Visa is a female brown alpaca and was born on 06 July 1999. We bought her in April 2009, as her and another female we bought had always been together since the birth of the younger one, Guinevere (born 30 July 2004).
When we bought thes e alpacas we were told that Guinevere was pregnant and her cria was due in June 2009. That didn’t happen. We mated Guinevere with Sumac and just a week or so previous to this we put Visa in the paddock with one of our males, Chopaka. We saw no action by day, but we were not always around. Several weeks later we tested Visa for pregnancy and she kicked and spat at Sumac, so we concluded that she was indeed pregnant and would likely give birth in June/July 2010.
It was August 19th 2009, in the afternoon (about 4-10pm )and I popped into the females area just to check on their water, not really thinking they would need any since the water had been topped up that morning. However, it was a hot afternoon and I was at a loose end. Bo (our three year old very lively Border Collie) was with me but decided to go into the boys paddock which is beside the girls. He can come and go in this paddock as he chooses.
As I came through their shelter and out into the little barn area, there, lying on the floor in the dust was a brown bundle in it’s membrane, with just it’s head free of the membrane from birthing. It was obviously breathing, making little noises now and again and moving though not great movements. Visa, the mother was beside him, looking at him, and producing the afterbirth.
I quickly ran to the house to inform my very surprised husband of the arrival and grabbed my camera!
We both hurried back to the stable area and to watch and make sure all was going well. The afterbirth, one big red sac, was collected and put in a garbage bag for disposal later (alpacas in captivity don’t seem to eat this).
All seemed to be going well so hubby went back to the house to phone our neighbour’s farm that has the Sunshine Valley Alpacas. He is experienced with alpacas and their young, and he came along to join in our celebration of a new arrival and to see that all was well.
He lifted the new cria and carried him to the field where he put him down on grass and in the shade. He removed some of the membrane sacking and the baby in his movements removed the rest (he was doign these movements in the dust but the dust was not causing enough friction to get the membrane off).
Bo in the meantime is very excited in his paddock with the boys as he can see what is going on. He forgets he can get himself out of that paddock and tries digging holes into the girls paddock,and when that fails tries nearer the gate. He succeeds several times only to be taken back to the other side of the fence! Each time he got in with the girls he was very inquisitive but very gentle. The females were all on hand watching anyway and woudl not have let anything happen if possible to the new arrival.
Our neighbour sexed the cria for us and began rubbing the baby on his next which appeared to stimulate him. By 5pm the baby was up for the first time and took a little step,fell down, rested, then tried again and succeeded. Not very much longer after this the baby suckled from the mother and we then knew that we could leave mother and baby alone and all woudl be well.
What a wonderful surprise for us and what a proud mother Visa seems to be!!!
Since the mother is called Visa, we have decided on the name "Barclay" since in the UK one of the banks is called Barclay and they have a debit card the Barclay card.