Nutrition

Like all animals, alpacas need to be fed the right diet in the right amounts so that they can remain happy and healthy. All alpacas must have access to clean water and a well-balanced, nutritious diet.

Proper nutrition provides alpacas with their most basic needs, allowing them to remain in good health and full of energy. This is a basic and vital need for alpacas, just as it is for all animals.

The following information is a general guide about the nutritional needs of healthy, adult alpaca. It is very important to remember that alpacas’ diets vary. The amount and type of pasture grasses, forage crops and hay they need is based on a number of things, including their age, health and even the time of the year. Crias (babies) and tuis (young teenagers), pregnant females, alpacas with certain health conditions, and older more senior alpacas will all have different nutritional requirements, which should be discussed with an experienced veterinarian.

Alpacas are herbivores. Herbivores are animals that only eat plant materials, such as grasses, fruits, leaves, vegetables, bark, roots and bulbs.

Some herbivores have diets that include lots of different types of plant material, while other herbivores may just stick to a very simple and strict diet of only one type of plant material.

Pastures are fields or paddocks growing plants for grazing animals.

Grazing is a way that some animals eat. Grazing animals look for green plant material that they find tasty. New green leaves are often a favourite plant part of grazing animals. When there are no new green leaves, the animals will often eat older green leaves, followed by green stems, then dry leaves, and finally dry stems.

Different types of grazing animals need different types of pastures. Alpacas need pastures with good quality pasture grass and different forage crops to provide them with their nutritional needs. There are many types of pasture grasses, that grow at different speeds, different sizes and at different times of the year. Some pasture grasses are really healthy with a lot of *nutritional value (goodness) for alpaca, while some others are not.

Alpaca guardians should check and test their pasture grasses. It is important that alpaca guardians know the nutritional content of their pasture, such as how much sugar, *protein, and *minerals the growing plants contain. This is about safety, as too much or too little of some *nutrients can cause health issues, requiring limited grazing or vitamin and mineral *supplements. 

Glossary:

*nutrients – the stuff that’s in food (such as vitamins, protein, fat, and more) that help an animal’s body function properly and stay healthy.

*nutritional value – the amount and type of nutrients found in a certain type and amount food.

*protein – a nutrient that maintains and replaces the tissues in an animal’s body. (Not the tissues you blow your nose in! We’re talking about the stuff human and animal bodies are made up of.) muscles, organs, and the immune system are made up mostly of protein.

*minerals – like vitamins, minerals help human and animal bodies grow and stay healthy. The body uses minerals to do many things — from building strong bones and teeth, to helping the immune system fight illnesses and infections.

*supplements – something added to an animals’ diet to complete or improve it.

Yes, this can be a bit confusing! When an animal is foraging, it means they are searching, looking and finding food to eat. When an animal is fed forage and eats forage, it means the animal is eating a type of plant material.

Forages are plants or parts of plants eaten by livestock (cows, horses, sheep, goats, llamas and of course, alpacas). There are many different types of forages. Alpacas should be fed a mix of good quality pasture grass and legume forages. Different types of plant material provide alpacas with different types and amounts of nutrition, so doing this is a good way to make sure they get all the goodness they need to be healthy. However, care should be taken with some forages, such as legumes, as too much in their diet can cause them to become overweight (obese), which can cause other serious health problems.

Alpacas’ dietary needs and the type and amounts of forage they need, can change depending on the nutritional quality (goodness) of the hay and pasture grass they have access to. It also depends on the season, or the time of the year. Different types of plants, grow at different times of the year, depending on the weather. For example, spring time provides alpacas with lots of high-protein grass, while in winter, there may be less of this grass available, so they will need to be given extra forages in the winter to stay healthy and strong during the colder months.

Alpacas have a natural need and want to graze, forage and sometimes browse, so it’s important to ensure you have enough pasture grass and forage crops to meet your alpaca’s needs. This will not only provide for their physical needs, but it allows alpaca to express some of their natural behaviours, which is an important part of their mental wellbeing.

