# Alpaca as a companion



## MyLittlePita (Feb 13, 2006)

We've been thinking of a companion for our mini. A friend is willing to lend us a goat, but my husband seems to have his mind set on an alpaca. He read about them somewhere and seems to think he'd like to have one of them instead of the goat.

Any thoughts on alpacas as companion animals?


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## Ashley (Feb 13, 2006)

DOnt see why not. We have ours with the horses with out problems, but they are not a cheap animal. For a male you will probably spend at lest $600 more for females, and more depending on the registration.


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## Miniv (Feb 13, 2006)

I'm sure it would be fine. We have our llamas in with our minis with no problems. However, as Ashley pointed out, Alpacas are a rather expensive "companion" animal.

MA


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## Little Bit (Feb 14, 2006)

[SIZE=10pt]I am sure an Alpaca would be fine with your minis, in fact they are very good guard animals! We have 3 male Alpacas. They used to be in with my miniature horses, but in the summer they LOVE to cool off in the pond where my Percheron mare & mini donkey live, they all get along great!




I do think that you should consider getting two males or a male & a female (if ya can afford it, as the females can be VERY expensive,) because Alpacas are a herd animal and I think they would be quite lonely without a companion. Horses are OK, but just not the same for an Alpaca, if ya know what I mean! They hum to each other a lot, and I was told by the breeder I bought them from that they will die from loneliness if they loose their companion. They are wonderful little animals and very low maintenance. They have to have their yearly vaccinations, and a worm shot twice a year and their toe nails trimmed about every 3 months and some minerals. Here in Texas we have to shear them because it gets so hot, but in the cooler climates I don't think you would absolutely have to, if you didn't want the fiber.[/SIZE]


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## Southern_Heart (Feb 15, 2006)

I have a friend that has alpacas with her minis and no problems at all!!

Joyce


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## anita (Feb 15, 2006)

I have 20 minis for my heart and over 100 alpacas are my business.

Alpacas, Llamas are browsers and horses grasser. They are both herd animals and belong to their own species. Even my husbands show llamas have nothing to tell with alpacas, different specie.

I can not understand to run a llama as a guard they can not even take care of themself hardly of dogs or coyotes.

My horses have nothing absolutely nothing in mind with alpacas.

BTW the average alpaca in USA is $ 40, 000.00 2005. Its only one " American Alpacas Registry"

Business is good!

Anita

Little Texas Miniature Horses

Sulphur Springs TX

[email protected]


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## Feather1414 (Feb 15, 2006)

We have my horses in with the alpacas.

The only problem I have is Peanut and Dealer enjoy chasing them. For the most part they are fine, no harm done to either yet.

Alpacas are quite expensive though, and remember that they AREN'T cuddly like a mini. If you want a cheap one, more then likely go for a pet quality male which will be like 500-1000 if they are expensive.


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## woodnldy (Feb 15, 2006)

Anita, Do you have a web site up for your alpaca's and Horses??


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## MtnShadowsFarm (Feb 15, 2006)

We have our Alpacas in a neighboring drylot, not together! In our situation..dry lot..the Alpacas are free fed orchard hay...the minis would all be dead if they were free fed! Also, the Alpacas and Minis get different "concentrated" feeds so that wouldn't work either. Their nutritional needs and foraging habits differ as well. They get along fine, but for their best good, I wouldn't keep them together.

Anita...When did you move to TX?

Felicia


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## anita (Feb 15, 2006)

Thanks for asking

Yes, we have a web still www.goldenstatealpacas.com . We moved and changed our name to Southwest Alpacas. Website gets redone. We are located in Sulphur Springs TX. not far from Arkansas. If you like to visit you are always welcome.

In March 2007 we have The First Alpaca Event Southwest, a premier alpaca sale here on our ranch.

Little Texas Miniature Horses web is coming soon.

