Anyone had/or knows anyone with a Alpaca?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Amysguineapigs

Amysguineapigs

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
Sep 15, 2011
Messages
906
Reaction score
108
Points
400
Location
West Midlands
As you know Snowball is a Alpaca and I would love to know if anyone on here has/had a Alpaca or knows someone with one. As there is hardly any information on them, our vets have also said how they've never seen one.
I read once that they're prone to mites...and don't we know about it!:(

So any information in appreciated. :)p
 
I have an Alpaca - Milo, although he has alopecia. This is Milo when I first got him.

038-3.jpg


His flanks and back end has lost fur, he's had a stupid amount of tests and there is nothing to explain why this happens. He's a very happy pig and so chilled Milo isn't a normal guinea pig!
 
Aww he's lovely! drool



Us and our vet believes Snowball is deaf. But does Milo have any problems with his ears or eyes? Because Snowball's seems to be a unexplained problem.

Snowball isn't like a normal piggy either! Haha!;)
 
Milo has bizarre qualities - he doesn't really react to me, there's many a medical thread or thread about him.

He did have suspected Cushings, until we realized we couldn't diagnosis the condition or that it's extreme difficult to diagnosis, I spent in excess of £500 trying to get a diagnosis. I am fairly certain Milo may have a long term illness or perhaps a neurological problem. We have no real idea. If he was to show anymore symptoms I would of course take him back to the vet again but at present he's happy and so am I.

This is an example of his behavior;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RM7...xt=C34ea523UDOEgsToPDskJtpwBMRYr9h-yC8ReYmz-Q
 
See if i touched Snowball when his all relaxed like Milo he would jump, but that's because his deaf so can't hear any warning, but i think if he wasn't deaf he may be like your Milo. As Snowball is the most docile one of ours pigs, he never lifts up his head when his on the ground like his mate Cookie, and when i hold him up he doesn't fidget, he'll let you do anything to him! Maybe it's just Alpacas!{:|
 
I have three alpacas. They are the most placid, cuddly piggies and my favourite breed of guinea pig. My 2 boys are only babies, but I have had no problems so far. Obviously, they need lots of brushing and care but then, I also brush all my other piggies daily too! Mine were all rescue piggies, the boys an unwanted litter. My alpaca girl is about a year old, another rescue when the owner found her 'too hard work!' Again, no problems so far. :)
 
gorgeous piggies said:
I have three alpacas. They are the most placid, cuddly piggies and my favourite breed of guinea pig. My 2 boys are only babies, but I have had no problems so far. Obviously, they need lots of brushing and care but then, I also brush all my other piggies daily too! Mine were all rescue piggies, the boys an unwanted litter. My alpaca girl is about a year old, another rescue when the owner found her 'too hard work!' Again, no problems so far. :)
Click to expand...

Oh that's great, good to see someone else with Alpacas!
They do take a lot of grooming! I quite like it though!
Snowball started having problems when he got to 1 and half X
 
Oh i forgot to say...Is anyone else's Alpaca naughty when grooming? I don't know whether his naughty or he has sensitive skin, i brush him he jumps around, i try and trim around his bum and he flinches and jumps! It's a nightmare!
 
I have a Alpaca, but I keep her hair short.. I got her from the RSPCA and its just much easier to groom her with her hair shorter.

Sad story is, she was left outside the centre in a box with her other cage mates :(


How do you tell if you have a deaf piggy?
 
Last edited:
Amysguineapigs said:
Oh i forgot to say...Is anyone else's Alpaca naughty when grooming? I don't know whether his naughty or he has sensitive skin, i brush him he jumps around, i try and trim around his bum and he flinches and jumps! It's a nightmare!
Click to expand...

Yes! my Juliet does this.. I use a soft baby brush on her (hence Why I don't like her hair long, she doesn't like to be groomed much) she finds comfort in eating something every time I brush her, I hate it as I know she hates it, she must have sensitive skin or something?
 
