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The blue eyed whites. I did blog about it already but just to recap………….Blue eyed whites come from both parents having a “white spot” or blue eyed white gene. All male tuxedo greys have the “white spot” gene and there is a 25% chance of having a blue eyed white if mated with a female that has white on her because she may also have the gene as well. Blue eyed whites are usually deaf and if a blue eyed white male is born, love him and hug him and geld him for a wonderful pet quality or companion animal! In girls, just be sure to breed to an all one color and dark color to breed out the gene.

Deaths: It occurs on all farms but so many of us do not say anything. It happens and a lot of the time, there is nothing that could have been done. Alpacas are so new in the United States, even if a farm has been in the industry for years, so many new things are being learned about our wonderful creatures, even the best of us have deaths. In the past 4 years we have never had a death or anything even remotely wrong on the farm. This was our very first experience with new issues in alpacas. We had an 11 year old female that has been with us since the beginning. She had a text book birth late spring and no issues. 2 1/2 weeks after her birth, the vet was out doing our standard “health and welfare” check on momma and baby, and giving shots. The following day we found our momma dead at 7:30am. We had a full nurocropsy (sp) done and they found nothing. She had still been in the nursery with her cria getting the “spa” treatment” of extra hay, spraying down with the hose 4 times a day, fans and a kitty pool. We did have a bit of a warm spring and the fact she was just a bit older may have had something to do with it but we have decided that because she was late and we did have the warm spring that our breedings this year would all be in Nov. and Dec. which allows our girls to have births late in the year. The little cria was bottle fed and weened and is now a big, healthy boy that loves to roll in the hay and is now lovely called, “the little dirty boy.” I will blog about products and milk I have found that has worked for us soon!

We also had to “put down” our very first alpaca. Prissy was born in early spring of 2006 and when she was born she couldn’t get up. This was a perfect text book birth by a proven mom that has given us healthy cria’s in the past. Every time you tried to move this little cria you heard cracking noises in her leg joints. Over the first 4 days of life, I would put her on my lap every 2 hours and get up under her mother and help her feed. On the 5th day, she got up on her own. She was a beautiful jet black girl with remarkable fleece. Over the next month we watched her closely and noticed that her back legs would almost look boll-legged at times but not always. When she walked, the knee’s would pop out of joint which would cause her to walk funny. We had the vet come out and he determined that she had luxating patella’s or bad knee’s. We spoke to the University of Florida and they let us know that this is common in small dogs and they are now seeing it in alpacas. They can operate but like to do it, if possible, after weening so it is less stress on momma and baby. Because she was walking, eating and romping with our other babies we thought we would wait. In March she and her mom were brought up to a farm within 15 minutes of the University so they would be much closer when she was ready to be brought in. Within the next month or so, Prissy started having problems raising her neck. She was then brought in to the University for x-rays. Not only did this little girl have the worst bad knees they had ever seen but had scoliosis ( curving of the spine) as well. The curving of the spine was causing arthritis in the neck. There was nothing they could do. We could have had her put down at the University but after much discussion, we brought the two home. Both our momma and baby were so glad to be home, they got off the trailer and emmediatley rolled in the dirt. By advice from the vet, we kept our Prissy medicated to keep the pain away and decided that the day she couldn’t follow her mom around any longer, was the day we would put her down. The vet said it would be 1 to 3 months. Within the 3rd month we made the heartbreaking decision to put her down. She was a remarkable little girl and refused to let anything get in her way. She lived longer than anyone expected and lived to her fullest. This is something that happens and no owner can or could have done anything different. She was born this way and in the wild would have died. We helped to keep her alive and give her the fullest life she could have.

That was the bad and the Ugly of 2007 but the good always out weighs the bad and this is the reason we do what we do.

We did over 20 arts and craft shows all over Florida in 2007 and met some wonderful people, educated the public about alpacas, and have some wonderful new clients that have bought from us and board here learning everything alpaca.

We have bought new animals and a couple new studs that won us awards in the ring and hopefully more to come!

We had 6 new babies born healthy and beautiful that has given us great joy.

Every day is an adventure, an education, or just a wonderful day here on the farm and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

We hope that what we blog about helps others that may have issues like ours and please don’t ever hesitate to call or write!!!!!!!!!!