White Boy
February 3rd 2008 22:57
Maralyn’s cria arrived on Saturday. Now we have two birthdays on the 2nd Feb, dachshund Lucy, and alpaca (yet to be named), though we don’t generally celebrate the alpacas’ birthdays. Just the first one. Even after 11 years it’s still exciting when a new baby arrives.
It’s quite possible that we’ve had other alpacas born on the same day over the years. I can remember all their names (most of the time) and who their dam and sire (mum and dad) are, but remembering birth dates is a bit of a challenge.
Maralyn tends to deliver early, this little boy, 328 days (the average alpaca gestation is 342 days). His ears were a little floppy and he was down on his pasterns (ankle joints), signs of a premmie baby, but otherwise bright and happy. He’s a big boy too. Too big to stay in any longer!
He’s certainly getting around well. He found the milk bar within half an hour of birth.
So, now to come up with a name. He’s a superb looking alpaca (as far as you can tell so early on) so he has to have a good name. An ordinary name like Billy Bob or Drongo just won’t do. Of course, I’m just a teeny bit biased here, but I think he’s going to be a good one.
Names always get abbreviated round here, so he’ll inevitably end up with two, a fancy name on his certificate and a much shortened paddock name.
I’ve already had to put him back through the fence twice as he’s a bit of an explorer and takes himself to the next paddock. (Mental note: Fix that fence!) Maybe we’ve got a trend happening with the other crias, Marco Polo and D'Entrecasteaux.
He was born in a rolling patch so was a pretty dirty grey to start with but he’s looking very white now. Perhaps we could name him after an Everest climber or Antarctic explorer.
Maralyn's Cria
Maralyn tends to deliver early, this little boy, 328 days (the average alpaca gestation is 342 days). His ears were a little floppy and he was down on his pasterns (ankle joints), signs of a premmie baby, but otherwise bright and happy. He’s a big boy too. Too big to stay in any longer!
He’s certainly getting around well. He found the milk bar within half an hour of birth.
So, now to come up with a name. He’s a superb looking alpaca (as far as you can tell so early on) so he has to have a good name. An ordinary name like Billy Bob or Drongo just won’t do. Of course, I’m just a teeny bit biased here, but I think he’s going to be a good one.
Names always get abbreviated round here, so he’ll inevitably end up with two, a fancy name on his certificate and a much shortened paddock name.
Maralyn and her cria
I’ve already had to put him back through the fence twice as he’s a bit of an explorer and takes himself to the next paddock. (Mental note: Fix that fence!) Maybe we’ve got a trend happening with the other crias, Marco Polo and D'Entrecasteaux.
He was born in a rolling patch so was a pretty dirty grey to start with but he’s looking very white now. Perhaps we could name him after an Everest climber or Antarctic explorer.
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Comment by katyzzz
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Comment by Rosemary
Alpaca Notes - Tasmania
No, dad's a dark fawn colour. He's throwing everything from white to the darkest brown, almost black. He's great, I love the colours.
Comment by Lilla
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He looks like a bit of a thinker to me ... and is that a little grumpy too?
How about Voltarian (after Voltaire)... he is wonderful!
Congratulations.
I was worried about Mum in the cold at first, but then realised they come from a cool climate, don;t they...
Gorgeous as always... going to check out Daschund Lucy...
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Comment by Rosemary
Alpaca Notes - Tasmania
Voltaire sounds good, I'll have a think about that
Not sure if the little guy thinks very much before he falls through the fence though.
He'd only been in the world for a short while when that pic was taken, so yes he could be grumpy about that, but I'd say it's more like a massive headache from having his mum sitting and standing and sitting... while he was being born.
Yes, they come from high in the Andes in South America. Gets pretty cold up there apparently. It's low teens here overnight at the moment, so not too cold.