Here are pics of the new babies over the past week. They're 1/2 sisters, but they couldn't be more different. The fawn one (older by about
an hour) is a bit more timid and relaxed. She's a virtual clone of her mom at that age, so I've taken to calling her MiniMe. The little brown one is really too secure in how adorable she is. Very bold and brave...and very tiny. 15 lbs when she was born, as opposed to her 20lb 1/2 sister. I've been calling her Snowshoes. Her legs are a little crooked since she was a bit early, so its kinda like she's walking with snowshoes. They're straightening out nicely now.
Both had floppy ears when they were born, so I taped them so they can grow properly. Babies have trouble staying warm if its below 50 degrees.....and its been in the mid to low 40s here at night. Hence the blankets. The little brown one wears a collar with bells on it, so her mom can find her. Mom is an older girl (13 years old, normal lifespan is 15-25 years) and she's loosing her sight (worst in the right eye). The bells really do seem to help her keep track of her baby.
The first few days Snowshoes kept really close to her mom and mom had her really well trained in following mom. Now baby is getting older and bolder...running around and exploring her world. And its quite funny how upset some of the moms get when the baby goes off exploring....and baby totally ignores mom! Its like the baby says "La la la not listening mom! I'm cute! I'm exploring! I'm my own alpaca!" Until baby wants food, of course. Then the baby starts training the mom.
The myth is alpacas like to have their babies on warm sunny days. These little girls were born on a very cold, rainy day. So I guess the babies just come whenever they're ready.
And then there's the minis doing what I really want to do...snoozing in the sun. They're not usually this sedate. They spend quite a bit of time running and playing together. They're full sisters, but they couldn't be more different in pretty much every way. The older girl is very sweet and laid back, also larger and built a bit differently. The younger girl is a complete spitfire. Epic attitude in a very tiny body (32" vs her 34" sister).
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