Alpaca Behavior

[NinaFaust]

Three months ago I got my three-year-old gelding to replace the one I had to euthanize. One of the joys of watching my two original geldings was their joyful play. I have yet to see any play between the new guy and my original four-year-old. Do some alpacas just not play, or does it take time for them to get comfortable enough with each other to play? They sure seem like pretty good buddies, but I have only seen one instance of solicitation to play that was ignored. The three-year-old is about a head shorter than Gypsy, the four-year-old. What do folks think?

Nina
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Photo by Carol Charat

[Marty McGee Bennett]

It has been my experience that alpacas and llamas just don't play that much once they get a bit older. When they do it seems even more special. You may be surprised though maybe after a bit more time you may see more. GREAT halter fit and nice photo!

[NinaFaust]

Well that is disappointing to hear the older guys don't play as much. It is such a beautiful thing to watch. I will hope they get bored and decide to play.

So here is another question, regarding humming. Canela, my new boy, hummed 24/7 for several days when I first got him, which did not surprise me. He does not hum much anymore except it seems like everyday when I come out to feed the boys, Gypsy comes to the barn door for a treat, and Canela stands back and just hums. He usually quits when the food is put down in the barn for each, but it is such a curious thing that he does this. Just an individual quirk? Or does it signify something one should be concerned about?
Nina

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[Dorothy Hunt]

Hi Nina,
Did he come from a larger herd? My thought is that perhaps he was at the bottem of the pecking order and associates meal-time with being pushed around by the other boys. If that is the case, time, you and Gypsy will solve the problem. Thanks for all of your lovely photos!
Radar

[Marty McGee Bennett]

humming is a sign (I think of course only they know : )) of impatience, worry, concen, it can mean I am hot, cold, uncomfortable. In my opinion it is something to notice but not to really worry about as long as it doesn't persist. Many animals hum when they are moved to a new environment, when they are transported when they have to wait for food, when they are weaned, when they don't feel good. I think it is a good idea to pay attention try to figure out what is going on and fix it if you can. Sometimes time is required. I think your guy is fine.

[NinaFaust]

Yes, Canela came from a herd of about eight where he was definitely a mellow fellow who got picked on. I watch carefully the behavior when he is humming so I am trying to figure out if there is anything to worry about. Dorothy, you may be right, he is just worried he won't get his share. He has nothing to worry about with that. Since I am giving zinc each morning, I don't leave until each boy has finished his personal frisbee dish of carrot bits, zinc, small portion of alpaca pellets, and bits of grass. They relish it, so I don't want any stealing.

Gypsy usually only hums when the vet is here and is working on his buddy. Obviously he is showing his concern.

The only other time I have noticed Canela humming is out grazing for quite a length of time. I finally figured out that Canela was telling me he had to go over to the dung pile. Hey, they communicate--ya just gotta translate!
Nina
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[NinaFaust]

We have now transitioned into winter walking which provides safe opportunities for my alpacas to have lessons in walking with me without their leads. This is also going to be fun to see if they finally do get into play mode. It is clear to me that Gypsy still wants to play. He has solicited play both times that we have been out the past week, but Canela has not figured it out. I don't think he played much in his small herd as the pen was not quite big enough. Gypsy is trying to get him to run with him and has succeeded in eliciting some short runs up the hill. I am going to enjoy watching this develop.

Nina
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[Dorothy Hunt]

Canela is a lucky boy, having found a home with you and Gypsy! We will all enjoy watching his progress.
Radar

[Marty McGee Bennett]

Nina, tell us more about winter walking and what a great photo! So you can go on walks sans lead and no running away... how does it work?

[NinaFaust]

Yes, I can walk my boys now without a lead and they will not run away. But I have been working up to this. Canela came July 24, a very scared but shy alpaca, to be Gypsy's new companion, the same day he lost his buddy.

When training these guys to be pets, trust is at the top of my list. I think that is key. I used a lot of the Camelidynamics techniques in the barn to get Canela used to his halter and lead. We started taking walks just a couple days after he arrived. We walk everyday for at least an hour. During summer, both boys were out with me on the property on lead, sometimes 4-6 hours. Toward the end of summer, I would let the leads drop so they could wander nearby, but I was always close at hand to pick up the leads. I have taught them both "Whoa" on the trail walks.

I worked hard to teach Canela that I am the Goddess that helps him with everything. Lead gets tangled around your leg? Whoa, wait for me. Gypsy just stands with his leg up, patiently waiting for me to untangle his leg. Canela has finally figured this out. He waits patiently while I remove his halter. Best of all, he will eat his crunchies or carrot tidbits in the barn with the door open without a halter while I ask for his foot to trim his toenails. That beats heck out of all the problems I had with Indigo and his toenails! Plus, he does not spit. Indigo taught me incredible patience.