Zinc alpaca nuts or kibble, are often recommend to be fed from November to April to prevent facial eczema and ryegrass staggers – which you can read more about in the Health section.

It’s always best to consult a veterinarian to determine the best diet for your alpacas and if they require additional minerals and vitamin supplementation such as salt, copper, and calcium, to name a few.

Good quality hay should also always be readily available for your alpacas, especially in winter. *Fibre, like hay, helps alpacas properly *digest their food.

Not only does hay help with digestion, but alpacas also enjoy using the hay to forage and browse, a key part of their natural behaviour. 

Hay should be supplied in a crib or feed box, rather than a hay-net, as these nets can be dangerous for alpacas.

Glossary:

*fibre – something found in certain types of food that helps the body process food.

*digest – the body’s process of breaking down food so it can be efficiently absorbed.

Below is a list of some treats that can occasionally be given in small quantities to your alpacas.

• Apple
• Alfalfa
• Banana
• Carrots
• Celery
• Green Beans
• Pumpkin  
• Sweet Potato
• Watermelon

Though these treats are safe, it’s important not to overfeed your alpacas. Alpacas need to remain at a healthy weight to avoid becoming overweight and developing related health problems.

Just like all animals, alpacas need access to fresh, clean water at all times. How much your alpacas will drink depends on many things such as the weather and temperature, their age, weight, etc. Alpacas can drink lots of water so keep an eye on how much your alpacas are drinking and refill their water whenever needed and ensure that they always have access to clean water.

In New Zealand’s cold winter months and during the heat of the summer, it’s important to check your alpacas water frequently so that it does not freeze or get too hot. You also need to check that their water is nice and clean – just like you, alpacas don’t like to drink dirty water and it can make them sick.

Alpacas are tall animals with long necks and therefore, water should be at an appropriate height so that drinking is comfortable for them.

Remember, it’s important to ensure that you have enough food and water sources for the number of alpacas you have in your care.

Alpacas have a social ranking which means higher ranking members of the herd will be the first to eat and drink. To ensure that alpacas at each social level are getting the nutrition that they need, there needs to be multiple food and water sources.   

Glossary:

*herd – a group of animals that are the same species

Alpacas have a special three-chambered stomach that help them to absorb the nutrients they need from their food.

Alpacas also chew cud to help with this – cud is a portion of food that comes from an alpaca’s stomach that they will re-chew and swallow again. This is a part of their digestive process.

Grain, maize-based food, and other *fermentable *carbohydrates can cause serious, dangerous digestive issues and therefore should not be fed to alpacas.

Other foods to avoid are:

• Avocado
• Cherries and other stone fruits
• Chocolate
• Eggplant
• Lima beans
• Peas
• Potatoes
• Sugary human food
• Tomatoes

There are also several dangerous plants for alpacas. Therefore, it is essential that an adult checks their pasture frequently for these plants and removes them so they do not cause any harm.

Always talk to a veterinarian about the diet that will best suit your herd of alpacas. If you’re ever unsure if something is safe for your alpaca, it’s best to not give it to them.

Glossary:

*fermentable – something that can be fermented, which is a process that causes a chemical change in substances.

*carbohydrates – something found in food that is broken down to give the body energy.

Cria are baby alpacas. The dietary needs of cria are different from adult alpacas as cria drink their mother’s milk. Cria should not be weaned before 6 months, and this should be carefully done to minimise stress to both the cria and their mother.

A mother alpaca’s milk, especially in the beginning, has special ingredients that provide their baby with the everything they need to grow big and strong – this includes *antibodies that will allow them to fight infections.

Since cria rely on their mum’s milk for proper nutrition, it is very important that responsible animal guardians provide their adult alpacas with the very best, nutritional diet. This way, they can stay healthy and strong while producing milk and feeding their growing cria. 

Glossary:

*antibodies – proteins made by the body’s immune system which is the body's defence against infections. The immune system attacks germs and helps keep a body healthy.