Alpaca Spit Happens!

Alpacas are generally sweet creatures. And they are so curious. But they do have one bad habit. Yes, spitting is a natural behavior for alpacas.

The good news is that alpacas will not spit unless they have a really good reason to do so. Spitting is used as a last resort to give a strong message that they are not happy about something.

A dam may not like another alpaca coming too close to her newborn cria. Or she may not want another cria nursing from her.

Perhaps she thinks that she should have first choice of grain or hay since she is pregnant. Never mind that most of the other dams are pregnant, too!

The males will spit to show dominance especially when a female is near or even when a female is not near. And the female may spit off an approaching male if she is already pregnant.

Perhaps she remembers that the vet stuck a probe some place where probes were not meant to go.

Usually, they will not spit at you just because you are walking in their barn. But you may be caught in their cross-fire if you are not aware of their body language.

You see, before they spit, they will use other non-verbal behaviors to show their displeasure. They will spit only as a last resort.

First, you will see their ears pinned back showing their annoyance. Then, their nose will go up. If they are still displeased, their neck will lose its curvature and straighten out giving a direct route from the stomach to the mouth. Their face appears tense. They may square off at their adversary.

If the foe has not corrected their behavior or shown significant signs of submission, the entire fermented stomach contents are then spewed toward their opponent decorating their rival in a stinky green badge of courage. Yuck!

I do not think that alpacas like to spit. They seem rather miserable after a spitting incident. But alpacas have no other means of self-defense. Their spit is their weapon. Good thing for them that they are pseudoruminants !

Alpacas actually have various degrees of spitting. The spit just mentioned is the most aggressive spit. But they can also emit a saliva-air spit when just irritated. If there was already something in their mouth, then it will become a projectile with the various spits. These lesser spits can occur spontaneously.

Some alpacas rarely spit while other alpacas spit more often. Imports seem to be among the more frequent spitters probably due to mishandling during the importation process.

You can minimize alpaca spit with gentle handling techniques and building trust with your herd.

And never wear your good clothes in the barn because alpaca spit happens!

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