What is a llama?
Is it a camel or is it something else like a horse or a giraffe?
To clear up these interesting questions we have gone to The Eneyelopedia of Animals for the answers.
Here is what we have found under the heading The Camel Family.
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Camelidae
Genera: 3
Species: 6
There is two species of camels; the single-humped dromedary, found in domesticated populations in Northern Africa and the Middle East, and the Bactrian Camel, domesticated in Northern Asia. The Bactrian can also be found in small numbers in the wild.
Their relatives in the family Camelidae are teh four camelids of South America; the wild guanaco and vicuna and the domesticated llama and alpaca.
It was once believed that the llama and the alpaca were domestic descendants of the wild guanaco, but studies have since proofed otherwise.
Both the llama and the alpaca have been herded for many hundreds of years and there are now a vast number of them in many parts of the world.
The wild guanaco and the vicuna are in danger of losing their place in the world by the introduction of domestic sheeep.
All camelids are adapted to arid or semiarid regions. Their complex, three-chambered ruminating stomach extracts the maximun nutrition from their main food. Their feet are unique among hoofed mammals in that only the front of the hoof touches the ground and the animal's weight rests instead on a fleshy sole-pad. With the camels their feet are broad to enable it to travel across the sand without sinking, but the South America species have anarrower foot for waling securely up rocky slopes.
The Camelid Family is spilt into Old World and New World Camelids. The Old World camelids are larger in size and have a prominent hump. The overall anatomy is similar. All species have long, slender legs, short tail, a long curved neck and a relatively small head with a split upper lip.
Of all six species in the Camelid family two are listed on the IUCN Red List: The Bactrian Camel, and the vicuna.
The Bactrian Camel is critically endangered with ony about a thousand wild individuals. The vicuna is in conservation dependent because of the introduction of domestic sheeep on its feeding areas.
So you see even though the llama is a part of the Camelidae family they are a species of their own.
www.iucnredlist.org
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What to look for in an abused animal.
Abused animal will either be afraid of humans to the point of running away all the time, or they will have no fear and will act agressive towards humans in a harmful way.
Some things to think about when you think an animal is abused.
Take lots of photos and date them. A picture is worth a thousand words.
If possible video tape the act.
Write down the act and what you saw in detail.
Photo your local police, SPCA, or law in forcement officer.
If you do not see any action taking place keep an eye on the situation and keep a journal of the happening, do not forget photos.
Remember to not approach the person doing the abuse with out proof. We do not need two victums.
Some time what we think is abuse or negelite is real something else. If you see an animal suffering for feed, find out some facts first, Is the owner sick? Is he/she low on cash and can not afford feed? Is the owner even around to know?
These are just a few questions.
If the animal is without feed or water and is in serious distress than you should not wait, but call someone right way.
Llamas can go for about three days with out water, if they are in perfect top notch shape. This is not in the middle of a heat wave, or high wind or in the middle of a snow storm. Llamas can not go for more than one day without feed. If they do not have somewhere to get out of the wind they dehidryate fast. Young and older llamas do not take temperature change well. Because the fiber holds in a lot of heat and keep the cold out llamas that have not been shorn in a while can die from heat stoke. A shorn animal is happier and cooler in the summer time. Also the longer the firber is the weaker the skin is.
Remember to not aproach the abusier, but get someone who is a professional to do that.
Thank you for your interest.
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The staff of Bitter Water Rescue Ranch has been asked to add this page to their site.
There seems to be a need for information on caring for crias that need assisstance.
Tip Number One
The best way to care for crias is for mother nature to do it's work. But when that fails, we feel the need to step in and lend a helping hand.
Most crias are up and ready to face the world with in hours of birth, but occasional there are those who need a helping hand.
If you are going to supplement the feeding you need to know that not all crias will live and not all crias have the will to live.
If we learn anything about every baby we save or lose is what works and what does not work. This is a new area in the llama industry and we are all still learning. When you find what works for you share it around.
