It is useful to know about some of the Funny Things Alpacas Do, as we have found them to be quite different to other animals in some of the ways they behave.

Grabbing some Rays
If you notice your healthy alpaca laying dead still, on his back, all four feet in the air, don’t panic. He may just be sunbathing. They do this often, especially in warm weather when a cool breeze on the belly would feel nice for anyone. On some occasions your alpaca will be so lost in his own little world that you can walk right up to him before he will jump to his feet and run away.

Bouncing
You will occasionally see your alpacas bouncing around the paddock, lifting all 4 feet off the ground at once with their tails held high. This is called "stotting" or in some countries, "pronking". Crias in particular enjoy to stott and chase each other around, and adults will sometimes join in the fun. This activity mostly happens at dusk and is very enjoyable to watch.

The Sulk
When alpacas get upset they will "drop their lip". The bottom lip will become all droopy and fall away exposing the bottom teeth and gums. Some alpacas will take pieces of hay, grass or leaves into their mouths and just hold it there for extra effect. Saliva will sometimes drip from the bottom lip as well. If all this sounds rather pathetic, it is. They are sulking. Don't worry about it. They have probably just come off second best in a disagreement with another alpaca and they will get over it in a few minutes. (Often the sulking alpaca will have a few globs of green spit on their face as evidence of the disagreement!)

Dust Baths
Alpacas love to roll. There will be spots in the paddock which become bare patches over time and your alpacas will line up to wait for their turn (except the bossy ones, that is. They just barge right in!) If it's been raining, those bare patches will be mud baths - they roll anyway!

It's Mine! All of it!
Alpacas don't like sharing their food, so some of them will sit on the hay to stop the others from getting it. If a handful of tasty food has already been offered to an alpaca, it becomes second hand and no one else will want it.

Sticky Beaks
If you are doing some planting, fixing a fence or just messing about, it won't be too long before you have an audience. Alpacas like to know what's going on and more often than not they will all be there lined up along the fence checking out your handi-work. Likewise if you leave an item in the paddock when you're finished, a tool or piece of clothing, each alpaca will ensure the item is thoroughly looked over, sniffed and tasted before being delegated to their "boring items" list. They will revisit the item every now and again in case it might become edible.

Water Babies
Alpacas like to keep cool when it's hot. They will dance in a sprinkler or dunk their feet in a water trough. If the water trough is big enough or if you have a dam - they'll sit in it.

Hum!
Alpacas have a unique language. When they are moderately concerned about something they hum. Alpaca Mums hum to their crias.

An alpaca who sees or senses danger will sound the "alarm call" which is a loud, high pitched squeal sounding something like a cross between a bird and a donkey! It is impossible to ignore. Male alpacas "orgle" at females - They blow out their cheeks and sound like they're gargling.

Hit and Miss
Alpaca crias like to play rough and will test their mums to the limit. A favourite game is to get as far away from mum as possible, then turn and run straight back at her at top speed. Mum's nice soft fleece is like a big pillow for the cria to bounce into. The mums seem to tolerate this game quite well. A cria who chooses the wrong mum to run into, however, will receive a face full of bright green spit for his trouble.

Super sleuths
Males like to check out the dung piles to see if the females are pregnant. He will put his nose right into the pile, inhale deeply, roll his eyes back and then throw his head straight into the air arching his neck over his back. He will do this several times, snort and then, depending on his analysis he'll either go for the girls or just carry on grazing. They're usually right too!

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