Add a female or castrate?

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Permalink Reply by B.Scott on March 25, 2009 at 7:42am

Hello! You dont say how long you have had him--but in that time he has grown from "sweet and gentle"which is the llama's nature, to agressive and out of control and this will continue--he is a maturing, intact male. You adore him, appreciate his tremendous beauty, so if you love him--Castrate him!!--the sooner the better. If you add a female to resolve the problem he will do several things--breed her to death unless she is an experienced aggressive female; get her bred and then move on to the goats and whatever and you will have a cria every year and then what???? You purchased this boy by accident--no planning and no studying up on llamas--i am certain his grandeur and beauty was a factor--llamas are magnificent! But he is like a "mutt dog", you wouldnt take in a beautiful mutt dog and then look for a female to breed it to because it is a male and humping everything in sight??!! The castration process is fast and they heal quickly; hopefully you havent waited too long--and if not, he will return (over a period of time--6 mos may be required) to his gentle self and then as a gelding--be the guard and protector for your goats and all animals you may have at your place. At the least sign of predation(eagles overhead, or an alarm call) my kids and lambs run to the nearest llama gelding and stand under his belly--they know he is the protector. This can get really long and drawn out--mostly i am coming from the position of there are a tremendous number of unwanted llamas everywhere-please dont make any more--you arent in the breeding business--you are an afficionado!!! If you find you must have more llamas, then look around for some that need adopting--they will appreciate your efforts...keep the boys gelding and you can have a wonderful small herd of these incredible beasts. Take care---Bonnie

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Permalink Reply by Pamela Tait on March 25, 2009 at 11:39am

I would geld him, period. You will be doing yourself and him a huge favor.

Think of your intact male llama like a stallion. If you had a horse as a pet, would you want to keep a stallion, or would you prefer to have a nice gelding?

Introducing a female to him will only get her bred, and then you have the issue of a cria in a year, then another, then another, and if the crias are girls, then he will breed his daughters. If the crias are boys, he will drive them out of the herd or hurt them. This is just not the scenario that you want.

Geld your boy and then find him a nice companion who is also gelded. You will be amazed at the change in attitude and personality when a llama is no longer lonely. Llamas DO get very lonely without another llama as a companion.

This is the best advice I can give you.

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Permalink Reply by Tami Pallay on March 25, 2009 at 8:33pm

Thanks for the tip. In your opinion, if we geld him and then add a female or another gelded male to the ranch will they both be happy and content ... should we have more than 2,how many is an ideal herd? We have sheep, goats, cows, rabbits, cats, dogs, and our llama. All of our animals are pets and extremely well cared for. ... The feed store owner says that we have many yard ornaments, as I refuse to part with them and am very protective. :-) We have some of the prettiest animals in the county. Yes, I am biased ... but other people do come by to see and appreciate them. :-)

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Permalink Reply by Pamela Tait on March 26, 2009 at 1:46am

As far as the perfect number of llamas... well, there are differing opinions on this answer. Some people would say "2", some might say "4 or 5", or "20" or maybe even "you can never have enough llamas". :^)

Warning: llamas are addictive, so use caution. Start with 2, and if you absolutely have to have a few more, do so, but beware of becoming an addict. Trust me, it happens to the best of us...

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Permalink Reply by Tami Pallay on March 25, 2009 at 8:43pm

We've had him for about 5 months. His behavior has changed within the last week. I purchased him by accident as I was gesturing in conversation without paying attention. (My fault, I make good on my mistakes.) As it turned out, I believe that it was divine providence as he has been a perfect fit at our ranch. I have done much research via books since he joined our family to learn how to properly care for a llama. Unfortunately, there is no vet in our area that has experience or interest in llamas. Additionally, I've yet to find another local owner to ask pertinent questions, so those of you that have responded to my query are a life-line. Thanks for your insight!

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Permalink Reply by Courtnee Benson on March 25, 2009 at 8:54pm

Hi! Don't know if you got my wall post. I am in Florence, TX really close to you. We would be more than happy to help you out with any questions you may have. I do know of a good vet in our area that does well with llamas and she takes care of my herd. (512)751-5363 or llamas@sapavecoranch.com. Hope to talk to you soon!

Courtnee

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Permalink Reply by Tami Pallay on March 25, 2009 at 9:57pm

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!

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