I have also started using my target and clicker with Canela. This is a great way to work obstacles and mazes. I just started this before the snow hit. We have only done one obstacle lesson, but he learns quickly. Both boys have learned to go under the gate chain with me. He understands to come to the target, and he understands the clicker, which means he has done something right. He gets lots of "Good boys" too. The target can be used to teach the alpacas to go into the barn or to come. I will also use the target to transition into teaching him to follow the tip of the wand through a maze. Gypsy already knows this so he acts as my assistant instructor by demonstrating to Canela the proper way to do things.

During summer there are too many distractions to allow these guys to walk off lead. Plus for Canela, it was just too soon. Now, with the snow covering all the snacks, what else is there to do but to go for a snow walk and hope the Goddess with the big boot will uncover a nice snack. So my routine leading up to allowing the boys off lead is to take them out on the route several times over a few days. Then I walk them on lead down the trail to the lower field. At about the halfway point when we are going to be heading back up to the house, I let them off. They will follow me until they come to a snack spot. After a bite they will continue.

These two boys have not run away from me. But today, with my encouragement, they did a bit of playing. Posturing, air spits, and a bit of spronging on short sprints. They came back after they were done. This used to be a game for Gypsy with Indigo. I would egg them on by yelling, "Go Gygpsy go!" So that is what I was yelling today. I think Gypsy remembers. They ran up the field and then turned to run back towards me.

And yes, they will run up the hill ahead of me to the house. But that is ok as that is part of my accepted routine for them. The idea is to get them out running and exercising. I can't keep up with them on an uphill sprint but they are not going anywhere except up to the house. They keep tabs on me as much as I keep tabs on them.

I am fortunate to be in an area where the hayed fields are surrounded by forest or willow or dense alder patches. The area they know is well-defined and the trails all lead back to the house. Snow hiking is a great way to beat winter pen bordom. I know these guys really like their walks!

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Posturing and air spits. The chase is on!

[NinaFaust]

I am still feeling my way with the process of training my boys to follow off lead. Today, Gypsy was in a funny mood, maybe stubborn. He just stood in the trail and chewed his cud, would not move. So I decided to try something different. I took his lead off and headed down the trail with Canela. Within seconds, Gypsy was on our heels headed down the trail with us. I thought, ok cool, that worked.

At the bottom of the field is the area I cleared of snow where there are some nice green tidbits. Gypsy stalled out there. Canela and I kept walking. I kept calling Gypsy to come, but he ignored us. Finally, I reached the extent of Canela's comfort zone in being separated from his buddy. Gypsy still ignored us. I had to go back to where Gypsy was. I was very surprised that he would be so independent as to allow us to get that distance from him. So now I have to work on the "Come" command in the pen so that they are both more responsive when off lead.

I also worked a maze this afternoon with both boys, adding a tiny jump for Gypsy to make it more challenging. Both fellows enjoy the interaction. The one thing I notice about doing the agility type training is that each alpaca's confidence just soars with success even in a simple maze. That confidence transfers to their willingness to do more scary things out on the trail with me.

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Photo by Carol Charat

[LovelyBoys]

Nina, You are awesome. How lucky these two alpacas are to have you. And what great pictures. :D:D

[NinaFaust]

Today we worked on "Come" and did a simple maze. I made the maze a little longer than yesterday's with a turn and a few things I knew would be scary for Canela. Gypsy did it easily with a small jump at the end. Canela took two tries and then did the whole thing, including the small jump at the end.

The "Come" exercise was simply work on getting them to come to me with the target when I call "Come" and/or whistle. They did very well in the pen. I ran across the pen numberous times and then called them to me. They came like little champs.

So then, disappointing out walking. Ole Gypsy was doing his balking again. Tried letting him off the lead. That did not work. He just would not go. Tried a different route as he was more than willing to walk back toward the house. Got to the house but he would not go down the field. I am suspecting that maybe there is something around that is bothering him. He usually loves his walks. We have had solitary coyotes hunting voles in the field the past few days. Perhaps he is smelling the coyotes. I am going to give them a day or two off from walking and try again in a couple of days.

Any suggestions on how to get past the balking are more than welcome. I do the quiet waiting trick, but Gypsy's patience exceeds any potato count I have done!
Nina
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http://www.camelidynamics.com/guildForum/attachment.php?attachmentid=257&d=1195004706256
Photos by Jeff Wells

[Louise]

Nina,

That picture of the alpacas on each side would be a winner in a photo contest.

