Llamas. People need to know more about how awesome llamas are. Here are some quick reasons
why, though I could go on for days.
1. Llama wool is finer, warmer, and more valuable than sheep wool. It is also said to be
hypoallergenic and contains no lanolin.
2. Llamas are grazers AND browsers, meaning they eat grass, leaves, bushes – anything
green! You can own two llamas happily on a single half-acre of good Bermuda grass.
3. Llamas eat only 1/3 the amount of grass or hay as compared to horses or donkeys of the
same size. They can carry 1/3 of their weight in a pack, making them more efficient
packing animals than any other.
4. Llamas can adapt to most any climate. Their modified blood allows them to be breathe
easily at very high altitude, the long fur keeps them warm in cold weather, and they can
tolerate high heat if shaved.
5. Llamas reduce herd loss. Their most common job in the US is as guardian animals for
sheep, goats, and other herds. They chase away predators as large as mountain lions and
significantly reduce herd deaths from predation.
6. Llama manure, called “Llama Beans,” is one of the best fertilizers in the world. It does
not “burn” plants, it is high in nitrogen and potassium, and its unique dry bean shape is
not originally moist or messy to the touch while still readily absorbing and locking in
moisture when watered.
7. Llamas leave pastures better than they found them. They specifically eat out weeds and
low bushes or branches before the better grasses, allowing for more and better grass to
grow for other livestock.
8. Llama herds are very clean and poop in a communal pile, usually at the same time. If you
want the location of this pile to change, you need only clean up the pile and put some of
the poop where you DO want it to be. The llamas instinctively go to that location from
then on.
9. Because of their unique poop habits, llamas are naturally house trained and can be taken
anywhere including indoors for up to two hours before needing to relieve themselves.
They will NOT poop anywhere but their herd piles unless under extreme duress.
10. Llama spitting is a dominance behavior usually only between male llamas. Any well
trained llama that was raised properly and not abused will know to never spit at a human,
because humans are not other llamas to fight with.
11. Llamas (and other camelids) are nearly silent. They hum when upset and only make
louder noises as an alarm that they are under attack from a predator or while mating.
12. Llamas are “induced ovulators” like rabbits. They can breed at any time of year and the
females become fertile only after breeding. They have no period – if your female is
bleeding, she needs a vet!
13. Llama gestation is exactly 11 and 1/2 months and they can rebreed after two weeks,
meaning llamas almost always have exactly one cria (baby) a year on nearly the same day
every year.
14. With the exception of in-tact adult males, llamas have no upper front teeth and cannot
bite. Males grow “fighting teeth” to defend with, but these are only canine teeth that are
usually clipped and removed once grown in for safety.
15. There is no such thing as a “wild” llama. Llamas were bred in captivity from their wild
ancestor species, the guanaco. Alpacas were bred from the vicuna. Both vicuna and
guanaco are descendants of an extinct North American camelid.
16. Llamas have feet – not hooves. They are vastly more stable than horses or donkeys on
rocky, uneven, or narrow trails, and their feet do not damage or tear up the grass or
ground or floors like animals with hooves do.
17. On average, llamas are smarter than dogs and can be trained to do almost anything given
time. They are most commonly trained to guard livestock, carry packs, climb mountains,
pull a cart, work with the elderly or ill, and taught all manners of tricks and games –
including fetch.