There are two types of alpaca – the huacaya (pronounced wah–kay–ya), and the suri (pronounced sir-ee).  The main difference between the two is in the appearance of their fiber.  The suri has fine fiber that is quite straight and appears to hang in dreadlocks from their body. The huacaya has very crimpy fiber, which gives them a woolly and round appearance.  Both types come in a wide variety of natural colors – 22 different ones in fact - ranging from bright white to true black with all shades of brown and gray.

Q. What is a cria?

A. A cria is the name for a baby alpaca.  Weaned crias are known as weanlings or tuis.  In Spanish the adult males are known as machos and the adult females are hembras.

Q. What do you do with alpacas?

A.  Alpacas are primarily raised as an investment opportunity.  Currently the market and value for alpacas is in the animals themselves - breeding them and selling the offspring provides a very good return on investment.  There is  also a market for their fleece.  Income from sale of their fleece is typically adequate to cover the cost of care (food, medical, etc.)

Q. Do they make good pets?

A. Many people do have alpacas purely as companion animals.  They can make very good pets if they are well treated and the owners are realistic in their expectations.  They are more cat-like than dog-like in their attitude towards us humans -  somewhat timid, but very curious and intelligent, and with handling and time most will eventually eat out of your hand, and can be trained to lead by halter.  Some people do enter performance type events, such as obstacle courses, with alpacas and have a lot of fun doing so.  They do not really like to be held and "petted"  and are especially sensitive to being touched on their heads and legs.  

Q. How much do they cost?

A. Prices range from around $500 for a gelded male with no breeding potential to many thousands of dollars for top quality breeding males and females.   Females  can be worth anything from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands depending on their age, quality and breeding history.  The girls are valuable because of their ability to produce crias which can  be sold providing very good returns on the initial investment.  Top quality males with good offspring have a high value as breeding animals also - they  can command high incomes for their owners in stud service fees.  

Q. What if once I have made this investment the population explodes and decreases the value of the animals?

A. While the future of an alpaca investment cannot be guaranteed any more than you could guarentee an investment in the stock market, it does appear to be more predictable.  First, the value of the animals has been stable for the past 15+ years.  Second, population explosion is not possible because the registry for alpacas is now closed in the U.S. which means imported animals can no longer be used for registered breeding stock.  In addition, alpacas have a long (11-12 months) gestation period and typically give birth to a single offsoring.  At this point, the industry remains healthy with demand for animals and fiber contiuing at strong levels.

Q. Are alpacas dangerous?

A. Absolutely not!  As I have heard it perfectly put "we don't eat them and they don't eat us"!  They are wonderful, gentle animals - very safe for adults and children alike (in fact they are often very curious and enchanted by children and make great 4H animals).  Alpacas do not possess the teeth, horns, hooves or claws to do any harm.  They don't bite, they don't butt and it is not common for them to kick.  They are sensitive around the back legs and will instinctively kick out if they sense a threat from the rear but they do hav e soft padded feet so injury is not likely.

Q. Do they spit like llamas?

A. The bad news is yes they can spit!  It is probably their only vice and one of their only defense mechanisms.  The spit is a fine spray of partially digested grass, not too pleasant smelling, but it brushes off once dry.  The good news is that alpacas rarely spit at people.  If a person does get hit it is usually because they got caught in the crossfire between two squabbling alpacas, probably at dinner time!

Q. What do they eat?

A. Alpacas are ruminants, which means they chew cud like a cow or a deer.  The bulk of their diet is made up of low protein hay or pasture grass.  They are from a harsh climate so they are well adapted to make maximum utilization of their food.  There are a number of commercially available alpaca feeds, but these should be rationed as a vitamin and mineral supplement.  Their primary food source should always be good quality grass and/or hay.  They do not drink a lot of water (another of their natural adaptations for survival in the mountains of South America) but access to clean, fresh drinking water is a must at all times.

Q. Are they easy to keep and care for?

A. Yes alpacas are relatively easy to keep and care for.  They are small and easy to handle.  They are hardy animals and are highly resistant to disease.  A simple protocol of worming and annual vaccinations is recommended but the need for veterinary care is minimal with alpacas.  They do not challenge fences, and any fence suitable for sheep is suitable for alpacas - barbed wire should be avoided.  A barn is nice but  not necessary for their comfort.  A simple three sided run-in so they can get out of the elements is recommended.  Alpacas come from a harsh climate naturally so they are pretty tolerant of cold conditions but do not fair as well in extreme heat, hence the need for a shelter to provide shade.  Fans can be great comfort to them during the highs of summer.   Their earth-friendly padded feet do no damage to pastures, as found with other livestock.

