High quality alpaca adventures and holiday advices in Denver, Colorado: Here’s why an alpaca experience is perfect for your upcoming trip to Denver. Alpacas are adorable, fluffy, and friendly animals. People are often surprised by just how sociable they are and how much they enjoy human affection. They are also incredibly calm creatures with steady temperaments. This makes them perfect for the whole family. They don’t display erratic behavior, making them more predictable around children. Find extra information at alpaca adventure tours in Denver, Colorado.
As herbivores, alpacas only eat vegetation. They eat mostly grass, but their diets can also include leaves wood, bark or stems. Like other ruminants, alpacas have a three-chambered stomach that digests the roughage efficiently. Unlike other grazers, alpacas don’t eat much. According to the Alpaca Owners Association, a 125-lb. (57 kg) animal only eats around 2 lbs. (907 grams) per day. In general, alpacas eat 1.5 percent of their body weight each day.
It’s a photo-worthy activity: If you’re looking for a fun experience where you can take some Instagram-worthy shots, meeting alpacas is for you. You’ll be able to stand with them, pet them, feed them, and take photos with and of them. Not only are you interacting with an animal you’ve likely never hung out with before, but you’re also doing it in an incredibly scenic state. Capture some photos of you smiling with an alpaca for all your followers and friends to enjoy. When you go behind the scenes on the ranch, you learn about much more than just the animals. You have the opportunity to talk about the economy, trade, production, local handmade goods, and so much more.
The alpaca comes in two breed types: huacaya (pronounced wuh-KAI-ya) and suri (SUR-ee). Huacayas, the more common type, account for about 85-90% of all alpacas. The two breed types vary primarily in terms of their fiber. How long do alpacas live? Generally, around 15 to 20 years. The longest documented lifespan of an alpaca is 28 years. How are alpacas different from llamas? People often confuse alpacas with llamas. While closely related, llamas and alpacas are very different animals. Llamas are much larger, about twice the size of an alpaca, with a weight range of 250 to 450 pounds. Alpacas weigh between 120 to 200 pounds. Llamas are primarily used for packing or for guarding herds of sheep or alpacas, whereas alpacas are primarily raised for their soft and luxurious fleece. Read extra details at https://meetalpacas.com/.
Are alpacas dangerous? No. Alpacas are pleasant to be around and generally easy to handle. Alpacas do not head-butt. They do not have horns or hooves like other livestock. They move gracefully and adroitly about the field and are therefore unlikely to run into or over anyone intentionally. Males develop sharp fighting teeth at about three years of age which can cause injury to both humans as well as other alpacas. Alpacas will reflexively kick with a hind leg, particularly if surprised from behind. While the impact of an alpaca kick is not on par with a horse, it can create a bruise. Also, there is potential for toenails to cut skin.
Alpacas have two sets of teeth for processing food. They have molars in the back of the jaw for chewing cud. In the front, alpacas have teeth on the bottom only and a hard gum (known as a dental pad) on the top for crushing grain, grass, or hay. Unlike goats and sheep that have long tongues which can rip plants out of the ground, alpacas have short tongues and nibble only the tops of grasses and other plants. This results in less disturbance of the vegetation. Alpacas will often eat shrubs or the leaves from trees if given the opportunity. This requires monitoring to ensure they do not consume harmful products.
Wild guanacos and vicuñas live in a wide range of habitats, from the high and dry Atacama Desert in northern Chile to the wet and stormy Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of the continent, according to the ADW. Alpacas are also native to the Andes, at elevations of up to 15,750 feet (4,800 meters). Alpacas, however, are very adaptable and have been exported all over the world, including the United States, New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands, so their “habitat” is often farmland. Still, 99 percent of the world population of alpacas is found in South America, according to the ADW.