How to Care for a Newborn Llama

A female llama's pregnancy lasts about 35 days. She usually gives birth during the daylight hours. Labor symptoms can develop up to two weeks before labor begins. A female llama that continues to strain or has amniotic fluid leaking from her vagina has started active labor. Always remove the male from the pasture before the female's birth process starts. Shortly after the contractions begin, the amniotic sac will start to protrude from the llama's vaginal area. Birth of the baby usually takes place within 30 minutes of the amniotic sac's appearance. Once the baby, called a cria, hits the ground it will require attention.

Things You'll Need

  • Wash cloth
  • 7 percent iodine disinfectant
  • Cotton swab
  • Towel
  • Livestock thermometer
  • Livestock scale
  • Commercial goat colostrum
  • Bottle
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Instructions

    • 1

      Clear away mucus or membranes from the cria's nose using your hands or a wash cloth. Ensure that the infant is breathing well.

    • 2

      Apply a disinfectant solution that contains 7 percent iodine to the umbilical cord stub with a cotton ball. Re-apply the iodine disinfectant two more times within the first 24 hours of the cria's birth.

    • 3

      Rub the baby dry using a clean towel. Use gentle, circular motions across its body. The mother will also help clean and dry the baby. Encourage her to participate so the baby bonds closely with her.

    • 4

      Watch the cria closely to make sure it begins nursing and is receiving adequate milk from its mother. Weigh the baby using a livestock scale. Write the cria's weight down. Weigh the baby every day for one week to make sure it gains at least 1 pound per day. If the cria does not gain weight, contact a veterinarian immediately. If the baby does not nurse, take its temperature using a livestock rectal thermometer. A normal cria temperature hovers between 100 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit. If the cria has a low temperature, wrap it in blankets to warm it up or use an electric blanket. Warming the baby up will often give it enough energy to begin nursing.

    • 5

      Feed the cria a commercial goat colostrum supplement with a bottle if it refuses to nurse from its mother. The cria should nurse within two hours of birth. The cria must receive the antibody-rich first colostrum to guarantee its life and health. Feed the cria that refuses to nurse form its mother 6 to 8 ounces of commercial goat colostrum. After feeding the colostrum to the cria, encourage it to nurse from its mother again. Ideally, the cria should nurse from its mother to receive the needed colostrum. If the cria still refuses to nurse from its mother, continue give it the goat colostrum in 8 ounce feedings. The cria should receive 32 to 48 ounces of colostrum within 24 hours of birth.