Thursday, July 12, 2012
Touch Your Alpacas
Alpacas are naturally flight animals. Some of your alpacas will be less likely to move away when you approach them while others will run if you make even the slightest movement toward them.
If you want to be able to handle your alpacas well you need to touch them every day.This can be a stroke on the neck, a pat on the butt or simply putting out a hand and have them approach you.
Developing trust of humans can be difficult for some alpacas. Patience and regular attention on your part will help ease this. We have a wonderful girl who was extremely skittish for the first 2 years that we had her. Over the last few months she has become much more affectionate. We have made sure to give her that extra bit of attention each day. While not quite as "huggable" as some others that we have, she is much calmer and easier to work with than ever. This is a big help on herd health day.
Alpacas are very easy to care for compared to other animals. Take advantage of this. Get to to know each one. Talk to them and let them feel your kind touch every day.