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Do alpacas spit?
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| © Rosemarie Mogerman and Alma Park Alpacas all rights reserved. |
Do alpacas spit?
This is a question that I hear over and over from people. Alpacas are
not prone to spit at people but they do spit at each other for
communication, at predators for protection and females at males for
breeding confirmation. Of course you may get in the line of fire
sometimes and that is where one breeder coined the phrase "Spit
Happens".
Spitting for communication - alpacas will spit at each other at feed
time if someone is hogging the trough or gets too close to them. They
will also spit at each other in the field cause another animal is too close
to them, their baby or simply because they do not want that animal that
close to them .
Spitting at predators - spitting is really their only defense mechanism
other than stomping. I have a pygmy goat (Rosey) in my alpaca field
which one girl just hates and she will spit at her if she gets too close,
presumable because the alpaca thinks Rosey is a predator to her or
more likely her baby. .
Females spitting at males - females will "spit off" a male if they are
pregnant and this is how we check for pregnancy. While not 100%
effective and some girls don't spit, it is a useful tool for determining
receptivity of a female. Once you get to know a female's personality
and her propensity to spit, you will get quite good at determining her
pregnancy status.
What does the spit smell like - it depends. If they are at the grain
trough, the spit is usually just food and no big deal. If the spit is green
slime (rumen juice) like a girl spitting off a male - that is a gross nasty
smell that will linger with you until you wash it off and change clothes.
This is a question that I hear over and over from people. Alpacas are
not prone to spit at people but they do spit at each other for
communication, at predators for protection and females at males for
breeding confirmation. Of course you may get in the line of fire
sometimes and that is where one breeder coined the phrase "Spit
Happens".
Spitting for communication - alpacas will spit at each other at feed
time if someone is hogging the trough or gets too close to them. They
will also spit at each other in the field cause another animal is too close
to them, their baby or simply because they do not want that animal that
close to them .
Spitting at predators - spitting is really their only defense mechanism
other than stomping. I have a pygmy goat (Rosey) in my alpaca field
which one girl just hates and she will spit at her if she gets too close,
presumable because the alpaca thinks Rosey is a predator to her or
more likely her baby. .
Females spitting at males - females will "spit off" a male if they are
pregnant and this is how we check for pregnancy. While not 100%
effective and some girls don't spit, it is a useful tool for determining
receptivity of a female. Once you get to know a female's personality
and her propensity to spit, you will get quite good at determining her
pregnancy status.
What does the spit smell like - it depends. If they are at the grain
trough, the spit is usually just food and no big deal. If the spit is green
slime (rumen juice) like a girl spitting off a male - that is a gross nasty
smell that will linger with you until you wash it off and change clothes.
| Chacha and her duplicate 2007 cria - Waverunner |
| Aoife and her 2008 cria nicknamed Blaze, now owned by Larry and Donna Williams of NY |
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