Alpaca Facts

Alpacas are wonderful, gentle and curious creatures. They originated in South America and were first imported to the United States in 1984.
The last of six total importations of Alpacas into the United States occurred in 1998.
Alpacas are hearty animals whose life spans an average of 15-20 years. Females give birth to one baby, called a cria, once a year. Females are re-bred again usually 3-4 weeks after birth.
Alpacas are earth friendly due to their padded feet, kind of like a dog or cat. They are easy on pastures and typically designate one or two areas as community dung piles, making clean up a breeze.
Alpacas are one of the only fiber animals to come in an assortment of beautiful colors. Over 22 colors are currently recognized, in addition to white, which can be dyed. Alpaca's colors range from light beige to the darkest brown... bay black and true black... and a variety of beautiful rose silver and dark grays.
Alpaca fleece rivals the finest & softest of all natural fibers. Cashmere and Merino Wool have long been known for their fineness and lack of prickle to the touch, but Alpaca garments rival these for comfort and warmth and appear on many mainstream clothing retailers shelves and catalogs.
The gestation period for females is 11 months and females are bred between 14-24 months of age. Since alpacas are "induced ovulators", they are relatively easy to breed and can be bred any time throughout the year. However, to reduce complications, most breeders avoid extreme weather conditions for birthing.
Males reach sexual maturity anywhere from 18 months to 3 years of age.
Adult alpacas, on average, weigh between 120 and 150 lbs. Some have been known to top the scales at 200 lbs.
Alpacas are very resistant to diseases and are relatively easy to raise. In fact, our only previous experience with animals, prior to the Alpacas' arrival, were cats, dogs and the occasional goldfish!
Depending on your geographical location, Alpacas require some annual vaccinations and a preventive de-worming program to enjoy optimal health.
Alpacas require minimal shelter and are very tolerant of cold climates. In most cases, shelter is needed for protection from heat in the summertime.
Alpacas are sheared once a year for their luxurious fiber, rivaled only by cashmere for its softness to the skin.