Sid the Llama

[SkyWarrior]

Well, I am now a llama owner. :bun

I put Sid in a fenced area behind the barn (I don't think he's ever been in a barn -- that was scary to him) and fed him. He's very thin, so I fed him llama pellets and hay. He went to town on the pellets and ate some of the hay. The woman who owned him didn't give him anything other than forage and what hay he could pick off the horse hay that was just out of reach. She tied him up because he took excursions off her land, climbing over the rocks to get away and then coming back after a few days of adventure.

I want to worm him, so I'll be calling my vet this week to find out dosages.

He's trained as a pack llama. It's obvious by walking him. He matches your pace perfectly and knows commands. He's shy around humans though. When I first met him, I couldn't touch him. Within 20 minutes, I had him let me run my hands on his neck, back and rump. I can pick up his front feet. Back feet, I have to work on.

He hasn''t spit at me yet, but gives me conflicted signals when I approach. He lays back his ears when I touch him occasionally, but then when I continue to talk to him and touch him, his ears go back up. I think he's just not used to people. I was told by the woman who adopted him who gave him to me that the pack guy was "a big tough dude" who was loud and hard with commands. He didn't touch the llama at all except to pack.

Some minor problems: a bit down in the pasterns, but proper nutrition and walks should strengthen those. He's undershot like nobody's business. He won't let me look at his teeth yet. I'll be taking him for walks so he gets used to me and probably do some clicker training to get him comfortable with me handling him.

I'm also going to be looking for a second pack llama for a buddy for him, but it might take a couple of weeks. He's a gelding, thankfully, so think I might be able to find something without having that female/male issue thing.

So, what advice do you have? This is my very first llama and large animal. He's very cute, if big. My husband fell in love with him the moment he took Sid out on a walk. (He won't admit it! But he asked for me to check on Sid before going to bed). We both think he's very cool, but I suspect I'm clueless even though I've trained dogs (sledding, packing and agility), cats and birds. I've worked with horses, but not training, just riding and learning how to jump and whatnot.

 

[glenolam]

Well - I don't have any llamas so I can't help w/the answers but where's the picture!!

And - Congratulations!

 

[SkyWarrior]

Well - I don't have any llamas so I can't help w/the answers but where's the picture!!

And - Congratulations!

Here you go!

 

[glenolam]

Aww...he's cute. I wish you luck!

 

[ksalvagno]

He is certainly a good looking llama. If he is down on the pasterns, then he is probably an older llama. You may or may not get them back up. It is hard to tell in the pictures how far down in the pasterns he is. If he is underweight, then keep feeding him the llama pellets and of course unlimited hay. No question he desperately needs to be shorn but he will need that fiber for the winter. He is looking like a light wooled llama that hasn't been shorn in years to me but I could be wrong.

Definitely worm him. Maybe even have a fecal done and see what parasites he has so you can use the appropriate wormers. I would definitely worm with Ivomec since it is Meningeal Worm time. Around here we dose Ivomec at 1cc per 70 lbs but I would definitely find out from your vet what the dose is in your area.

Just keep working with him. He needs time to come around to you. Sounds like this guy really needed a good home. i'm glad you were willing to take him in.

 

[SkyWarrior]

He is certainly a good looking llama. If he is down on the pasterns, then he is probably an older llama. You may or may not get them back up. It is hard to tell in the pictures how far down in the pasterns he is. If he is underweight, then keep feeding him the llama pellets and of course unlimited hay. No question he desperately needs to be shorn but he will need that fiber for the winter. He is looking like a light wooled llama that hasn't been shorn in years to me but I could be wrong.

Definitely worm him. Maybe even have a fecal done and see what parasites he has so you can use the appropriate wormers. I would definitely worm with Ivomec since it is Meningeal Worm time. Around here we dose Ivomec at 1cc per 70 lbs but I would definitely find out from your vet what the dose is in your area.

Just keep working with him. He needs time to come around to you. Sounds like this guy really needed a good home. i'm glad you were willing to take him in.

I can't be sure how old he is, but I'm seeing none of the cloudiness in his eyes that I would in an older animal. They couldn't tell me how old he was. The guy who gave it to them was getting out of the packing business because his girlfriend wanted him to.

