Things you wanted to know but were afraid to ask.
Getting started -
SOME OF THE BASICS YOU WILL NEED:
- A commitment to caring for animals 365 days a year, good weather and bad, and making arrangements for their care if you're to be away
- The financial means to purchase alpacas, plus ongoing expenses of management and marketing
- At least a rudimentary business plan outlining your objectives for conducting and growing your business (unless you just want a couple of alpacas as pets)
- A fenced pasture area for your alpacas, adequate to keep out most predators
- A smaller enclosure for catching/ feeding/ handling alpacas
- Some type of shelter (barn, loafing shed, large sturdy tent, etc.)
- Forage(pasture) and/or good grass hay
- Racks or boxes for feeding hay
- Rake, shovel and wheelbarrow/cart for cleaning up poop (available at local hardware or farm supply store - and the best rakes are small shrub rakes, altho I do also always have a nice big sturdy leaf rake as well)
- A free-choice mineral suitable for your type of pasture/hay and area soil - Small containers, generally mounted on fence or barn wall, for providing free-choice access to mineral blend
- A feed supplement suitable for your type of pasture/hay and area soil
- Gutters, troughs or small bowls or dishes for feeding supplement - Water supply and containers for water - buckets, tubs or troughs that alpacas cannot get their feet into!
- Well-fitted halter & lead for each alpaca (many breeders provide these with a purchased alpaca)
- Toenail trimmers (about $16 from lama supply sources, but $2.99 rose pruners from Big Lots are pretty serviceable!!)
- Wormers such as Panacur or Safeguard paste ($7-8 per tube), and/or injectable ivermectin or doramectin(Dectomax) if you live in white-tail deer territory, and Corid for prevention of coccidiosis (consult a local vet to determine the requirements for your region)
- A First Aid kit
- Vet who knows something about camelids or is willing to learn (locate a vet or 2 in your area before you even bring those alpacas home)
- A mentor, hopefully the breeder from whom you are buying your alpacas
- A book or 2 about basic care, and as much information as you can gather from the Internet, libraries, etc.
- A list of phone numbers and/or catalogs for suppliers and services, including a professional shearer in your area
- A platform scale for weighing alpacas (optional, but very nice to have)
- A trailer for transport (vans, minivans or pickup trucks with camper shells can work as well - tho the vans & minivans & trailers are easier for loading/unloading more reliably)