like they are fine until they hit the llama puberty age. Females seem fine, but males just hold the bottle and turn your head while they eat. Never had a problem with a female, but males that are bottle fed while being coddled or petted dont seem to recognize the differnce between us and another male lama during breeding. Another thing to look at is the selenium in your soil. Here in Ohio we had to supplement. As for dogs, it depends. Would I ever put a young pup that likes to nip and chase out there...no way. Learn the dog, learn the llama and take it from there. Hope this was some help.


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## Olivia67 (Mar 6, 2008)

Thank you everyone, especially you Big Dave! Ok more questions, how often do llamas feel the need to jump fences? Our fences are secure but we have little sheep and goats and so they are only about four feet high. Our corgi will be the biggest problem, he likes to start fights, he can't finish them but he sure does love to get things going. He is a bit of an idiot but I love him dearly, I expect he'll be the one who gets spit on because he is short and quick enough to avoid being trampled. I'll check the local library for books on llamas, if they don't have it then I'll check out ebay next. Amazon is getting a little expensive for my budget. I'll be sure to ask a lot of questions, especially about the shearing because I'm not sure that my sheep shearer does llamas so I may have to do it by myself. I was warned about bottle babies, especially males but I have read online about a female llama who had the Berserk Lllama Syndrome too. Don't know how it happened but the story was pretty darn scary. The woman stayed alive by staying at the side of the llama who was trying to kill her. Eventually her husband distracted the llama enough for her to escape-don't know what happened to the llama but I doubt she lived very long after that incident. Either way I don't think it happens very often and unless the llama is drugged when I go to see it, I should be able to tell right off if it has a behavior problem like that. Thanks for letting me know that I will not be able to just band a male, I have to take that into consideration before bringing one home if he is intact. We do have selenium deficency here too, what mineral do you use for your llamas Siberian? I don't think I have ever seen a llama mineral suppliment in our feed store, and the llama would live with my sheep so it would have access to that but would that be enough?


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## siberian (Aug 23, 2011)

We were able to get the selenium right through TSC store. Many local feed stores my have it if the mix thier own feed (used as a supplement in other feeds as well). We used to run up to 50 and never had one that jumped a fence. Thought they were a pretty smart animals. They seemd to handle situations as to the need. Seen a couple of times where someone would get kicked , but it was never hard or unwarrented. They did hide problems and were very stoic. Due to this proper care is a must , they will often not show signs of not feeling well. We were big time belivers in worming , watching there eyes (whites for changes) , and slight attitude changes. While a female going bizark isnt immposible, you will probably find males more often than not. Especially the males that are petted while being fed. Linda Tellington Jones and a guy named Mellon were two trainers that we enjoyed watching (back about 10 years ago. As he once said, 90% of the problems come freom the person holding the lead. Make learning fun with them and you will be amazed. Hang peices of plastic or paper off the eve of the barn and walk them under, walk them over tarps... theay will learn to controll thier fears and trust you. Have fun , they are great to have.


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## carellama (Nov 12, 2007)

We have been owners of llamas since 1998 and were blessed to see John Mallon and his hands on training last summer. Wow it is amazing what can be done with these critters when you know how they think! My llamas eat a quality grass hay,alfalfa and orchard grass. Along with an equine pellet for the old, pregnant, lactating females, and the younger under 2 years of age. Mine get sheep mineral from TSC. It does not have the high copper content that goat feed has
In LLamas
Val


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## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

A bit of topic but you seem to know your llamas.
I board 4 here for a summer camp. They always want to shear them at camp so the kids can watch. But the never do. They now have not been sheared for three years. one of them has some matted hair. These are not friendly and for me to shear them in the spring would be an adventure to say the least. I am not very llama knowledgeable but can provide food and shelter and vet if needed.
My real question is in the wild they do not shed why do we shear them?


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## Olivia67 (Mar 6, 2008)

Hi Steff,

You might want to start another new topic for your question but it's been my understanding that llamas are not wild anymore, they have been domesticated like most sheep breeds are and therefore cannot shed anymore on their own. Please if anyone knows differently, please correct me-I am not an expert, hence my orginal questions. You could post on Craigslist in your area to find someone to shear your llamas, I'm sure for a fee but it would be worth it so that they are more comfortable and so that no one calls animal control on you or your group. Matted hair can contribute to fungus growths at the skin level, lice, and depending on your area, fly strike. You don't know how bad it is until you shear them and with winter coming on, I'd do it sooner rather than later so that they have time to grow some new hair to keep warm. I have been told, again, someone jump in here if I'm wrong, that if you wrap your arms around them and hang on they give up fairly easy and you might be able to control them long enough to get a shot of sedative in them to calm them down long enough to shear them. I'd ask a vet about this before hand though and the vet may even want to administer it themselves if they aren't completely sure about the animals in question. Honestly my heart goes out to you, this sounds like a difficult situation and I'd be interested in how things turn out for you.


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

Here's some links steff, you might want to educate yourself...LOL

http://www.krmllamas.com/shearing.htm

http://www.autumnhillllamas.com/llama_shearing_article.htm

http://www.umass.edu/cdl/BMPs/Llama Shearing 08-10.pdf

http://www.pearsonpond.com/ShearingLLamas.html

http://charliethellama.com/shearing.html

http://www.enjoyllamas.com/shearing.htm

http://www.rio-oso.com/Shearing/index.php


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## siberian (Aug 23, 2011)

Olivia, as for me , I wouldnt attemp to hold these and give them a shot. Seems like it would be way to easy to break off a needle, and it could probably be done with out a seditive. There are many resources to find out how to make a llama chute (safe one). Set it out let them get used to it and gradually let them into it. This time of year we probably wouldnt shear close, esp. in cold weather areas. Could get some of the fiber off. Also wondering about hoof care? Has this been done and if so how do they handle it. Before cliping if not done before, hope they call a reputable owner or breeder and talk to them. Cheap shears may not be the way to go, good electric shears arn't cheap, and even with them they have to me careful to keep them from getting to hot. 

steff, looks like you got some good advice. Remember that the llama has undergone many changes. As in most animals we brred to fit our needs and this has been done. Also involved is climate , diet, fiber change. Just a thought, in the early 1800's an average size person today would be rather large, taking bake humans to another time of hunters and gatherers where they lived to be half our age and appearence was quite differnt.


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## siberian (Aug 23, 2011)

Carellama, thank you for spelling John's name correctly , isnt he fantastic. Would love to see pics. 

Matter of fact, sorry if Im jacking this thgread, but would love to see pictures from all.


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## Big Dave (Feb 5, 2006)

Just could not resist getting back on here.
I had my two newest girls sheared last month on a day when it reached 121 degrees. If I had not they may have gotten stressed.If you do it yourself make a catch pen. Get the halter on and hang on cause this is where it gets exciting. My new six year old head butted me and then the tree I was standing next to. Busted her lip and I saw more that stars as I had By Pass April before last. Yep they got tranquilized. If you have not sheared them don't do it now unless you are planning on keeping them in a barn till the hair grows back out. Shearing them I have found out takes a lot of time if you do it with manual hand shears. Hire some one to come in the spring. Hey maybe this could be an income for some one here just on the forum??? Back to the subject at hand. Read above for a phone # about owning Llamas and their care. Best to ya Big Dave ( not so big anymore)


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