Q. How much land do they require?

A. Alpacas are ideal if you don't have a lot of acreage.  You can comfortably graze between 5 and 10 alpacas on one acre.  Although it is not necessary, optimally you should have twice the required acreage so that you can rotate your pastures, ( i.e. two acres for 5 - 10 alpacas.)

Q. Do they get along with other animals?

A. Alpacas are naturally wary of members of the canine family but other than that they do fine with other livestock.  They can be easily kept in the same pasture as sheep, goats, llamas etc.  Caution should be used when pasturing alpacas with horses and/or cows due to the risk of the alpacas being injured if kicked.

Q. What is involved in breeding and birthing?

A. Female alpacas are ready to breed at around 18 months of age.  They do not have a breeding season and can usually be mated at any time of the year.  Alpacas require 'live breeding' - artificial insemination is not possible because like cats and rabbits they are induced ovulators, which means that the act of breeding causes them to ovulate.  The gestation period is approximately 11.5 months.  Births are usually trouble free and most often occur in the middle of the day.  Typically, no help is needed in the birthing process.  The whole process of breeding to birth is relatively easy and problem free.

Q. How often do they need to be sheared?

A. Alpacas are usually shorn once a year for their own comfort.  In the case of the suri alpaca this is sometimes reduced to once every two years.  Depending on the density of the fleece each adult alpaca will usually produce from 3 - 10 lbs per year.  Some of the high quality stud male's production can often be higher

Q. What is so special about their fiber?

A.The fleece shorn from alpacas is hair not wool.  It has a silky shine, and super soft feel, yet contains no lanolin and is hypoallergenic.  People who have allergies associated with sheep's wool can comfortably wear luxurious alpaca garments.   Alpaca fiber is much stronger and yet finer than sheep's wool.  It is as soft as cashmere and three times warmer than sheep's wool.  Evolving in freezing temperatures at high altitudes has given alpacas more thermal capacity in their fiber than any other fiber bearing animal.  Alpaca fiber is  officially recognized in 22 different natural colors and is highly prized.  It can be processed into high quality fashion garments such as suits, jackets, skirts and coats, as well as soft, light, warm sweaters.  Because of it's thermal properties  coarser fibers may also be used in  quilt filling.  The international market for alpaca product is enormous with demand always exceeding supply.

Q. What is an Accoyo alpaca?

A. The name "Accoyo" refers to an Alpaca that has been bred at Estancia Accoyo in Peru. In the US the name "Accoyo" refers to alpacas imported from the estancia or to direct descendants of these imports. An alpaca is considered to be a pure or full Accoyo if its parents are both pure Accoyos. 
A more important question would be why  breeders so highly prize this particular line of animals.  The answer lies with the breeding program of Don Julio Barreda, the owner of Estancia Accoyo, which has created superior quality animals.  Estancia Accoyo is located in Macusani, Peru at 15,000 feet above sea level. Since there are few places in the world where animals of any kind are raised at that altitude, it follows that only hearty animals prosper. And since alpacas are valued primarily for their fleece, it is easy to assume that they would have superior coats. This has been proven at alpaca shows in Peru and theUnited States. According to National Geographic Magazine, Maccusani, Peru, is the world center for Alpaca fiber production.  While there are other ranches on the Alta Plano of Peru, it is Senor Barreda at his Estancia Accoyo who has controlled and maintained the breeding program that has made these animals world famous. The political turmoil in Peru has had a toll on the many ranches and their alpaca herds. Only Don Julio has maintained the royal bloodlines, breeding carefully.  For over fifty years he has been breeding only those alpacas that meet his very exacting standards for conformation and fiber fineness, density and uniformity.  In his own words: "I have been able to breed well- defined Alpaca phenotypes with an absence of atypical animals. I attribute Accoyo's success at breeding Alpacas with superior production qualities to the father's lineage."

Q. How do I get started raising my own alpacas?

A. First of all we recommend visiting as many farms and talking with as many breeders as possible.  Almost all alpaca breeders are more than willing to share their knowledge and experience with potential new breeders - we LOVE to show off our alpacas!  This is a great way to learn lots of "dos and don'ts" from people who have already done the legwork.   Many people buy a couple of geldings to begin with and once they feel confident that alpacas really are easy to care for and an utter joy to be around, they take the next step to the larger financial investment of breeding animals.  Other people just dive right in.  Whatever your comfort level there are breeders out there who would love to help you succeed.