This is my first post, and our first llama, Lily. We got her about a month ago as a guard animal for our chickens and pygmy goats as well as a companion for us. She is excellent at her job and my family loves her. We are still not sure how she feels about us! We are told she is a year and half, she is about the size of a full grown alpaca right now so we are guessing she has some growing to do. I think of her as a bit of a rescue, as I am not sure her background or how much care she had in the past. They said she is a "light wool" llama, is that the same as "classic"? She has never been shorn and I am not sure anyone has ever touched her legs or feet. Anytime we try to touch her anywhere besides her neck or head she flicks back her ears and makes a sound at us kind of like a high pitched growl. I have had some success with brushing debris out of her neck and head and we were able to trim some of the matted up fleece on her sides and neck since it was just so thick and dirty that it didn't breathe much in the summer heat. She loves a good neck rub! But, I think we are going to have to wait till spring to really shear her properly. Should we trim up around her eyes? And, when she flicks back her ears and makes this high growling sound at me, it seems like a warning, should I stop what I am doing? She has never been in a halter. The man who sold her to us used a rope loosely draped around her neck to get her off the trailer. This seems to put her under some stress so we haven't done it again. I have a lot of questions, I am sure can be answered in the book (which I need to order!), but for now, I just need to know what to do first as far as maintenance. We will be getting the vet to look at her, I am curious if she is pregnant, since she was with males at her previous owner. We do not own a chute, do we need to have her halter trained before the vet comes to check her out? I want her to know that she can trust us, so I hang out with her and the goats and chickens for a couple of hours each day, just sitting and talking with them and my kids. My concern is that she is lonely. She has bonded with the goats, in that, they always have to be together otherwise they talk constantly trying to find one another. I am feeling very torn about how to proceed with companionship for her. I am wanting a young female or gelded male alpaca to keep her company, whom she would also have a guardianship over. Would this be a good fit, or could it possibly ruin the bond with the goats? And finally, which product do I need to purchase since catching her is not a problem, I am hesitant to purchase the starter kit, since I just think I need the book, the lead and the halter? And, would it be more beneficial to do the online course right away and begin work with her now, or attend the clinic in Kentucky in November? Any advice anyone can give would be so much help as there is so little practical information online.
