Question about Copper

[elevan]

The local llama breeder strongly cautioned me against allowing my llama to eat anything with copper in it. However, he is a guard for the goats and they have free choice goat minerals available and if they leave any feed behind he'll run over and scarf it up. I have also caught him chomping on the goat block (he has minerals out for him without copper in them - up high where my pygmies cannot get it)

Is he in any harm with his activities of the goats stuff?

 

[ksalvagno]

A lot of copper is bad for llamas. I would say there probably isn't enough in the feed to affect him if he is just getting a little bit. Not sure on your mineral though.

 

[ksalvagno]

I emailed my alpaca vet about this. She said: As with most things in medicine and nutrition there is no easy answer. Copper absorption is effected by molybdenum (also sulfur and zinc) so you can't just say x amount of copper in a trace mineral is o.k. It is generally accepted that a copper: molybdenum ratio of 6:1 is o.k. for alpacas.Toxicity is reported to occur when the ratio gets to 15:1. Also don't forget this is for the total diet, forage included.

But, in the Dr Norm Evans Field Manual, his suggested copper amount is 20-25 ppm out of their full diet. So I'm guessing that goat mineral would have too much copper in it for llamas.

 

[elevan]

Thanks Karen. I'll see what I can do to make the goats stuff more inaccessible to our llama.

 

[ksalvagno]

Is your llama gelded?

 

[elevan]

Is your llama gelded?

No, he is intact (and the only llama I have)