Pedro the Llama

[hobbes]

I've probably lost my mind, but back in September I finally bought a couple llamas to train to pack. Neither are trained pack llamas or from pack stock that I'm aware of, but hoping I can at least train the cria. Momma llama, Tina, was 2ish yrs old and her cria, Pedro, was 6ish months when I got them. I'll probably be beating my head against the shed by next summer but the opportunity stared me in the face for too many days.

Their names are the work of my wife and teenagers and a dumb movie.

The pair back in September:.

Hunting seasons are mostly out of the way now, so I finally started working with Pedro today. He didn't want to be caught, but started getting used to the idea and I was able to harness him and lead him around. We had a couple rodeo events, but nothing crazy. We have a long way to go, but I was pleased with how it went. Momma will be much tougher, but I'm going to try.

 

[squirrel]

You should be fine on mamallama. Back in '08-'11 I was getting calls on "we have 30 free abandoned llamas how many can you take" phone calls. I trained up some old ones, there was blood on the snow and sometimes it was even theirs.

 

[hobbes]

You should be fine on mamallama. Back in '08-'11 I was getting calls on "we have 30 free abandoned llamas how many can you take" phone calls. I trained up some old ones, there was blood on the snow and sometimes it was even theirs.

I got my hands on Tina (Mommallama) yesterday. I'm using the same technique shown in Bobra Goldsmith's DVD. Momma was somewhat of a rodeo to start but she settled down once I had my hands on her. She got in one glancing kick to a shin, but no dammage done. Pedro was again just a matter of getting Tina out of the way. He is a piece of cake compared to Momma but is only half the size.

 

[squirrel]

Once you work with the right age it would be very hard to go back to taking on all woolies. I've done both, and am a firm believer in do not touch before one year, do not pack heavy before 4.

 

[dakotaduner]

Good Luck. Please keep us posted on the progress. I have no knowledge of the training involved. But I'm eager to see how it works out.

 

[hobbes]

Yesterday evening. Short winter days make it tough, but longer days are coming. Pedro is 9 or 10 months now and Tina is around 2 1/2.
Dakotaduner, this will be a slow process since I'm new to it. I expect set backs along the way. I'm just trying to to work through catching and haltering at this point.

 

[swede8200]

They are a game changer once you get them trained up! They'll go nearly anywhere you can go and they are low maintenance on the trail. Check out the Pack Llama Trail Assoc. for some contacts or events. My dad and I were introduced to pack llamas by a neighbor who is very involved with the association and we went to some pack trials and learned a ton.

 

[hobbes]

They are a game changer once you get them trained up! They'll go nearly anywhere you can go and they are low maintenance on the trail. Check out the Pack Llama Trail Assoc. for some contacts or events. My dad and I were introduced to pack llamas by a neighbor who is very involved with the association and we went to some pack trials and learned a ton.

I hope that I can get there. I've rented them once in the past and they can definitely change what is possible in the backcountry. I worked on leading Pedro around again this evening and caught Tina and mostly just held onto her making an attempt to build some trust and desensitize her some. She used her usual routine of nosing into a corner and kicking to try to avoid it. However, once I caught her she didn't put up as much of a fight and settled down quicker than last time. I think she'll come around.

Pedro has some years before he's strong enough to pack, but Momma could pack light next season if I got her to that point. I'd really like to be hunting with Momma in 2020 and Pedro by 2021 (maybe tagging along in 20).

 

[gwl79902]

Awsome thread!! Can wait to see how they turn out.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

Love the names!

 

[hobbes]

Been a couple weeks since I've touched the llamas. It's been cold here in Helena. Still cold today, but the sun is out. Haltered Pedro, lifted his front feet some, then led him around. I caught Momma also but didn't halter. I'm going to trim their hooves soon. Wilderness Ridge had a great YouTube video on it recently, so I think I can do it. Momma will require some work, but she has to have it done.

 

[hobbes]

Today was another first for Pedro and I. We had a short toenail trimming party. He did as good as could be expected while having a rookie trim his toes. The front feet were relatively easy, but he didn't appreciate the back being lifted. It took me a minute to figure the best way to position myself to support him. Once I had that figured out it went a little easier.

Momma's turn is tomorrow. She will be a lot more work. She's a lot stronger than Pedro. She'll likely require more restraint and there may be some spit flying. Getting kicked is a strong possibility A video may be more entertaining than photos.

 

[squirrel]

Curious as to why such a young fellow would need toes trimmed, were they splayed outward? You think "toe day" is bad wait until "dental day!"

Toes seem to me to be very dependent on the condition the pasture is in, I am fortunate (maybe) in that mine is stony and frozen so much of the year once I get toes in proper alignment they self-maintain.

But I have never had to trim toes on less than a 2-3 year old. Do you have a before and after shot?

 

[hobbes]

Curious as to why such a young fellow would need toes trimmed, were they splayed outward? You think "toe day" is bad wait until "dental day!"

Toes seem to me to be very dependent on the condition the pasture is in, I am fortunate (maybe) in that mine is stony and frozen so much of the year once I get toes in proper alignment they self-maintain.

But I have never had to trim toes on less than a 2-3 year old. Do you have a before and after shot?

No before and after. My area Is rocky and frozen also. It's also covered in snow. I mostly went off of Wilderness Ridge Trail Llamas' YouTube instructions on how to trim along with what other instruction that I could find. If I looked down the bottom of the pad, the nails were curled (downward) well past the end of the plane of the pad. It was enough that I could see that there would be extra pressure on the nail.

