How To Care for a Classic Llama

The classic llama has a double-coat with abundant guard hair, which distinguishes it from other breeds of llamas. The breed's undercoat is only visible from the front of the animal's neck, and the guard hair grows to up to 12 inches long. Classic llamas are also distinguishable from other breeds because their coats are easy to brush and maintain.

Things You'll Need

  • Fence building materials
  • Barn or other shelter
  • Coarse straw bedding
  • Shovel
  • Hay
  • Grain
  • Mineral and protein supplements
  • Brush or comb
  • Llama toenail trimmers
  • Llama fighting teeth trimmers
  • Bug repellant
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Instructions

    • 1

      Build a fence around the area for your llama, and include a barn-sized shelter that is open on one side that will protect the llama from wind and sun. The shelter should stay dry all year, but the llama needs access to the outdoors all year. Add a heater to use during the winter which will keep you from needing to break the ice over the llama's drinking water every day.

    • 2

      Build a separate litter area inside the shelter with raised sides, and a drainage path that leads outside of the shelter. The area should be about 6 feet by 10 feet, and the sides should be about 6 inches high. Include a small amount of bedding material, and clean the area regularly.

    • 3

      Maintain 1 acre of good pasture for every three to four llamas. Supplement the pasture with a 45-pound bale of hay that includes 6 to 10 percent protein weekly and grains enriched with minerals daily. Increase the supplemental feed for pregnant llamas, nursing mothers and young llamas. Consult your veterinarian about your specific llama's dietary needs.

    • 4

      Give the llama fresh water daily. Replace used bedding with fresh bedding like coarse straw inside of the shelter daily, especially in the winter.

    • 5

      Train a full-grown llama to accept saddle packs or follow voice commands for an hour each day. If you are keeping the llama as a pet, or if your llama is young, interact with the animal for an hour a day so it is familiar and comfortable with you.

    • 6

      Comb or brush the llama's coat weekly, but do not sheer it. Sheering can be dangerous for your llama. During some seasons, the coat may mat or tangle more easily, so brush more often during those times.

    • 7

      Trim the llama's toenails every one to six months, depending on the growth rate of your llama's toenails. Trim males' fighting teeth if you have multiple llamas to prevent injury during normal roughhousing between the males. You can also hire a veterinarian to do this trimming for you.

    • 8

      Spray the llama with bug repellant during the spring and summer months. Consult your veterinarian for the best product to use in your area.

    • 9

      Have a veterinarian check your llama's health and administer needed vaccines annually. Weigh the llama regularly to monitor the animal's health, and follow any care instructions from your veterinarian. Get the llama dewormed monthly with a dewormer that works against meningeal worm if your llama pen is in an area that has deer population.