I'm really surprised no one has said to me "What in the heck are you doing?" I would've thought folks would've told me how naive or silly I was (the vet tech did laugh, but I expected that). Instead, they seem supportive and even glad I took on a hard luck case. I guess I'm not starry-eyed about him, but I do like him a lot.

You may be right about those pasterns, but , he's not ancient yet. Maybe just overworked on pack trains?

 

[ksalvagno]

They don't have to be ancient to be down on the pasterns. if he was a pack llama, then probably he could be 10 years old and be down. I just mainly meant that he probably isn't younger than say 5 or 6. Heavy llamas will go down on their pasterns faster than a fit llama so the fact that he was a pack llama says that he was kept in shape. But years of service on very rocky terrain or something could have taken its toll. My guess would be that he is 10+ years old but certainly I'm no expert and like I said before, it really is almost impossible to tell an adult camelid's age (meaning both alpacas and llamas).

He really doesn't look to be in bad shape though. Just some good food, good worming and love should take care of him.

 

[SkyWarrior]

They don't have to be ancient to be down on the pasterns. if he was a pack llama, then probably he could be 10 years old and be down. I just mainly meant that he probably isn't younger than say 5 or 6. Heavy llamas will go down on their pasterns faster than a fit llama so the fact that he was a pack llama says that he was kept in shape. But years of service on very rocky terrain or something could have taken its toll. My guess would be that he is 10+ years old but certainly I'm no expert and like I said before, it really is almost impossible to tell an adult camelid's age (meaning both alpacas and llamas).

He really doesn't look to be in bad shape though. Just some good food, good worming and love should take care of him.

I figured that was the case. People (not you) often consider animals ancient if they're over 10, when in fact they have a lot of good life left. I wasn't really worried about his age, figuring anything over 10 was okay. He walks straight and his gait is good, so I'm thinking a little care and nutrition is called for and he'll shine.

He IS really skinny. I could feel his bones through that thick coat of his -- and they didn't have any padding. I'm good with fit, just not skinny. Hence my thoughts to worm him and get a consistent diet into him. Someone has already asked what I'll do with the fiber. I told them we could talk in the springtime when I sheared him.

Thanks for giving me your thoughts on him. I'm really tickled with him and I have no idea why. Maybe it's because he's a cool animal?

 

[ksalvagno]

I can tell already that his fiber is matted. I would probably shear him and just throw away the fiber. It probably isn't usable. I would also check for lice. If there are nits in the fiber, then it absolutely has to be thrown out.

I understand very thin. I took in a pregnant female llama that was body scored a 2 out of 10 with 5-6 being ideal weight. She also had lice but surprisingly had minimal parasites but was wormed thoroughly anyway. Just good hay and regular feed took care of her gaining weight. She delivered a healthy cria and was a good weight to be able to nurse her cria by the time she gave birth. It does take time but the weight will happen.

It will take time but I bet he will be doing well in no time. At least he isn't sick or anything.

 

[SkyWarrior]

I can tell already that his fiber is matted. I would probably shear him and just throw away the fiber. It probably isn't usable. I would also check for lice. If there are nits in the fiber, then it absolutely has to be thrown out.

I understand very thin. I took in a pregnant female llama that was body scored a 2 out of 10 with 5-6 being ideal weight. She also had lice but surprisingly had minimal parasites but was wormed thoroughly anyway. Just good hay and regular feed took care of her gaining weight. She delivered a healthy cria and was a good weight to be able to nurse her cria by the time she gave birth. It does take time but the weight will happen.

It will take time but I bet he will be doing well in no time. At least he isn't sick or anything.

I looked for lice, but didn't see anything. Doesn't mean he doesn't have them, though. What would you recommend if he had lice? Montana isn't big on pests like lice or fleas. Ticks, OTOH are big.

I'm going to worm him today. My vet gave me the dosages and then told me he doesn't do llamas. Horses, dogs and other critters he sees, but not llamas. He gave me the name of a vet who is the llama vet around here.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. It is great to be able to pick someone else's brain about him.

Today he's begging me for a walk again.