I think that I only took a 1/4" off, maybe a 1/2" on one of the rear. Pedro could have waited, but I didn't want to wait untill he looked like Momma. Her nails have turned and started to crack, so if not done she'll have problems sooner than later. I should have seen it sooner, but I'm learning as I go.

I have no prior experience, so can't comment on how that compares to other llamas. I also won't swear that I couldn't have waited months more.

I do appreciate any feedback that I get.

 

[hobbes]

Tina turned out to not be as much of a rodeo as I feared. She didn't necessarily enjoy it, but wasn't much trouble once my son and I had her harnessed and her head tied off. She tried to avoid the harness more than the trimming, but that went on without too much trouble. She tried to avoid the fun by lowering to the ground but gave up on that. There was also a vicious kick or two, but not once I started trimming.

I was able to just lift the front feet, but the rear required a little more effort. Once we had her shoved against the fence and a rear foot lifted she couldn't struggle much.

The pieces in my hands were about 2/3 of what was pointed at a 90 inward on two different toes. Each foot had one toe that way and another that had already wore off. I then had to trim each up a bit after taking the biggest piece off.

Afterwards I worked on leading her around some. It seemed like a productive afternoon.

 

[squirrel]

For long term maintenance you may want to arrange a "squeeze" type corner to facilitate controlling them. Especially bigger stronger and older males can really give you some tussles on "toe day" (and haircut day, and especially "dental day") I don't get hung up on perfect toes, just workable toes. If the ridge line is properly lined up trail miles will take care of the rest.

I have rescued llamas from pitiful conditions (small pens, deep poop/sand) where they had 4" fish-hook toes. These can take a long time and lots of trimmings to get them straightened up, after which hard trail miles are your (and their) best friend .

All this you tube crap is amazing, when I was learning I just told Gary to "hold him real tight I'm gonna try something different"! While my wife would stand at a safe distance and laugh.

Like with dog nails you need to trim more often and less per trimming so as to not hurt their toes and cause blood shed, if you go too deep some of the blood can be yours.

 

[BCSojourner]

Tina turned out to not be as much of a rodeo as I feared. She didn't necessarily enjoy it, but wasn't much trouble once my son and I had her harnessed and her head tied off. She tried to avoid the harness more than the trimming, but that went on without too much trouble. She tried to avoid the fun by lowering to the ground but gave up on that. There was also a vicious kick or two, but not once I started trimming.

I was able to just lift the front feet, but the rear required a little more effort. Once we had her shoved against the fence and a rear foot lifted she couldn't struggle much.

The pieces in my hands were about 2/3 of what was pointed at a 90 inward on two different toes. Each foot had one toe that way and another that had already wore off. I then had to trim each up a bit after taking the biggest piece off.

Afterwards I worked on leading her around some. It seemed like a productive afternoon.

Here is a trick I learned for trimming feet from the owners of Stage Stop Llamas who raise llamas (~250 on hand at any given time):

Hitch the llama with 2 leads out either direction to a fence or rail. Use a sliding loop in a thickish (5/8" or so) nylon rope and slide it over one rear foot and fasten opposite to a rail or gate in a manner that the llama can just barely touch the ground with that foot. You can then easily (well, relatively easy as they will still try to lean against you) trim any of the feet as the llama will not move much with that back foot almost in the air. This works better than a squeeze chute (which I used for years). Easier on the llama and easier on you because you have lots of room to maneuver - also much easier to shear when needed. If you want to make it extremely easy to catch them, grain them once in a while in a small stall area where you can close a gate behind them. I have 10 llamas and never have to chase any of them to halter the ones that I want to use. They come running for grain (I use a 50/50 mix of Mazuri Llama Chews and 3-way w/molasses in it). The more that you work with them, the easier it will be to halter and handle them. Getting them to cross a running stream for the first time is always an adventure so be prepared for that! Best to pick a spot that is too wide for them to jump across and get them right into the water to get used to it. Try walking them up and down the stream. They are incredibly intelligent animals and there will be times when you have to use some of what I call "llama psychology" to outsmart them or figure them out. Start light and get them in shape. You will need to separate male and female or you will have some inbreeding (unless you get the male neutered). Charlie Hackbarth of Sopris Llama Gear used to have some excellent instructional videos on line of handling llamas. You could also probably call him or contact him with questions (their gear is also top-notch - made by the Amish folks). Charlie has written a very entertaining book entitled "Tales of the Trail". His Daughter Alexa Metrick publishes a magazine now entitled "Pack Animal" (includes goat packing information as well). The older version of this which I'm sure that you could probably get your hands on was called "Backcountry Llama". These are also great sources of information, contacts, etc. I have been packing with llamas since 1998 and if you like to hunt the backcountry, it is the way to go. Told Randy Newberg at the 2018 BHA Rendezvous in Boise that he had just extended his backcountry hunting by 20 years by discovering and using Beau Baty's llamas. Good luck with them - they will give you many memories and you can have a really comfortable camp. Two is a good start - three or four is even better (can haul out a big bull with four).

 

[hobbes]

Your method was my original plan. I had her head tied that way, but skipped on the back hoof when it went relatively well.

Thanks for the info.

 

[CX5Ranch]

Tie them both up short to a post when you head to work in the morning. Bring them water by hand when you get home. Then let them go. They'll get used to those halters pretty quick. You dont have to be present to train pack animals.


Tie a belly band(like a saddle cinch)
Around mammallama belly. Put a rope on a back foot, up through the belly band and to the halter. Do both feet. Just enough slack to let her walk comfortably. When she let's out a nasty kick she'll think she just swallowed a can of Copenhagen. Dont allow one to kick at you. Horse mule llama goat whatever. She kicks you in the sack in the mountains and you could die.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[gwl79902]

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