well as of November my parents built a barn some fencing and bought us 9 Alpacas and I take care of them everyday so they are basically mine. I love these things they are really cool and I thought you all would be interested in learning about them.
here's a little bio on them shamelessly copied from Wikipedia because I'll be damned to type all of this.
- Alpacas have been domesticated for thousands of years. The Moche people of northern Peru often used alpaca images in their art.
- Along with Camels, and Llamas, Alpacas are classified as camelids
- Alpacas are social herd animals that live in family groups
[B]Spitting[/B]
Not all alpacas spit, but all are capable of doing so. Occasionally the projectile contains only air and a little saliva, although alpacas commonly bring up acidic stomach contents (generally a green, grassy mix) and project it onto their chosen targets. Spitting is mostly reserved for other alpacas, but an alpaca will occasionally spit at a human.
For alpacas, spitting results in what is called "sour mouth". Sour mouth is characterized by a loose-hanging lower lip and a gaping mouth. This is caused by the stomach acids and unpleasant taste of the contents as they pass out of the mouth[/COLOR][/FONT]
[B](side note)[/B] [I][B]this is some seriously [U]gross nasty shit[/U]. it stinks [U]horribly[/U]. especially when it it's you smack in the center of the [U]face.[/U][/B][/I]
-Most alpacas do not like being grabbed. Some alpacas tolerate being stroked or petted anywhere on their bodies, although many do not like their feet, lower legs, and especially their abdomen touched or handled.
(side note) [I][B]I have an alpaca named "lucky" anytime you touch him near his butt he kicks...right around crotch level I've learned this the hard way.[/B][/I]
[B]Hygiene[/B]
Alpacas use a communal dung pile, where they do not graze. This behaviour tends to limit the spread of internal parasites. Generally, males have much tidier, and fewer dung piles than females, which tend to stand in a line and all go at once. One female approaches the dung pile and begins to urinate and/or defecate, and the rest of the herd often follows.
(side note) [I][B]what I've learned is that in this animals the roles are reversed with the boys being cleaner then the girls. Seriously the girls are fucking gross. we haven't had rain in two weeks and yet I still have an area of "muck"( shit, piss, and mud.) near my barn wall. when I go out there I have to ware rubber boots because I sink like an inch into the freaking shit. Also the poop consists mostly of pellets, kinda like deer or rabbit shit.
[/B][/I][B]Sounds[/B]
Alpacas make a variety of sounds. When they are in danger, they make a high-pitched, shrieking whine. Some breeds are known to make a "wark" noise when excited. Strange dogs—and even cats—can trigger this reaction. To signal friendly or submissive behavior, alpacas "cluck," or "click" a sound possibly generated by suction on the soft palate, or possibly in the nasal cavity.
Individuals vary, but most alpacas generally make a humming sound. Hums are often comfort noises, letting the other alpacas know they are present and content. The humming can take on many inflections and meanings.
When males fight, they scream a warbling, bird-like cry, presumably intended to terrify the opponent.
(side note) t[I][B]hey make some pretty oddball sounds it's funny really I have this girl named Jill that makes this weird twittering noise when I feed her.
[/B][/I]
-Females are "induced ovulators"; the act of mating and the presence of semen causes them to ovulate
-A male is usually ready to mate for the first time between one and three years of age.
- A female alpaca may fully mature (physically and mentally) between 12 and 24 months.
-The gestation period is 345 ± 15 days, and usually results in a single offspring
- After a female gives birth, she is generally receptive to breeding again after about two weeks.
-Alpacas can live for up to 25 years
[B]BUSINESS[/B]
As for the business aspect of this, their fur is really valuable and is better then wool(opinion) their shit also makes a good fertilizer so yes you can sell that to(I'll take a picture of the massive shit pile I have collected since November. and they are really valuable in themselves based on their genealogy and quality of fur. and if they give birth easy. oh and a [b]massive tax deduction[/b]
alpacas are worth 1500$-3000$ each
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E__BYmo8LI[/media]
And finally y'alls favorite part pictures!(don't hate they are taken from an Ipod.)
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/QJaRB.jpg[/IMG]
his name is lucky, my only halter trained and most sociable alpaca. he is one of my favorites.I took him to my schools petting Zoo
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/cdfol.jpg[/IMG]
Another picture of lucky at my barn with Gabe and Midas in the background.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/nbkcU.jpg[/IMG]
Gabe our most valuable and youngest Alpaca. He gets to lose his virginity soon.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/qVUAu.jpg[/IMG]
Midas, our most anti-social alpaca, I do not know much about him. We bought him from a separate farm than the others. He is fucking huge.
