What do you do with a llama?
 
Answer: Have fun! Llamas are very peaceful to be around. If you have a stressful life, llamas will help reduce that stress. Llamas make excellent pack animals for that weekend in the mountains. Llama fiber can be spun and then garments can be knit or woven. Llama fiber is very soft and warm. For those who like to show, llamas are an excellent animal to compete with. There are over 135 sanctioned ALSA shows each year culminating in regional and then national competition. You may compete in halter and performance classes with your llamas. You may also compete in fiber competition with both the raw fiber and the items you made from the fiber. Many love to take their llamas to schools, nursing homes, hospitals and in parades. Others use their llamas as golf caddies. Some just like to take them as companions on a quiet walk or an early morning jog.
 
Do llamas spit?
 
Answer: Yes, like alpacas and other camelids, llamas do spit, but rarely at people. The purpose of a llama spitting is to tell other llamas to "leave me alone" or to settle a dispute with another llama. A female llama might spit at a male if she is pregnant. People sometimes can get spit on by llamas when they are literally caught in the middle of a dispute between two llamas. But llamas do not just start walking up to people and spitting on them. Sometimes if a llama was raised improperly or abused, it might spit at people, but under normal circumstances, it is a rare occurrence.

Are llamas friendly?

Llamas are like cats in personality. Some cats are friendly, some cats run away, and then there are cats that tolerate being petted but don't necessarily like it. And so it is with llamas too. Llamas are not aggressive or mean, nor do they attack. Most llamas are easy for anyone to handle or walk around.

Do people eat llamas?

People in some South America countries eat llamas, but there is no meat market for llamas in North America like there is for cattle.

How long is the gestation period?

The average gestation period is 350 days, so llamas usually have just one offspring per year.

Do llamas lay eggs?

This is actually a pretty common question! Usually people are confusing llamas for emus, an animal that was once popular to raise for meat, among other things. There are some big differences between llamas and emus. The biggest difference is probably that llamas are mammals and emus are BIRDS! Mammals do not lay eggs, and therefore, the answer is NO, llamas do not lay eggs.

Can I make a profit raising llamas?

You bet! There are different resources available to help you achieve this. Besides selling llamas off your farm, there are auctions across North America that farms achieve a profit. In addition, hundreds of llamas are sold each year through online auctions and classified listings. Like any business, advertising is important. Without advertising, most farms will remain unknown.

Is there a tax break for raising llamas?

We are not accountants, but if you set your farm up in the proper way and run it like a business, you will be able to deduct the costs of buying the llamas, advertising, shows, feed, etc., as business expenses and enjoy a tax break. Let Uncle Sam pay a portion for those llamas!