The best milk we have found to feed crias after they have had some colustrum (mother's first milk), is some powdered skim milk. Make it warm for the cria. You should had some potien powder in with it as well as one can of evapurated caned milk. You also need to add some plain yogurt, about one teaspoon into their check to add natural immune building bacteria. This should be everyday for a while, at least until the cria is up and running around. This will have to be feed to the cria until it is old enough to eat hay and grain at least 3 to six months. It is best to remember not every cria on a bottle will survive and not to get your hopes up to high.
If the cria has not had colustrum you can give it cow's colustrum, but you must dilute it to half.
Keeping cria warm is important as they can not regulate their body heat if they are fighting to live. The best way to do this is to use a heating pad under them and warm blankets (you can warm blankets up in a dryer) wrapped around them. Keep the cria out of the dramp and drafty place. They can and do surive in the house nicely. You will have to find a bottle with a small nipple on it. We have found the 750ml pop bottles with a small black calf nipple on it works nicely. The cria will have to be fed every 2 hours at first until it is stronger. No more than about 2 to 4 oz. at a time. Try to keep last feeding at about 10pm and first feeding about 4 or 5 am. That way you get some sleep.
Just remember crias are the hardest to look after and it is even harder when we lose them, but we always learn from every encounter.
Just an added note, cria need access to water, if they are with other animals, like llamas, alpacas, calves, or even sheep the other animals will teach the young cria were the water is and how to access it. It is best to have it so that it can not get dirty from animal matter.
To know more about llamas contact Melissa Lanz
403-952-6333
www.bitterwaterrescueranch.com
or
www.llamacanada.ca
Do not forget to sign our guest book. you can get regular updates directed to your email.
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Here is a run down of the cost of feed in our area. Now the prices change every year so these prices are for September 2010
Tricale ............$4.00/Bul
Oats...................$1.75 to 2.00/Bul
Wheat ...............$ 4.00 to 10.00/Bul
Hay (small Squares)....$7.00/bale
Hay (rnd Bales)........$40.00 - 65.00/Ton
On top fo this there is llamas pellets that is add to the rations of special llamas in need of extra protien.
This pellets ranges in price of $14.00 to 24.00/bag
One bag will last one llama a month
One square bale will last one llama a week
7 llamas can feed on a round bale for a month.
Hope this helps you to see the cost of feed for the BWRR.
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Aggressive Crias
No one wants to admit that there is a problem with their babies, but some of us do admit and try to help where we can.
First what are the causes of aggressive crias?
One cause is the lack of playmates to keep the cria active and delevoping normally.
One cause is too much handling by humans too early. This usually happens with bottle feed babies.
One cause is it is just mommie and baby, no other llamas or alpacas in the pen, pasture with the baby.
Let us deal with each problem separately, but at the same time.
First for lack of playmates another cria will help. But it is not always aviable. So you have to play with the babies, but remember cause number 2 too much playing can lead to this problem as well.
What the staff at BWRR do is take a bright round disc of some sort, like an old bright tupperware lid and attach this to a retackable keychain. Now the noise of the keychain coming out and retacking will cause the young cria to pause and rethink what he/she is doing. This in turn with the bright disc gives them a visible, and audio reminder of boundaries. If you are going to feed a cria on a bottle for what every reason, this is a big must. By giving the young cria boundaries you are making him/her a better animal. No one likes a six foot tall animal rushing up to them just for kisses.
Just remember what is cute when they are 20 pounds is not so cute when they are 200 pounds and stand taller than you.
If you have just one llama/alpaca mare and she surprises you with a cria it is very important that you start to act as the auntie to the little cria or get another one soon. The reason is that the mother never disciplines the cria, so the cria associates her with safety. If you must bottle feed a cria do it such away that he/she does not associate you with milk, just feeding time. He/she should be feed in such away, like with a puppet llama that he/she will go to the puppet llama for safety and you can still do the discipline of the cria.
Hope this help you all.
Any question just call Melissa at 403 952 6333
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