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Correct alpaca names: Onyx (Onu), Flocon (Floco), and Sapphire (Sapphi) with descriptions, ages, and herd roles. Add Anatolian Shepherd LGD page covering duties, daily care, bloat prevention, and adolescent play stage. Frame LGDs as gentle and approachable working dogs that welcome guest socialization. Add prominent rule against uninvited outside dogs with leash requirement for approved visiting dogs; mirror in house rules. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
131 lines
5 KiB
Markdown
131 lines
5 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Alpacas
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description: Daily care, feeding, and health watching for our 3 alpacas
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tags:
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- animals
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- alpacas
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---
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# Alpacas
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We have **3 male alpacas**:
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| Name | Nickname | Age | Role | Description |
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|------|----------|-----|------|-------------|
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| **Onyx** | Onu | 10 yrs | Alpha & guardian of the herd | White fur, no "hat" of hair |
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| **Flocon** | Floco | 4 yrs | Next in line — son of Onyx | White fur, with a "hat" of hair |
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| **Sapphire** | Sapphi | — | Smallest of the herd | Black fur |
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> [!warning] Alpacas hide illness
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> They're prey animals — they mask symptoms until critical. **If something seems even slightly off, monitor it closely.** See [[emergency|Animal Emergency]].
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## Daily Routine
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### Cleaning Times: 11:00 AM and 8:00 PM
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Twice daily — pen cleaning, water refresh, hay check.
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### Feeding
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#### Hay (the main food)
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- **Quality:** Light **greenish** hay from **inside the bale**. Should smell **sweet and grassy**, never dusty or moldy.
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- **Outer shell** of the bale is degraded — safe as bedding but not food.
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- **Moisture:** 12-16% for large bales, up to 18% for smaller bales.
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- **Storage:** Covered, off the ground (or at least off the grass). Damp = worse than dusty.
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- **Portions:** Frequent **small bundles** from inside the bale. Don't put out too much at once — anything exposed degrades faster than it'll be eaten.
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- **Behavior check:** They should be curious and accepting of hay offers, not ravenous or aggressively competitive.
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#### Grain
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- 1 bag should last roughly **6 months** (per Jean Louis).
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- Use sparingly as supplement, not main food.
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#### Water
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- **Always available, fresh.** Camelids need unlimited fresh water.
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- Refresh during cleaning rounds (11 AM, 8 PM) at minimum.
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### Anyone can feed/water/fluff bedding at any time
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The system is flexible. If you notice it, nurture it.
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## Health Signs
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### ✅ Good signs
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- Staying with the herd
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- **Cud chewing** — rhythmic, relaxed, regurgitating partially digested material
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- Manure output trending normal (formed pellets)
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- Grazing fresh grass, drinking water
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- Smooth skin under fiber
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### ⚠️ Watch closely
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- Reduced manure output — isolate to monitor if needed
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- Reduced appetite (>12 hrs)
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- Crusty / thick / "elephant" skin → likely **mange / mite infestation** (treatable, ask vet)
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- Mild lameness
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### 🚨 Emergency — see [[emergency|Animal Emergency]]
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- **Self-isolation from herd** (extreme emergency sign for camelids)
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- **Colic signs** (see below)
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- **Stargazing, head tilt, neck arch, unsteady gait, leg weakness** — neurological emergency
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- Stops eating
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- No manure
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- Tooth grinding (pain, not the same as cud chewing)
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### Colic warning signs (call vet immediately)
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- Reduced/stopped eating
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- Little or no manure output
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- Repeatedly lying down and getting up
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- Restlessness, can't get comfortable
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- Tooth grinding
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- Stretched-out or hunched posture
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- Kicking at or looking at belly
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- Bloated/tight abdomen
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- No cud chewing
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- Isolation from herd
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- Weakness or depression
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## Annual / Periodic Care
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| Task | When | Notes |
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|------|------|-------|
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| **Enterotoxemia preventive** | 1×/year, beginning of Spring | 2cc subcutaneous. Last dose: **April 25, 2026** |
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| **Sel Vitaminé à l'ail** | Ongoing | Natural prevention against worms & bacterial overgrowth — see [[natural-care|Natural Care]] |
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| **Shearing (tonte)** | End June / early July | Contact: **François Meheust — 06 76 63 58 47** |
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| **Nail trimming** | White: every 3-4 months. Black: much less often | Often done at shearing. Visually apparent when needed. |
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| **Fecal exam** | Every 3-4 months | Targeted deworming based on results, not blanket treatment |
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## Notes from the Herd
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- **Onyx (Onu)** is the alpha and guardian — can be reactive at night, has been known to charge things he thinks are predators (e.g. blanket movement at the foot of the bed) and make a loud screech. Stops as soon as you say it's you.
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- **Flocon (Floco)** is Onyx's son and second in line.
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- **Sapphire (Sapphi)** is the smallest — keep an eye on him in feeding/herd dynamics.
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- Deer in the area can make alpacas nervous → loud warning sounds.
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- A camera in the stables is planned for monitoring.
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- **Sapphi's leg wound** (~April 26, 2026): was bitten — clean 1-2× per day with vet's protocol for 7-10 days. Watch for flies on fresh wounds.
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- The herd is patrolled and protected by our two [[guardian-dogs|Anatolian Shepherd LGDs]].
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## Stables Setup
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- Idea: attach a hay-feeding bar to a lower spot between boxes.
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- Idea: build a 3rd wall on the stables so they can sleep inside in less hyper-alert mode.
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- Electric fence: check status before assuming on/off (was unplugged at one point).
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## Sleeping in the Stables
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If you stay overnight with the herd:
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- Bring a **mosquito net** (camping nets work).
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- Keep a **good stick** nearby for chasing predators.
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- Leave the metal gate open or closed depending on situation — coordinate with whoever else is on duty.
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## Related
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- [[emergency|🚨 Animal Emergency]]
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- [[natural-care|Natural & Preventative Care]]
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- [[first-aid-kit|First Aid Kit]]
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- [[chores|Chore Schedule]]
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