hi - you are asking what we do with their teeth? everytime we do their feet, shots etc, we check their teeth to see if all is well - sometimes baby teeth haven't fallen out and are causing "bite" problems, and sometimes teeth have grown too long and need trimming - also the fighting teeth of adult males need to be removed so they don't hurt each other - the man who was helping us had invented a gizmo that fit over the teeth and neatly and ;quickly buzzed them off - it smelled like the dentist's drill, but it was quick and therefore less stressful for the alpaca - now that we are on our own, i ordered the only "teeth trimming" equipment i could find online, and we have two handles with a wire connected to each - apparantly the process is to wrap the wire around the teeth and saw back and forth until the trimming is complete - i can't see us doing this without really distressing our animals - so i guess now it will be one more thing i pay the vet to do
we have a great vet - he is a horse vet with quite a bit of alpaca/llama experience and very nice - the problem is he has his clinic in another town and only comes to our valley one day a week - if there is an emergency, it will take him at least an hour to get here, IF he is available at all
the only time i've called in an emergency was when i had a cria born, prematurely to a first-time mom - baby was clearly in distress but the vet was on the other end of the island and "busy all day" - he didn't call me back until the next day,which would have been way to late for this cria. We have no large animal vets at all here in the valley.
But the cost of a vet visit is hard on a small-time farmer like me so i am trying to learn how to deal with whatever i can, on our own.
Does anyone else have a method for dealing with teeth that they can pass on?
Wendy
DreamWeaver Alpacas
----- Original Message -----
From: houckj@aol.com
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2007 8:52 AM
Subject: Re: [AlpacaTalk] trimming feet etc
I'll be interested in any answers to Wendy's dilemma as I am in the same
boat. Except I have never had any help (single female) and my pacas only get
their feet trimmed once a year at shearing time. This spring they didn't get
sheared at all and therefore have not had their feet trimmed in 1 1/2 yrs and they
look bad.
I have Marty's book but do not have the luxury of time to spend with mine to
get them to the point where I can trim their feet while they are standing.
They are for the most part very tame and easy to handle but will not stand for
having the legs or feet messed with.
And may I ask, please forgive my ignorance, what you do with their teeth?
You say you have had help with their feet, teeth, etc.
I am not a professional alpaca farmer and currently only have 4. I have mine
for pleasure and fiber and love them dearly but don't have much time or money
to devote to them.
Thanks, Janice
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