Health and Care

The alpaca lifespan is 15 to 20 years, while llamas tend to live a bit longer, provided that the animals get the proper care. Penn State Extension offers information on important aspects of camelid health. Among the topics discussed in this section are Vitamin D requirements and bone development, skin diseases, eating problems, and prevention of health issues like hepatic lipidosis or urinary blockage. Tips on biosecurity, determining forage quality, and body condition scoring are also available.

Llamas and Alpacas Health and Care

How long llamas and alpacas live depends on how well they are cared for. Penn State Extension offers information on disease prevention, proper nutrition and supplementation, and required facilities in terms of camelid care.

A biosecurity protocol is a key step to ensuring adequate llama and alpaca care. A detailed, step-by-step factsheet on biosecurity is available here. It presents a point system that allows for the evaluation of security measures at any facility. Further advice on management practices that prevent the spread of disease can be found in this short biosecurity overview.

Llamas and alpacas are susceptible to parasites. Herd owners can find out how grazing management can help prevent the spread of harmful parasites. Copper supplementation is another important aspect of proper llama and alpaca care. Copper levels need to be monitored closely as too little nutritional copper can lead to deficiencies, while too much leads to other health problems. Herd owners can find information on how to ensure their camelids are getting sufficient nutritional copper.

The young of alpacas and llamas are called crias. Monitoring how crias grow is an important aspect of alpaca and llama care. Herd owners can find information on camelid growth, growth requirements, and growth curves. Advice on how to properly collect growth data is also provided. Another useful method to ensure the wellbeing of camelids is body condition scoring which helps to estimate an animal’s fat stores at crucial stages of its life.

Common Llamas and Alpacas Diseases

Common llama and alpaca diseases include a number of nutritional diseases. Compared to other species, camelids tend to be more susceptible to hepatic lipidosis and rickets, caused by vitamin D deficiency. Zinc deficiency can be another nutritional problem.

Urinary blockage is a significant health concern when breeding camelids. Proper llama care and alpaca care includes steps – like adequate nutrition and increasing water consumption – to prevent this problem. Penn State Extension offers an explanation of the reasons for urinary blockage and the steps to prevent it.

Hepatic lipidosis is an excessive accumulation of fat in the liver cells which can be fatal in llamas and alpacas if it is not treated early on. Herd owners can find information about the symptoms of hepatic lipidosis in camelids. One way to prevent hepatic lipidosis is to ensure adequate energy intake. Further information on how to ensure camelids are getting enough energy is also available along with advice on hepatic lipidosis treatment.

Vitamin D is essential for bone development for camelids and especially for young crias. Deficiencies can cause abnormal bone development, known as rickets. Most issues occur in the winter months when there is less skin exposure. Herd owners can find detailed information on the mechanisms causing rickets as well as on the possible approaches to ensure crias and adults get enough vitamin D throughout the year.

As with other species, zinc deficiencies can manifest as skin problems in llamas and alpacas. Penn State Extension experts have shared their detailed knowledge about common llama and alpaca skin problems. Information on the llama and alpaca digestive system and the most common problems following grain consumption is also available.