Menagerie Hill Ranch

Normal male behavior. But it's important to monitor for injury.

This. This is why boundary-setting in alpaca farming matters. Alpacas are cute. Alpacas are curious. But let’s be honest: Alpacas are not cuddly - and they are absolutely not kind or gentle with one another. This is normal adult male behaviour (neutered or not!) and it happens daily. Don’t be fooled, it happens with females too- although generally not to this extent. When young alpacas are over handled, treated like a pet or toy; when inexperienced but well meaning folks try to “train” them to be “friendly”… what the animal learns is that people are members of the herd. So when alpacas mature, they will treat people as members of the herd… They will spit unprovoked. They will push you around They will charge and rear at you They will generally take every opportunity to intimidate you… and the boys, will try to harm you. And they are opportunists. They will exploit every vulnerability… All of this is normal behaviour … when directed at another alpaca. But when it’s directed towards a human… it’s Aberrant Behaviour. It’s dangerous… and more often than not, those animals will end up being euthanized prematurely because they become too unsafe to provide them even basic care. I’m passionate about this as I’ve seen it happen too many times (even on my own farm. Read about Wrigley in my blog). And, I had too many conversations this weekend with folks who wanted me to reassure them that handling and playing with babies was the way to create a healthy happy, lifelong, companions. It is not. Boundaries matter. To keep you safe, and to ensure they live long, healthy, well-adjusted lives. #greengablealpacas #boundaries #aberrantbehavior #alpacacare

I borrowed this post from another group page because it is so important. Halter Safety reminders… Which halter is fitted properly??
Top halter fit is dangerous - the noseband is on soft tissue and restricts breathing; Bottom halter fit is correct and safe - well up on solid bone/noseband close to the eyes. Skull photo shows WHY proper halter fit is important - anything below that bony area on the snout is soft cartilage that is easy to compress, cutting off ability to breathe. The last two pics show one reason why it’s important to NOT leave halters on long term - a rub abrasion becomes a wound, and eventually the halter can embed.

*Proper halter fit pics are from Camelidynamics site.