About Alpacas:  Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

What is an alpaca?

They are fairly rare, exotic animals imported from countries in South America and raised primarily for their fur (called fiber), producing between three to seven pounds of fine wool each year similar in quality to angora and cashmere. Alpaca farms breed these animals for sale, for their fiber (to make clothing and high fashion wear), and even for pets.  They are related to llamas, but are smaller, and generally produce more fiber that mostly lacks the coarse guard hairs in llama fiber. Alpacas have straight ears, while llamas have very distinctively curved, banana-shaped ears.  

Are they friendly? (Do they SPIT?)

They do spit, but can learn to be very friendly to humans from close contact and training.  They generally do not spit at people, but rather spit at each other to establish boundaries such as fussing over shared food.  Alpacas are fun, magical creatures that bring great pleasure to their owners and breeders.  Visit our farm to see for yourself!

How much do alpacas cost?

They are expensive and you generally get what you pay for.  The top quality ones will sell for tens of thousands of dollars or more.  The price ranges greatly depending on the lineage, fiber quality, conformation (phenotypic body characteristics), color and sex.  We have open farm days for alpaca education, if you would like to find out about our farm events or simply request information via email, then please fill out our information request form and we will be happy to get back to you.

How much land does an alpaca need to live on?

They consume much less hay than the same number of horses and cows; they are much smaller.  They will be very comfortable with one or two animals per acre.

How do you raise an alpaca (raising alpacas)?

They should be put on a schedule of routine, periodic vaccinations and worming medications.  Most alpaca farmers provide a shelter from the winter storms and the summer sun.  They need hay year-round that is normally supplemented with a grain and salt minerals.  

There are several books available on all aspects of alpaca care from neonatal care to veterinary practices to setting up your farm. We can provide a recommended reading list in response to your information request.  Also, there are many informational organizations and Web sites.  There is an alpaca chat group with enough experienced alpaca breeders to answer any question you can up with (click to find out about the chat group).

How do you market them?

They can be marketed through direct, bulk mail, through the Internet, through Alpacas' Magazine, state fairs, 4H events, alpaca shows and competitions, and craft shows.  The national Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA) provides mailing lists, marketing materials, training in marketing, and they market alpacas on national media such as cable television, providing marketing support to the industry as a whole.