SkyWarrior
Loving the herd life
Okay, tonight I have a real puzzler. I just got Nicky my new llama (new to me) and he's been a real sweetheart. He tore down the fence the first day between him and Sid (it was just field fence) and Sid has been acting like he's a pain in the butt, but nothing major has happened.
I came in at night to feed (first time late in the evening) and found Nicky with his face pressed against the fence, the water bucket turned over and the food more or less untouched. I panicked and thought colic.
After some encouragement, I got him from the corner where he started running into things like the buckets, the wall and other things. He grunted and groaned at me like he was in pain, but I couldn't really put my finger on it. So I curled my arm around his neck and led him inside the barn at night. I have plenty of light on to keep the chickens laying.
Nick wandered around and stumbled over stuff, eventually going to one of the chicken pens to investigate the chickens. I got a halter and put it on him. I then ran my hands all over him. He usually doesn't let me run my hands over his rear end, so this was kind of surprising. I gently put my fingers right up to his eyeballs without touching the lashes or the eye and he did not blink. He kept burying his head in my chest or pressing it against my head and making these little groaning sounds. He also practically ran over me a few times.
I walked him a bit under the light and then brought him back to the pen. I am not seeing blood or any injury. His belly doesn't feel weird, but he's on the heavy side and I'm not hearing weird stomach noises. It's well past midnight and there is no way in heck I'm getting a vet way out here at this time of night. It just won't happen.
I released him into the pen and he went back to Sid who gave him a spit-less spit. I checked on him later and his head is held up high again and he's not in a corner. I'll check on him tomorrow morning and hopefully things will be all right. I need to make an appointment with a llama vet to come out here anyway.
So, I don't know what to think. Colic? Blindness? Night blindness? I've heard of dogs having night blindness, so I suppose llamas could. I'll check on him before I go to bed, but it may explain why he's been lying down at night.
I came in at night to feed (first time late in the evening) and found Nicky with his face pressed against the fence, the water bucket turned over and the food more or less untouched. I panicked and thought colic.
After some encouragement, I got him from the corner where he started running into things like the buckets, the wall and other things. He grunted and groaned at me like he was in pain, but I couldn't really put my finger on it. So I curled my arm around his neck and led him inside the barn at night. I have plenty of light on to keep the chickens laying.
Nick wandered around and stumbled over stuff, eventually going to one of the chicken pens to investigate the chickens. I got a halter and put it on him. I then ran my hands all over him. He usually doesn't let me run my hands over his rear end, so this was kind of surprising. I gently put my fingers right up to his eyeballs without touching the lashes or the eye and he did not blink. He kept burying his head in my chest or pressing it against my head and making these little groaning sounds. He also practically ran over me a few times.
I walked him a bit under the light and then brought him back to the pen. I am not seeing blood or any injury. His belly doesn't feel weird, but he's on the heavy side and I'm not hearing weird stomach noises. It's well past midnight and there is no way in heck I'm getting a vet way out here at this time of night. It just won't happen.
I released him into the pen and he went back to Sid who gave him a spit-less spit. I checked on him later and his head is held up high again and he's not in a corner. I'll check on him tomorrow morning and hopefully things will be all right. I need to make an appointment with a llama vet to come out here anyway.
So, I don't know what to think. Colic? Blindness? Night blindness? I've heard of dogs having night blindness, so I suppose llamas could. I'll check on him before I go to bed, but it may explain why he's been lying down at night.