There's a beautiful Alpaca guinea pig, brown, in my local garden centre. I go there often to buy hay. No one seems to want him. I've watched him grow and grow with all the other piggies being bought but no one wants him.
 
Curlycritter said:
Yes! my Juliet does this.. I use a soft baby brush on her (hence Why I don't like her hair long, she doesn't like to be groomed much) she finds comfort in eating something every time I brush her, I hate it as I know she hates it, she must have sensitive skin or something?
Click to expand...

Yes i think Snowball has sensitive skin too! As he hates it so much!
 
Julesie said:
There's a beautiful Alpaca guinea pig, brown, in my local garden centre. I go there often to buy hay. No one seems to want him. I've watched him grow and grow with all the other piggies being bought but no one wants him.
Click to expand...

That's so sad, it's probably the aspect of grooming him which is putting people off buying him! Hope he goes to a good home.
 
Curlycritter said:
I have a Alpaca, but I keep her hair short.. I got her from the RSPCA and its just much easier to groom her with her hair shorter.

Sad story is, she was left outside the centre in a box with her other cage mates :(


How do you tell if you have a deaf piggy?
Click to expand...

Yes i keep Snowball's hair short, looks cleaner! But i like it a bit longer for winter.
And that's awful :(

Snowball doesn't respond to any noise you can shut a door whilst his sleeping he won't jump, he won't respond to a rustle from a bag. Also we mentioned it to the vet and she did this loud high pitched noise with her mouth and his ears didn't move and he didn't respond. So she was like 'Yeah think he is deaf'.:(
 
Amysguineapigs said:
That's so sad, it's probably the aspect of grooming him which is putting people off buying him! Hope he goes to a good home.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think so. I feel bad for him. He's such a cutie. He doesn't seem scared of anyone too as he'll happily stand there and eat as people point over the bars to him. He's in a huge pen with many other younger piggies.

If I lived in my own home and could afford it, I'd certainly buy him.
 
Amber was a merino I think, but very similar fur. Very difficult to groom as its near impossible not to snag the fur sometimes and then they start jumping and making it worse. Also very difficult to keep their rear end clean. So I used to do was chop off all her fur - it's cooler and more hygienic. Sadly I lost her quite young to a gut blockage and I always wonder if it was a hairball.

That video reminds me of Priscilla's 'dead guinea pig' impression. She gets me at least once a week with it. She's a Sheltie and if I let her fur grow to long she will not do a thing. She just sits there. But after a good haircut she's a different guinea pig pootles around and even popcorns on occasion. And she can keep herself clean with short fur.

I really disapprove of people breeding these poor guineas - it's not good when you can't even groom yourself.
 
paulag said:
Amber was a merino I think, but very similar fur. Very difficult to groom as its near impossible not to snag the fur sometimes and then they start jumping and making it worse. Also very difficult to keep their rear end clean. So I used to do was chop off all her fur - it's cooler and more hygienic.


I really disapprove of people breeding these poor guineas - it's not good when you can't even groom yourself.
Click to expand...

yeh me too.. :x

My Juliet is like that, her fur is quite impossible to groom (when it was longer, even everyday it was like it) and round her bum it did get messy..

luckily my mum gave me my bro's old hair shaver so I clip around her back hair a little to keep it short and clean, I keep the rest of her fur a little longer though - just clip the ends so she looks tidy, poor girly she flinches so much, why people breed animals with such crazy and impossible to groom hair I don't know.

It does amaze me how people groom and maintain show piggies with long hair

My O/H nicknames her Juliet Fluffabum :))
 
I agree i don't think people should encourage breeding piggies with such long hair, as it can be very uncomfortable. Snowball was from a pet shop, there was a brown Alpaca with Snowball and i just hope his gone to a nice home and not a home which can't be bothered to groom him. I know people disapprove of pet shop piggies on here but at the end of the day where would Snowball be if he went into the wrong hands? May have ended up in a rescue!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top