Looking at it shows what calmness (most of the time - ha) alpacas create for their owners.

Beautiful picture.

Louise

[Marty McGee Bennett]

It sounds to me that you may be over doing a bit remember these animals are really designed for mostly eating and then eating again and again... I am hoping to come back as an alpaca. What is interesting and fun in small doses might become stressful if overdone. I kind of thing twice a week maybe three times a week sometimes is a good rhythm. More than that I think starts to take you backwards. I am kind of thinking you may need more alpacas to keep up with you!

[NinaFaust]

A lesson and a walk in one day may well be too much. On the other hand, any time I am outside, they are right there at the fence waiting for me to do something with them. They are used to getting out of the pen daily.

I entertained them for a couple of hours pushing snow out of their pen, which they watched diligently. Then I decided it was a day for something just fun. A nice path had been blown across the field to our aviary, so I just put the halters on, opened the gate, and walked out. Both boys came with me and found, much to their delight, a long blown trail with lots of green specks to nibble. Very laid back outing but they also decided they wanted to play, so a long race across the field ensued, ending at a grass patch by our upper cabin. Afterwards we all sauntered back to the pen.

Outings like this are boredom reducers, and I do think these guys enjoy them.

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King of the Barn

[Marty McGee Bennett]

You know your kids better than I do but if they are acting reluctant the first thing I would do is leave them be for a few days.. then they will be ready for some fun.

[Linda Buttolph]

Hi Nina,
Thanks for sharing your wonderful interaction with your boys. Dorothy is right. They are truly blessed to call you their "Goddess". The photos are great, and I especially enjoyed the last snow games. I almost expected to see your guys making snow angels. :-)
Thanks for the smiles.
Linda Buttolph

[Nancy Woodward]

I am amazed, enchanted and inspired by your accomplishments--and the fun! you and your alpaca friends enjoy together. Please do a video!

[NinaFaust]

I don't think this website supports video clips, but that would sure be fun!
Maybe someone will let me know if video clips are accomodated.

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[Nancy Woodward]

I wonder if AOBA mightn't love to make such a video available? Certainly, watching you have so much fun with your alpacas would be good for our hearts as well as our shared biz interests. I've thought about offering to make one for Honda--watching five adorable alpacas cheerfully line up to jump into and out of my Odyssey, aka the Paca wagon. It's like a clown car event--no halters. I just open the gate, then the door, and stand there proudly, not always refraining from taking a bow...ham that I am. The kids really do love their paca wagon.

Surely there is a place where we could share fun alpaca family videos!

[NinaFaust]

A friend of mine who has the llama and alpaca ranch where I bought Canela has talked about sometime doing a video as it would show potential pet owners some of the things one can enjoy with their critters. Yours going in and out of the Paca van sounds like a riot. There are lots of short clips on YouTube, but I have not really sorted through them. I will have to talk to my friend again about a video.
Nina

[Marty McGee Bennett]

That is a great idea there are so many inappropriate videos on You Tube.

[NinaFaust]

You are right about YouTube. I took the boys out for the first winter "Treasure Hunt" walk of the season where I pre-hide a small stashes of hay and carrot pieces at intervals for about half a mile. This was Canela's first "Hunt" and Gypsy's second season.

I am amazed at how much Gypsy remembered. As soon as he "found" the first treasure and I said, "Let's go find it" his ears just perked and he literally wanted to prance down the road to the next one. I had to remind him to heel. So funny to see him doing his little play jump when he could see evidence of the next "treasure" just up the road. It was a fun walk as both boys just wanted to keep going to the next spot, no stopping even to nibble the trees.

This walk is done on a lead since we are heading out toward the main road where we do have a chain across our driveway. Halfway back, they get to walk without the leads. This is a fun walk for everyone!
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[NinaFaust]

As Canela has gotten more comfortable about living here, he is finally cushing more in the barn and in the yard in front of the barn. Also, I am seeing more play. Spring is in the air!

I finally saw for the first time some neck wrestling during their last spronging play chase while out on a walk. We have certain areas where I encourage them to take off and get some good exercise. They usually go back and forth between where I am on the driveway and their pen area. Anyway, it is good to see them getting along so well and now playing more!

Nina

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Photo by Carol Charat
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Photo by Jeff Wells

[Marty McGee Bennett]

I LOVE your photos. I especially love the heads above the snow.

[NinaFaust]

I finally got a video camera so I am going to start working on some alpaca films. Then I will figure out what to do with them.
Nina