ALPACA CRIA

The birth of an alpaca cria is an exciting event. The first few weeks after the birth are the highest risk time for an alpaca.

The First 24 Hours

The following video shows the birth of a cria. Once the shoulders clear, the rest follows quickly. It's an amazing thing to watch.

Your cria should nurse within 2-4 hours. Once we see a cria looking to nurse we observe and step in if necessary to help them get started. One of our crias kept looking under Moms front legs instead of the other end. After 3 hours, we showed the cria the correct area. She latched on after a couple of attempts and all was well from then on.

Many alpaca ranchers dip the umbilicus in iodine. We have never done this and have never had a problem. It can be a portal for bacteria and cause an infection, so you may wish to practice this procedure. We try to stay out of the birthing process as much as possible and it is our choice not to do this.

Watch for hypothermia. We had a cria born on a cold, windy, rainy day in early spring. The cria was shivering. We felt we had to step in and warm the cria. We took him in the house, towel and blow dried him, then returned him to Mom. Once he was dry he did just fine.

Look for a milk mustach to check if the cria is actually getting milk from Mom. Wiegh your alpaca cria. They can loose up to a pound in the first 24-36 hours so don't be alarmed by this weight loss. The loss is due to internal fluids from being in uterus being excreted through urine, feces, and breathing. After this, your cria should gain 1/2 to 1 pound a day. If they don't gain weight or actually loose weight, something is wrong.

You should see them pass their first stool within 12 hours. It will be a dark sticky matter called meconium. If they do not pass this, you should consider an enema. We use a 50/50 mixture of milk and molasses. Our alpaca mentor told us about this and it did work. We put it in one of those suction bulbs you can get for babies and slowly administer it. You don't want to use too much pressure or you could rupture the crias intestines. Another enema use is 30-60ml of mineral oil to soften stools. You could, also, apply warm compresses to the crias belly and massage to get the gut moving.

If you see milk coming from the crias nose, then they probably have a congenital defect called cleft palate. It's a good idea to check the alpaca cria for any deformities at this time.

To know what is abnormal you need to know the norm for an alpaca cria. Normal vital signs are as follows:

Heart rate = 80-120 beats per minute
Respiratory rate = 20-40 without effort
Rectal temperature = 99-102 degrees

Premature crias will be weak and need assistance. They are at higher risk for problems. Clues that your cria is premature are:

Tips of ears drooping
Incisor teeth have not erupted
Tendons in the legs are lax, pasterns dropped
Weigh under 12 pounds
Not attempting to stand or nurse

You may want to do a colostrum check in the first 24 hours. If the IGG is below 800 you should consider a plasma transfusion. Supplementing with alpaca colostrum is best. If that is unavailable, the goat, sheep, or cow colostrum can be used. Some alpaca farms gather colostrum from their own dams and freeze it so it is available if they need it.

To get colostrum into the cria, you can bottle feed or tube feed. If the cria is strong, try the bottle first. The problem with a bottle is that it is difficult to get the cria to take the bottle. If you're persistant you can have success.

If they are too weak, you will have to tube them. If you have never tubed before, get assistance from someone who has. You can easily pass the tube into the crias lungs which is not a good thing to do. As a nurse, Debby has put nasogastric tubes into humans. While assisting another nurse with this procedure, she passed the tube into the patients lungs. It was very obvious what had happened. The patient turned red, gagged, and yanked the tube out. It may not be so obvious in an alpaca. Placing the tube into the lungs and administering milk will start a bad pnuemonia that might kill your cria. Don't chance it. Get help from an experienced alpaca owner or vet.

Check to see if your cria is urinating within the first 24 hours. This is an indication they are getting sufficient milk.

After 24 Hours

Diarrhea can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or feed. The most common cuase of diarrhea in young alpacas are protozoans. Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Eimeria are the main culprits.

Giardia is caused by drinking contaminated water, milk, or food. This parasite can be seen in alpacas aged 14 days to one year, but is usually seen in 2-3 month old alpacas.

Cryptosporidium does not usually cause a problem unless the crias immune system is compromised. This parasite can cause problems between the age of one week to 10 days, but can show up in up to 3 month old alpacas.

Eimeria can cause diarrhea in alpacas aged 3 months to one year.

Diarrhea can be a killer. Take it seriously. Start the cira on IV fluids if they are showing signs of weakness, lethargy, and/or dehydration. Give electrolyte replacers.

For Giardia you can give fenbendazole. Cryptosporidium has no specific treatment but Lasaloid has been used with success. It can be toxic so never use this without a vet being involved. Eimeria can be treated with Albon. Contact your vet for diagnosis, treatment, and doses.

Larger farms are more prone to these types of problems. Use good hygiene on your farm and you can mostly avoid these protozoans.

In Conclusion

We are not vets, only owners sharing some of our experience or other alpaca farmers' experince that we have learned about. Please consult your vet if you are having a problem.

We hope to help new owners experience the joy of crias on their farm and some of the things you need to look for to determine if there is a problem with your cria.

An alpaca cria is a delight! Here's wishing all your alpaca babies are happily pronking at dusk.

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