Talk to you soon

Anita

Little Texas Miniature Horses

Sulphur Springs TX

[email protected]


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## Little Bit (Feb 15, 2006)

I have found that my 3 Alpaca boys are VERY protective, they do not miss a thing that is "new". If a strange dog were to get in their pasture they would go after it with their front toenails! In fact a small dog snuck into their pasture through our main gate at the end of the lane one day as I was going out and it's just a good thing it was small enough to slip through the squares in the fence! All 3 of the boys were going after it! :new_shocked:

I bought my Alpacas about 7 years ago...a white baby that I fed on a bottle and a sorrel colored one that was about a year old, both were registered for $1,50.00. The baby was sick when I got it with an upper respirator infection, and was given antibiotics, but my vet did not tell me to give him any Probious, it got diarrhea, and didn't want to drink it's formula as well as before, every time I gave him some of the feed his diarrhea got worse. I finally called up to Texas A & M and talked to the exotic vet who told me he should have been on the Probious along with the antibiotics. I started him on it, but it was too late by then. One thing about Alpacas, is that since they were wild animals, they do not act sick until they are just about ready to die.



The breeder sent me another Alpaca the very next day as the remaining Alpaca was quite distraught and watched us buried the baby, it was heart breaking. The replacement had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia when I had them gelded and had to be euthanized. The breeder sent me another Alpaca the very next day as well!!! She would not let me pay her any money for these replacements! Then a couple years later the breeder called me and asked if we wanted a free Alpaca, we told her sure, why not. Apparently the owner wanted to get away from owning Alpacas and didn't want to pay for the board any longer. Come to find out this free Alpaca has good blood lines and his conformation is excellent! So now we have Starbuck the original sorrel Alpaca, a white Suri named Lyndon and a fawn colored one named Mr. Nicholas. Only Starbuck is gelded...they get along great together thank goodness, as I would be afraid to have the other two gelded after loosing Endeavor.





They do not get fed anything extra, they just graze in a large pasture with my Percheron mare & mini donkey. They are too fat according to the breeder, but I can't help that! They certainly are NOT cuddly, they are more like deer when out in the pasture. If we need to catch them I can whistle for them and shake a can of feed and they come running! I then coax them into a stall and then I am able to put my arm around their neck and put a halter on them, then you can pet them and lead them around, but you can't touch them when they're out in the pasture! I suppose if you had them in a smaller pasture and messed with them alot they would be a lot tamer, I don't know.


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## MyLittlePita (Feb 16, 2006)

Thanks for all the comments and advice. Maybe we (i.e. my husband)should re-think this idea of an alpaca - unless he's won a lottery somewhere and I don't know about it (haha.)

Did you know - he wants a pink one!! (Is that right - do they come in pink?)

Perhaps we should visit a breeder (there's one in the Niagara area somewhere) and talk to them.

Again, thanks for the input!!


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## lilfoot (Feb 16, 2006)

My Little Pita,

Wow! You are in Canfield! Maybe I already know you? (We're in Beamsville.)

Thought I'd give you info on that Niagara breeder you mentioned.

Her name is Leslie Comfort #905-386-6151, in St. Ann's, Ont.

She has quite a well known stud & a large herd but occasionally

sells extra males as pets. More affordable if unregistered too.


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## MyLittlePita (Feb 16, 2006)

lilfoot said:


> My Little Pita,
> 
> Wow! You are in Canfield! Maybe I already know you? (We're in Beamsville.)
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info. I have seen Leslie Comfort's ad in the local paper. I checked out their website but it is still under construction.


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## Jason (Aug 20, 2020)

Can an intact male alpaca be with an intact male miniature horse?


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## Pitter Patter (Aug 21, 2020)

I don't think that would be a problem as such, but would likely depend on their personalities and do they already know each other? I don't have alpacas, but I do have two large llamas. They are currently with my bigger pony (welsh cobb) and our HUGE goat. My mini stallion was in that mix until several months ago. At first most horses that I have seen are shocked when they first see llamas at least, but everyone is fine after they get used to seeing the "aliens." My cobb did kick one llama but now they are well respected in the "herd" for the wonderful skill of spitting and everyone gets along quite well. I would have no problem putting them in with my minis I am sure because they are next to each other all the time and the llamas are generally sweet. I have one intact llama and my stallion and they are good together. Some llamas are good guard animals, but not all. To be honest though, if you have a choice most species prefer their own and then other species. Also, I have seen my llama and wether goat decide to try to mount one another but seems mostly in play. Don't know if that would carry over to a mini horse. So, long story short (too late, I know). I think if you already know their traits and you feel comfortable they are safe, you could probably put them together if you had to or they are your only animals, but they would probably rather more of their own kinds as well.


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