What collar if any do you put on your Llamas or Alpacas?

MrsCountryChick

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I realize it's not good to put a halter on them 24/7. So if I need a halter on them I put it on them. But I've seen on tv specials & websites that most people put on the colored plastic chain collars...but what do you attach the links together with? Metal connecting oval rings with barrel rolling closures seem to work themselves loose at times. :/ I know that from my goats. I've also seen collars like dog collars on them... which I don't really care for. Just wondering what you all used on your animals, Llamas or Alpacas?
 

ksalvagno

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The plastic link collars that you see on some alpacas have no use other than to hold a number or a name. They link on themselves. They aren't strong enough to use as a way to lead them. The alpaca or llama would break right out of it if any pressure was put on it.
 

MrsCountryChick

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Oh yea that's what I meant tho. A way of marking the animal if I had two that were very identical or a way to 'lightly' hold an alpaca still as I put on a halter (in the pasture or stall of course..not a way to hold a loose outside a fence alpaca still). I've seen videos where people put almost a headlock on an alpaca to hold them still for a collar. Seemed like alot of stress, and with me at only 5ft I'm not a real tall person to do the 'headlock hold' properly I'm sure, lol. Just wondering what a all the time wearing hanging neck marker anyone used? Sorry I didn't specify I was just wondering what kind of marker collar anyone used that was safe. & those hanging neck markers are put on so loose it'd Never work as a collar even if it were strong enough to lead with. ;)
 

ksalvagno

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I've never used them. Even with girls coming and going for birthing, I'm able to tell them apart. Some people use the velcro closure neck collars that look like dog collars. They are on snugger and could take more pull. For the most part they can be kept loose enough. When an alpaca is in full fiber it is a little snugger but it certainly isn't choking them or anything.
 

MrsCountryChick

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Thanks for the info, but I have long hair & pull it up in a bun & wear a ballcap or visor for doing chores in warm weather & I typically use velcro closure caps & BOY does the velcro catch my hair sometimes.... so my worry would be that I'd have a tangled mess of fiber around the velcro neck closures. Then not wanting to rip out patches of fiber I'd then have to use scissors by their neck to cut the collar out. :idunno I'm assuming velcro is velcro & would have the same 'grabbing effect' on fiber as it does my hair. Boy does that hurt!
 

MrsCountryChick

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ksalvagno said:
Even with girls coming and going for birthing, I'm able to tell them apart.
I have 2 girls that nearly identical in all ways except for a "slight" 2 to 3 inch height difference... But my taller girl is a bit older than my younger one, so my worry is when & if she catches up on those few back height inches It'll be nearly impossible. There are soooo many shades & colors, but these are so identical it's amazing.
 

ksalvagno

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To be honest, I haven't seen a problem with the velcro collars getting stuck on fiber. I'm sure it would on the cria fiber but we had no problem removing collars on shearing day and no fiber was in the velcro. I guess it would depend on your animal's fiber.
 
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