And now for the girls:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/PQaiK.jpg[/IMG]
This is roulette, I think she is pregnant, I'm not sure I think she had a miscarriage...we will find out in a few months she is a "suri" you can tell by the fur. she is really jumpy.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/6eRks.jpg[/IMG]
this is Jill. She is an ugly ass alpaca. she spits allot. but she makes the funniest noises and is really curious. She like to eat out of your hand more than anything. I think she is pregnant.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/cH8cM.jpg[/IMG]
I don't remember her name, but the is my favorite girl. really clean, really docile, yet very skittish when approached. She is our biggest female and very pregnant.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/1yiGx.jpg[/IMG]
And this is our "queen bitch" or her actual name is Princess. she is our most valuable Alpaca. she is Gabes mother and is the meanest alpaca we have. We have to actually separate her from the rest of the alpacas when we feed the girls because she spits and bites and will eat all of their food given the chance. She is very pregnant and is due sometime this month or next. I'll be sure to record it for Y'all If I get to see it. sorry about the image quality on this one I thought it came out better.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/JW4El.jpg[/IMG]
This is our guard dog "zoey" she does not shut the fuck up for anything. she is always barking. but she is super nice and fluffy. I forget her breed. she is freaking huge though, she tackled my dad once.
I have 2 other girls but I don't remember their names and I don't like them.
wow I never thought I'd put this much effort into a thread I hope y'all enjoyed it :)
UPDATE:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/DsoEV.jpg[/IMG]
NEW BABY weighs 14 pounds, Female, no name as of yet. I wanted to name her Elizabeth because her moms name is princess(see what I did there?)
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/jWZau.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Id9qv.jpg[/IMG]
for some reason Zoey tried to eat her, I think it was for the after birth or something.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/6uO9h.jpg[/IMG]
Nice!
Although you might wanna have someone help you with the tags and such, I have no idea :v:
hey if someone wants to reformat the OP for me feel free!
Every photo of those alpacas i just find hilarious. They are so darn amusing to look at for some reason.
Are there any upsides to owning Alpacas other than owning Alpacas?
Why do you have Alpacas?
Fur and shit.
[editline]4th April 2012[/editline]
watch the video. just posted.
Alpacas are awesome
So are you guys planning on selling the offspring?
Not quite sure how the business aspect of this works
[QUOTE=ewitwins;35437270]So are you guys planning on selling the offspring?
Not quite sure how the business aspect of this works[/QUOTE]
Fur.
Alpaca's are fucking awesome.
You should post more of the girl in the first pic btw.
Just looking at the pictures i couldn't help it but burst in laughter
oh alpacas...
[QUOTE=Aerkhan;35437399]Alpaca's are fucking awesome.
You should post more of the girl in the first pic btw.[/QUOTE]
her name is [redacted]
Tell them to stay away from the enemy flag.
Ok with that terrible joke out of the way, do alpacas miscarriage often? Because in Bolivia they burn some sort of llama like creature's miscarriage in shamanistic rituals to appease spirits due to the fact that it's so common.
[QUOTE=nemmises5;35437548]her name is billy.[/QUOTE]
More pics of her.
We demand more pics of billy
[QUOTE=FreeHat;35437368]Fur.[/QUOTE]
As in, like, killing them? Or just shaving them?
Because when you say fur I think leather.
D:>
we shave them ha ha ha no at least in the U.S. we don't eat them or anything
[editline]5th April 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=Ryuken;35437663]We demand more pics of billy[/QUOTE]
lol maybe.
wow this is what happens when I post a thread 2:00 in the morning...
[QUOTE=areolop;35444435]obligatory
[t]http://memeorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/call-the-cops-i-dont-give-a-fuck-llama.jpg[/t][/QUOTE]
Fucking alpaca's
Also alpaca's are awesome, more pics of Billy.
how big is a alpaca's penus typically?
[QUOTE=Limpus Dingus;35446009]how big is a alpaca's penus typically?[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/VUmou.gif[/IMG]
I heard Alpaca farming is really profitable. Is this true? I know they sell for 1500-3000 like you said in the OP, but how often are you able to make money from them?
[QUOTE=Sir M;35446098][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/VUmou.gif[/IMG][/QUOTE]
That appears to be a female Alpaca. (The nametag)
do female alpacas have penuses or something? (penii(?))
Zoey would appear to be a Great Pyrenees.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.