Starting Alpaca and Llama Crias

Page 3

Respecting The Natural Process
With Thoughful Intervention

We feel a serious responsibility to provide the best care possible for baby and mom while equally trying to maintain a respectful balance. We give the initial recommended shots, inspect and sterilize the umbilical and watch for the passing of the meconium. Beyond that, we try our best to contain our deep desire to be "helpful" unless we truly suspect a problem.

This newborn alpaca cria at Thompson Hollow Alpacas is learning about balance and stand for the first time. Notice how attentive and excited Mom is.

As with all newborns of any species, nature has provided a series of developmental stages which are best suited for them. The lungs and other organs begin their work on cue. The various muscles realize their function in a progressive "programmed" order. The baby learns to right itself, the long neck learns to lift the head and previously flattened ears begin to unfold. The legs then try to get organized to eventually lift this here-to-fore recumbent body while discovering balance to be a tricky thing. One rear leg pushes just a tad too much and over we go. While baby is busy with all these miracles, mom is also undergoing her own nature's way of doing things. Her uterus is contracting to expel the placenta. Her milk begins to let down. Various hormones are flowing in preparation for care of this newborn on the outside as opposed to the inside of her body. We discovered the timetable for this scenario is specific to each new pair. Our "help" in getting the baby to stand or nurse or clearing mom's teats and rubbing milk on them simply did not significantly speed up the natural timing of the process. If fact, we may have indeed slowed it down. Nature appears to have its own timetable. By the time the baby has collected itself and is ready to try to nurse, mom as well has usually reorganized her body and is ready with her milk. Try as we might, we cannot make this happen much sooner than nature has allowed. The length of time for this to all come together can easily vary with the same mom from one birth to another. Again, we have a fiduciary responsibility for the welfare of our animals and there are clearly times when an intervention is necessary. On average, however, we realize our past interventions could be best termed as interference.

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