Are alpacas dangerous?
A. Absolutely not! They are safe and pleasant to be around. They do not bite or butt and they do not have the teeth, horns, hooves, or claws to do serious injury. • Q. Alpacas spit, don’t they? A. Spitting is perhaps the least endearing feature of alpacas. It is one of the few defense mechanisms an alpaca has and is quite an effective deterrent. The material is basically regurgitated or recently chewed grass and it brushes off when dry. It does have a distinctive and somewhat offensive odor and it is best to avoid being a target. However, it is quite rare that alpacas spit at people. It is normally used as a pecking order mechanism with other alpacas. If a human hit occurs, it is usually because the person has not read the signs properly when stepping between two squabbling alpacas. • Q. Are alpacas easy to care for? A. They are small and easy to maintain, rarely overeat and require no extraordinary care. They should have basic shelter for protection against heat and foul weather. They
Absolutely not! They are safe and pleasant to be around. They do not butt and rarely bite, and they do not have the teeth, horns, hooves, or claws to do serious injury. Can I run alpacas with other livestock? Alpacas can bond well with other types of animals. Naturally, alpacas and large aggressive dogs are not a good combination, but there are many cases of quiet dogs mixing well with alpacas. Individual alpacas have been very successfully run with sheep and goats to act as fox guards. The alpacas tend to bond with the foster herd and they are naturally aggressive toward foxes. If running with different livestock, alpacas will pick up the internal parasites associated with the other animals and should be put on the same deworming regime. Because of the risk of the alpacas being kicked, caution should be used if running them with cattle or horses.
