Re: [AlpacaTalk] RE: OB wire/teeth
Our wire is about 1/8" thick. It is multi strand, and I didn't check
it in the barn again today.
To trim the teeth, no it is impossible to put around each individual
tooth as with dental floss. Even if you could, that would make for a
very messy trim job.
Here's my description again of the process:
> So, for trimming teeth, say you have an adult with all 6 incisors in.
> Maybe, like on some of ours, only the 1st and 2nd incisors are too
> long. The 3rd ones are usually ok. So we just start with the wire at
> the top of the 3rd set, and start sawing toward (myself), pulling the
> wire and sawing the 2nd incisors at an angle generally parallel to
> the gumline. When you get nearly through the teeth, they'll probably
> pop off and might hit you in the face. Not a bad idea to wear eye
> protection, especially if trimming fighting teeth! Anyway, you just
> proceed to the 1st incisors, pulling toward yourself, with strong
> pressure, as quickly as possible, because the alpaca will likely be
> trying to get away. They may not be perfect. If you have a dremel
> tool with a carbide drum type tip, and you have strong help to keep
> the alpaca restrained, you can then smooth off the teeth. Otherwise,
> don't worry too much, they'll smooth off on their own. In fact I have
> pics I'll post soon, before trim, after trim, and a couple weeks
> later with no dremel smoothing,
>
> Many people use a small rope dog chew toy to keep the mouth open a
> bit and the tongue pushed back out of the way of the wire. We also
> use the end of a roll of vetwrap, the sheath to a 6cc syringe...
> anything about 1/2" to 3/4" in diameter that isn't too hard.Even a
> piece of dowel would work ok.
>
So, you have the wire resting on top of the 3rd incisors, both of
them, and coming out of the mouth on either side, thereby allowing
you to cut both 2nd incisors at the same time, then you continue
sawing and pulling toward yourself and will immediately start on the
1st incisors (the front middle teeth). Then they'll be done in no time.
And please remember that shearing is not optional for alpacas. They
must be shorn each and every year or death from heat stroke is a very
real possibility. I lived in GA when I was a kid, they can't be left
in full fleece all summer. Fans and sprinklers are not sufficient.
You mentioned losing nearly all of your crias. I don't know if you've
left your animals unshorn in the past, but doing so will increase
your risk of stillbirths and heat stroke in the pregnant dams.
I mentioned that one year we sheared a girl with fiskars spring
loaded scissors because we were new and didn't want to "put her
through the stress of shearing" as we were told, since she was due
early June and shearing was mid-May. She looked like the devil, but
there is no choice. The fleece must come off no matter what. And,
that was the last year we ever didn't have anyone shorn with the rest
of the herd no matter the due date. They're happier shorn, even if
they're due in a month, two months, or the next day. And otherwise
they can die or get very very sick.
Heather
On Feb 15, 2009, at 5:35 PM, houckj@aol.com wrote:
> Great description, thanks Heather. I have no idea off the top of my
> head what 1 to 1.5 mm looks like (they just never did get around to
> teaching us metrics in school tho they kept threatening to! Any time
> metrics is spoken to me my brain twists into knots and I have to go
> find
> a conversion table), but when you said the spool it was on was 1/4"
> high
> - now *that* I can immediately picture! The OB wire I purchased is
> 12 m
> - I guess that means 12 meters in length tho it does not say that,
> just
> 12m - so about the same as the 11 yds you get from VV. For the same
> app
> length my spool is also about 2.5 inches or so across, but an 1" high.
> Your wire therefore has to be much slimmer than this. Is yours
> twisted/multi strands?
>
> So from your description of the process, you *are* putting the wire
> between/around each individual tooth? Like dental floss?
>
> I am planning to trim the teeth when my shearer is here this year. I
> don't have a chute so he brings a huge very thick rubber mat and we
> lay
> them gently on their side on it. Usually his wife comes as well, but
> last year just he and I were able to manage. He ties their legs out to
> a stake - front together and back together; again very gently, he is a
> "gentle giant", his mannerisms are always so calm and tho he is in
> great
> demand and travels all over, he always acts as if I am his only
> customer
> and he has all day. I sit at the head and gently hold it and talk and
> coo to the paca. If his wife or another 3rd person is here she sits at
> their back and is at the ready should the animal start struggling
> to get
> up. She sits close enough that they know she is there, but she doesn't
> touch the alpaca. I take this opportunity to really look them over,
> esp
> arm pits, under the tail, etc; places they won't ordinarily let me
> look.
> I trim their nails and give them their decto (this year Ivermec), and
> vaccines - if I am giving any. So this year I want to be ready
> mentally
> and supplies and be able to describe to him exactly what we are
> going to
> do, as I try to do all of this as quickly as possible and not take
> advantage of his time.
>
> If I wasn't needing to trim their teeth so badly I would skip the
> shearing this year and just do a little hand trimming if needed
> later in
> the summer. He trimmed them so close last year that they *still* don't
> have much of a coat and winter is almost over. I hate tor spend the
> money for shearing when it doesn't look needed, but I just cannot let
> their teeth go on - they are SO long. What do alpacas in the wild do
> that our guys are not doing that keeps their teeth down? We really
> shouldn't have to trim teeth, their must be some natural management
> practice that would eliminate that - at least for the incisors, maybe
> not the fighting teeth. I'll have to do those as well on my breeding
> male. Aren't those on the top?
>
> Thanks! Janice
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posted by Chaddo at 5:50 PM
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