All About Alpacas

 Why Alpacas?

• An alpaca is a cousin of the llama and is part of the camelid family.
• There are two breeds of alpacas - Huacaya (wah-ki-uh) and Suri (surry).
• Huacaya's look like large, fluffy teddy bears while suris sport long, beautiful locks.
• Alpacas come in 22 natural colors from white and black to a variety of browns, fawns, and greys.
• Alpacas are earth-friendly and easy keepers.

 Facts About Alpaca Owners

Here are some quick facts about current alpaca breeders:

• 72% are 45 years of age or older.
• 60% are employed outside the alpaca industry in a variety of professions.
• 80% had never raised livestock before discovering alpacas.
• 83% classify their involvement with alpacas as professional.
• 58% boarded their alpacas for the first three months of ownership.
• 67% purchased their first alpacas in the past five years.
• 45% have used financing from the seller to purchase their alpacas.

*Statistics from the 2005 AOBA Member Survey

More Facts About Alpacas

• Average life span: 15 to 20 years
• Average weight: 100 to 180 pounds
• Average height: 36" at the withers
• Average gestation: 335 days resulting in 1 cria (alpaca baby) (twins are rare)
• Average birth weight: 15-20 pounds
• Average amount of fiber produced: 4 to 8 pounds of fiber per year.
• Alpacas share a common "bean" pile making them easy to clean up after.
• Alpacas only have a bottom row of teeth.
• Alpacas have two toes on each foot (which need to be trimmed from time-to-time)
• Alpacas make a sweet "humming" sound to communicate.
• Mother alpacas "cluck" at their babies and adults (or sometime even weanlings) have an alarm call that will make the herd stand at attention.