Overweight llama

My llama is overweight. I know I need to get the weight off. What is the best way to do so? I bought a scale and have started weighing how much hay I feed her. I've been doing this about a month already. I read I should give 1.8%-2% of her body weight in dry matter daily. I'm currently giving her about 2 1/2 lbs of hay twice a day. I feed a local (WA state) grass hay. She gets a little browse every couple of days as well, and occasionally a 1/4-1/2 cup of llama pellets(once a week or less). I'm not seeing any weight come off at this point. I'm wondering if feeding for a set time (20 min. twice a day) might be better? More browse and less hay? Thoughts?

I realize this post is older, but....

I know some do, but I just can't limit hay with my guys - I offer it free choice. I can't cut back on (or eliminate) grain, but not hay. I think some animals, just like some people, struggle with weight more, despite maybe not eating any more than the next animal (or person...lol).

Is your hay in the shade? If so, could it be that your girl prefers the shade and that's why she's not out grazing? I know my little herd prefers to stay under shade when it's hot outside, and they reserve their grazing for early mornings and late evenings....

I'm with you on not limiting the quantity of hay, but I do mess with the quality a lot when I need to get someone's weight down.

For llamas and alpacas, who need a 'poorer quality' aka, more roughage less protein, I will give free access to low protein hay and small amount of quality hay once a day (one flake per four animals).

What mineral supplements are you using? How old is she? Is she a rescue or had a hard time at all before she came to you?

I had one alpaca that was a rescue, he would gorge himself on food as soon as it was put out until he got sick. It took him 6 months to realize that he had constant access and didn't need to gobble it all down before it went away. We found out later that he had experienced really bad neglect and was starving when he was rescued. By the time we got him, he was overweight from poor eating habits, but once he learned that he had free access to nibbles, he started eating small meals more frequently. After a while, he went back to a normal weight (took about a year and a half).

Now I see how old the post is, I wonder how is she doing now?