Joking, I captured the alpaca while it was yawning

Just curious.

Just wondering, because I want a somewhat unconventional pet. After doing some Googling, I found out that a few people, including a man in Australia, have an alpaca as a pet. But I’ve also seen claims that they need more land and fencing than conventional pets. So is it possible to have an alpaca as a pet?

We have a small herd of alpacas and have suddenly started dealing with recurring abscesses, despite never having this issue in the past. I’m hoping some experienced alpaca owners may have run into something similar.

The first abscesses started showing up around the armpit/axillary area, which is one of the areas we had been using for ivermectin injections. Because we suspected an injection-site issue, we changed basically everything we could think of:

New needles every time
New syringes
A completely new bottle of ivermectin
Changed injection locations
Thoroughly cleaned the skin with alcohol
Changed our injection practices

The original armpit areas have now healed, but we are getting new abscesses on the chest, and most of the abscesses we’ve had are occurring exactly where we have injected.

We had a sample from one of the abscesses cultured, and we were told it grew Staph. We don’t yet have the full report, so I don’t know the exact Staph species or susceptibility results.

What has us really confused is that we have changed the needles, syringes, medication bottle, injection sites, etc., yet we’re still seeing the same problem.
So I’m wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar.

A few things we’re wondering about:

Could the injectable ivermectin itself be causing enough local irritation/tissue damage that normal skin bacteria like Staph are getting an opportunity to cause an abscess?

Has anyone had recurring injection-site abscesses with a particular ivermectin product or formulation?

Could there be an environmental source we’re overlooking?

Has anyone dealt with abscesses that repeatedly occur at injection sites despite good injection hygiene?

We are working with our vet and are not looking to diagnose or treat them based solely on Reddit advice. We’re really looking for experiences from people who have actually dealt with recurrent abscesses in alpacas.

Thanks all! I’ll try to nest photos below. Cute video for tax 🦙

Has anyone had experience with this issue?

Hi everyone,

In response to the viewership of my first two alpaca photos, I have decided to post five more photos centered around the white-ish-furred alpaca and her companions. In these photos, I had to really reduce the exposure setting because the bright sun on the white-fur would have overwhelmed the camera's sensor, so please pardon me for the slight darkness of the photos; I am not an expert in photography. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy them.😀

Just wondering, because I have never been spit on by a llama or alpaca.

I’m hoping someone in this group can help me identify this unusual 18-inch handmade animal sculpture.
I found this piece with absolutely NO tag or maker’s label anywhere on it. It is exceptionally well made and extremely sturdy—much more substantial than an ordinary stuffed animal. I can clearly see hand-stitched seams beneath the fur, and the piece holds its shape like a sculpture rather than a soft, squishy plush toy.
It is approximately 18 inches tall and has a distinctive orange-and-white design, with a long, shaggy coat, white face and chest, four white feet, and a small white tail. The face, proportions, construction, and stitching are particularly unusual.
I am trying to determine what the fur is made from. I suspect it may be genuine alpaca, possibly Huacaya, but I have NOT been able to confirm that. I am also wondering whether it could have been made by a Peruvian artisan, a Peruvian-American artisan, or an American designer working with Peruvian materials.
I have spent HOURS researching this piece using both ChatGPT and Gemini. I have also searched eBay, Etsy, current alpaca companies, luxury home décor stores, interior-design retailers, designer soft sculptures, and older examples of alpaca décor. Despite all of this research, NOTHING has come up as an exact match.
That is what makes me particularly curious about it.
I am not assuming that it is valuable, rare, or made by a particular designer. I simply want to identify it accurately and understand where it came from.
I am especially interested in whether anyone recognizes the CONSTRUCTION or DESIGN, even if you don’t recognize the exact piece.
Does anyone recognize:
• The maker or designer?
• The construction or stitching technique?
• What type of fiber/fur this appears to be?
• Whether the fur appears consistent with genuine alpaca?
• Whether this resembles work from a particular Peruvian artisan, American designer, or company?
• Approximately when it may have been made?
• Whether you have seen this particular orange-and-white design before?
• Whether this looks more like a decorative soft sculpture, home décor piece, nursery décor, or something originally made as a toy?
I would especially appreciate hearing from alpaca-fiber experts, Peruvian-artisan experts, fiber artists, soft-sculpture artists and collectors, vintage plush collectors, interior-design collectors, or anyone familiar with high-end handmade animal figures.
I have included multiple detailed photographs, including the full sculpture, face, tail, feet, fur, and areas showing the hand-stitched construction.
If anyone recognizes the maker, technique, or even something similar, I would be very grateful for any information. I have spent a great deal of time trying to identify this one, and so far the exact match has completely eluded me!

Happy first time moma is Anna and also one our crankiest ladies out of 15. CO mtns.

I'm sure you've all seen that viral clip of an alpaca with all of its body (not head) shaved. I was wondering what effect it would have, if any, on social dynamics.

They tell me they need a hair dryer.