Question:
Heat Stress In Llamas And Alpacas ?
Answer:
Heat stress is a common occurrence for llamas and alpacas during
the summer season. These animals originate from the Andes Mountains of
South America, where high heat and humidity are not as common as in many
areas of the United States. Llamas and alpacas are not adapted to handle
these conditions, so it is critical to manage them in a way to protect
them from heat stress. Heat stress can lead to poor growth, illness, and
even death of the animal.
The key to combating heat stress is prevention. There are many
practices to prevent llamas and alpacas from suffering the effects of
heat stress. It is important to know when llamas and alpacas are most in
danger for heat stress. Commonly used is the heat index, which is simply
a formula to estimate the risk of heat stress. The Heat Index can be
estimated by adding the temperature (F) and percent humidity (%).
Typically, a heat index of less than 120 is safe, 120 to one 180 creates
possible problems, and greater than 180 is the range where animals are
in the most danger.
I don't know if you remember, but a while back I posted about our female
llama who did not handle heat well at all. Per suggestions I received here,
I sheared her neck and her entire body. She is doing great in the heat!!
We've been in the mid to high 90's and she is just fine. Thank you to
everyone for your suggestions.
Speaking of shearing a 2nd time. I may have sheared most of
our llamas to early this year. I did them in early May and alot of
the fiber has grown back.
Do I dare shear them a 2nd time this late in the summer ? Our
falls and winters can be pretty cold and brutal.
You might want to consider trimming hair away from their vent areas, if
you are not wanting to take a lot of other fiber off, or maybe just do a
barrel cut and not take it off the haunches and shoulders. Look at how
much it has grown since May and decide if it will grow fast enough to
protect them when your cold weather moves in if you shear again now.
At a farm I just visited, the owner checks rectal temperatures
regularly. This gives you the baseline normal for each individual, then
allows you to decide if that animal is getting too hot during the
summer. You can do it easily when you weigh or worm your animals. She
also gets a blower out and blows back the hair so she can check the skin
for any problems.
I suggest regularly checking weight (if you have access to a scale),
body score, temperature, and maintenance items like teeth and toenails.
It's a good idea to write down health info, so you can see if there
are any changes or trends.
