| Llamas generally
have no problem having a baby - called a "cria". One of the nicest
aspects of llama and alpacas is their birth pattern - after eons spent in
the Altiplano, where it is windy and cold every night, llamas and alpacas
have evolved into animals that give birth during daylight. Most llama
and alpaca cria are born between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Since
the cria is very tall and thin at birth, it usually passes easily through
the birth canal. Dystocias, or displaced birth postions, are unusual.
In our many years of birthing crias, we have only had three dystocias.
Below are some pictues of one of our females giving birth to a cria, from
the time it appears to the time it has it's first meal. This was the
mother's third cria, so she was experienced and knew exactly what to do. |
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Click on the Photo to enlarge it
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This is what you
want to see at a llama birth - if you click and look at the larger version,
you can see that the cria's front legs and nose are coming out in the
classic "diving" position - this is what you want to see. If you see any
other body parts coming first instead, call your vet NOW! |
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Here is a closer
view - you can see that the cria's head and front feet are now further out
and the cria's face is clear of fluid and birth sack. If the cria is
still inside a fluid filled sack, you should break it open so the cria's
nose and mouth are out in the air. The sack should break by itself, but if
it doesn't you can lose the cria. |
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As the cria gets
further out, you will notice that it is pointed toward the ground. If
you have to assist the mother, always pull "down", not straight out to
assist the delivery. In most cases the mothers don't need (or want!)
any help. |
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The cria is out!
Notice the intense interest of the rest of the herd. Normally that's not a
problem, but we find that the yearling females are so interested that they
sometimes walk on the cria before it can get up off the ground |
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The mothers don't
lick their cria, but they will be concerned. Most mothers aren't a problem
if you have to intervene, but be cautious - one first time mom charged me
when I picked up her cria to take it back to the barn. |
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After a few minutes
the cria should start to flail around in the grass and should eventually
start to make some progress in getting its head up off the ground.
This was a nice day - if it is raining or cold, the cria should be towelled
dry and then blown dry with a hair blower if possible, and a cria coat may
be added if it's really cold or wet. |
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This cria is now
about fifteen minutes old. Within another few minutes, he should try
to get up and nurse. |
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He's up! They
look a lot like a big spider before the fur gets dry. At this point
the soft "mittens" will fall off his toenails. They protected his mom
from the sharp nails on the way out. The cria should be weighed so you can
keep track of his weight gain for the first week or so. This boy weighed 30
lbs at birth, which is fairly large. Most llama crias are in the 20-25 lb.
range, most alpacas are in the 12-17 lb area. |
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A healthy cria like
this one will be up looking for his first meal within the first half hour of
life. Crias MUST get colostrum within the first 24 hours of life, but
preferably within the first six. This is very important - without it
they may very well die of an infection. You should keep some goat or cow (we
use cow) colostrum frozen in your freezer in case there is a problem getting
the cria started nursing. |
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Here's a reverse
angle. The cria will nuzzle around, and will always seek the darkest
spot to nurse on. That's great if you're outside - but can be a
problem if you have the cria inside a dimly lit barn. They may try to "nurse
the corner" instead of getting under the mother. IT always makes you feel
relieved when you see the cria "latch on" the first time. |
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He looks a lot
different now, and will change even more in the next few minutes as his fur
gets drier. You can tell if your cria is full term by looking at his lower
teeth - if the teeth have erupted from the gums, he's right on time.
If they aren't out and he's down on his pasterns (ankles) then he may be
premature. In the larger version of this photo you can see his umbilical
cord clearly. It's important to dip the umbilical cord in an
antibacterial scrub soap a couple of times in the first 24 hrs - keeps germs
out. |
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Here is the same
cria an hour later - up, dry and nursing -every llama and alpaca
owner's fondest wish! |
