People Of Good Fiber

What are they used for?
LLamas are used for wool, as companion animals for horses, goats, sheep....they are also used as guard animals especially for sheep, against coyotes and wild dogs. They make great PR animals, can be taken to nursing homes, hospitals, schools.
They dump in select places, so there is no need to look all over for bean piles (beans are what llama manure is called, since it looks like a pile of black beans..
Are they intelligent?
They are intelligent, they learn after only a few sessions, and remember. They do know their names(I think...whether they respond is according to how they feel at the moment.) most of them like to be hosed down in the summer(the under belly and the armpits) This past summer, we convinced Zoro that the hose was good and each time I had the garden hose out all the llamas were right there..waiting for the cool spray.

Can you use their fiber?
The fiber can be used for a number of things, from spinning yarn to felting, it is very warm, and unlike sheep wool, does not have lanolin, and when looked at under a microscope, does not have the scales as sheep wool. Some people say that this makes it harder to spin, however, my students (most of them llama ownerS) learn to spin with it, and no one has run off yet!

What and how much do they eat?
LLamas are grazers, during the summer they graze all day, we usually keep hay in the mangers though, for hot summer afternoons when they are in the barn. We feed a suppliment once a day (about 1/2 lb pper llama, and sheep mineral is always available free choice, as well as fresh water...we put Gator aide in the water in the summer to help with the electrolites.

What is their personality like?
Our llamas are very well tempered, Zoro had a bit of an attitude until little Hotshot came along, now he is very mellow and cooperative. Once a llama knows you, he/she will usually come to greet you, at a distance, but they will give kisses at times (a quick out and in breath)I think is a scent thing.
They hum, and after a while you can tell how they feel by the tone of the hum, the best hum is that of a cria (baby) when he is nursing, the mom hums back.
They have an alarm sound that is totally undescribale, but gets you out of bed when it is in the middle of the night, it is usually directed at a strange animal, dog, cat, even a horse and rider.
When they are challenging each other they click (I think it is their back teeth rubbing)and snort.

Do they Spit?
They do spit....there are three or four stages of it from a spray to a dark green goo. Usually the spit is reserved for another llama, (over grazing rights) or a female telling a male NO!!!! People have been spit at, or it has been threatened, usually you can tell if its coming and a stern NO will make him/her think it over...it is said they don't like the taste of their own spit. (well do you like the taste of bile?)
They are curious, gentle and a great calming influence after a rough day, the big brown eyes seem to say, hey, welcome to our barn, we're glad you could stop by.

Do I love llamas or what!