What can you do with non-breeding alpacas?

[dianneS]

Our alpacas are around goats and miniature horses, of which they get along great. We have a pygmy goat who thinks he is an alpaca. The alpaca that he buddied up with slept with and loved on just recently passed away and he is having a hard time with mourning and all. The poor little thing is usually wild as a march hare. When we loaded up the other alpacas for the vet visit he jumped in the trailer and went too. Sometimes when we were taking them he would run behind the trailer in the pasture til he got tired. He doesnt like to be seperated from them. I have been told by numerous people not to put them together, but in our case he makes a great "guard dog" and loves them very much. The horses do not bother the pacas and vice versa. It is basically a case of you have to watch and pay attention. Some horses and goats would however be to aggressive.
We have cows around and I make sure my pacas get bovine vaccinations. My vet reccommended this and they seem to do great.

That's good to know. I just recently met an alpaca breeder. She was very encouraging. She said she's sold alpacas to many people who keep them with horses and/or goats. I know another woman who got two alpacas to keep with a horse. She said they are doing fine. I was informed about the parasite issues too. I'm a real stickler about parasites, having worked for two colon therpists in the past ten years, I even de-worm myself!