Shearing Llamas
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The first and most important part of grooming is to identify the llama's wool type. There are three wool types (actually two true types and a cross between the two), and each type is groomed differently.
Woolly llamas
A woolly llama is defined by:
dense body fleece that does not shed and will not comb
dense neck fleece that does not shed and will not comb
The foundation of grooming for woolly llamas is shearing. This does not mean that the resulting fleece will be worth saving -- good fiber has characteristics besides density, and vegetable debris can ruin even the finest quality fleece. Fiber evaluation is a whole 'nuther topic!
Woolly llamas should be shorn yearly for their health. If you want to produce a usable fleece from your fine-fibered, single-coated llama, pasture him or her continually in areas that will minimize or eliminate vegetation and debris in the fiber (dirt and grease will wash out).
There just isn't space on this website to adequately describe how to shear a woolly llama safely. It is usually best to pay someone to give you a shearing lesson if your llama is tractable enough to touch all over. Otherwise, you will be paying someone to shear for you anyway.
Selecting a knowledgeable shearer is important. Sheep shearers
don't always have an adequate knowledge of llama anatomy, which
is particularly problematic because they use equipment that sacrifices safety for speed (sheep are usually perceived as being more expendable). Many, many so-called llama shearers will only shear
the easy parts of the llama (usually the top and sides of the body)
and then give you any number of stories why they will not shear
the entire animal, such as "this is a pack cut" or "this is a show cut" or "this is how llamas are shorn." Some will not leave enough fiber on your llama because it is a lot easier to shear to the skin; some will leave too much because they don't know any better. Interview the shearer before he or she comes out! You want someone who will:
shear to 1/2" (unless the situation is unusual, such as: the weather is cold and you need to shear the top off a rescue's fleece to rid the animal of debris or filth)
shear the entire body, including the neck and down to the knees and hocks, and trim the tail if necessary (see photo at above right)
if the fleece is worth saving, grade and sort the fiber as it is shorn
Post-shearing care:
provide shelter; make sure that other llamas do not exclude the newly-shorn one(s)
bring a fitted windproof and water repellent sheet if you must take the llama into the backcounty (shorn llamas are not a good choice for pack animals, and should generally be avoided)
when the fleece has grown back to about 2 inches, your llama will no longer be able to disperse heat safely when exerting -- shear again before asking the llama to pack or drive
for the unusual case that must be shorn right to the skin, protect from sun with a combination of a fitted, breathable sheet and confinement to shaded areas until at least a half-inch of fiber has grown back.
It is normal for recently shorn llamas to take shelter or seem cold for the first one or two nights. It does take them some time to adjust, and that's no cause for concern as long as they are protected from rain and wind.
Use only soft brushes (such as a soft body brush for a horse) on closely shorn areas for the first month or so -- a slicker brush will jab and irritate the skin. Begin using a soft slicker (Ever Gentle® by Lambert-Kay) or a pin brush for surface grooming when the fiber has grown back to about an inch long.
A blower will help remove dirt and debris from a short fleece. If the remaining fiber has grease or staining from sweat, dirt and/or ashes, you can shampoo to give the growing coat a healthier start and a better chance at resisting mat formation (we use Pert Plus®). Virtually all llamas accept a warm-water bath very well; cold water is not as well-tolerated, even in very hot weather.
Stick to surface grooming once the fleece has begun to grow back. Deep grooming is painful for woolly llamas, and does not provide any advantage (unless the llama has a skin parasite or condition, in which case it should be re-shorn). Most handspinners prefer that the fiber is not deep-groomed, and certainly deep grooming allows much more debris to enter than is removed in the process.
Crossbred llamas
A crossbred llama is the product of a woolly llama bred to a classic llama, or one of those llamas bred to a crossbred llama. The resulting llama may look anywhere in between the two types, but the fleece has characteristics of both:
dense body fleece that does not really shed and will
not comb without pain
shorter neck and leg wool that has guard hair, does
shed and will comb
A crossbred llama is shorn yearly or every two years depending
on fleece regrowth (for information on shearing, see woolly llamas, above) and the neck and tail are kept brushed and combed (see classic llamas, above). You should go through the same interview process with any prospective shearers as you would for woolly llamas . The most important difference in shearing crossbreds is
that the neck fiber is not shorn (see photo at right).
Crossbred llama fleeces may be used for stuffing llama saddles
and toys, and for making upholstery fabrics, curtains, and wall hangings. Although outer garments can be made from them,
most people find the result itchy and uncomfortable. It's true that
it's easy to pull out the long guard hairs, but there are also shorter guard hairs -- just as prickly -- and in practice, you'll never come close to getting them all.
[link back to basiccare_combing for mutt necks]
Summary of common grooming malpractices:
Fashion shearing -- Pattern shearing is a hold-over from the days of big money for more wool, and still persists in the show ring (where it is rewarded by most judges) and in national advertising. Pattern shearing compromises temperature regulation (see temperature studies, phase two). The shorn sections are also commonly shorn to the skin (see below).
Rationalized neglect -- An unshorn llama is not bigger, nor does it have "more substance." A ten-pound coat of dead fiber and dirt is not healthy. It pulls at the skin and makes any contact painful; it can also restrict leg movement and bind the tail to the rear legs, trapping feces. It also provides a prime habitat where certain parasites and difficult-to-resolve skin conditions can proliferate.
Shearing all types or combing all types -- Dogs are not groomed alike. Cats are not groomed alike. Human hair styles are not maintained alike. Llamas have different coat types with genetically determined traits, and have different grooming practices appropriate to each. Woolly llamas and crossbred llamas are put through tremendous pain if their fleeces are combed; classic llamas are dangerously compromised when their sparse coats are shorn.
Shearing to the skin, leaving too much fiber, or shearing too short in inclement weather -- Llamas weren't meant to have their skin exposed to the elements. Llama skin burns easily, and is very sensitive to insect irritation. Ideal cooling is achieved only when less than 1" of fiber remains; full weather protection is not afforded when the fleece is shorter than 2".
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