Providing Adequate Space for Llamas
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Mental and emotional needs
Space
Llamas evolved as creatures of open spaces. Llamas who are kept in small enclosures or paddocks show an incredible transformation when provided with the opportunity to roam a larger area. The ability to put some distance between self and herdmates and still have enough to eat is a basic need for all grazing animals; llamas in particular prefer to spread out over a larger area than other ungulates. Llamas also enjoy the opportunity to explore new areas and to sample varied flora.
Llamas also experience considerable physical benefits from adequate space. A varied diet is not just more interesting, it is more natural -- and healthier -- for llamas to consume. Llamas also need exercise, and running around in a large, open area can fulfill that need. Even moving constantly while grazing tones muscles and burns calories.
The most difficult part of providing adequate space for llamas is that most North American pastures are too rich -- and most llamas continually kept in large areas become far too obese, which certainly negates most of the advantages of having a large area. This difficulty is most commonly addressed by keeping the llamas in a smaller, relatively sparse area for the night and perhaps part of the day, and then allowing them free access to a large area for several hours or more. The precise amount of "out time" will depend on your geographic area, the time of year, and the amount and health of the forage available. When llamas do not have continual access to the larger area, they will generally spend more time running and less time eating in the larger area, which does help combat the fat problem.
Pasture varies tremendously throughout the country and with the seasons. A good starting point is to figure 3-4 compatible geldings and/or females for llama-only pastures with a lot of forage, and 1-1.5 llamas per acre for poorer pasture or with horses/cattle/other big grazers. Late geldings and studs need 1-2 acres per llama for social reasons, and thus are best pastured with grazing animals of other species to keep the forage at a managable level. A stud who must be pastured singly during breeding season should have at least a half-acre to roam, and preferrably more. He is unlikely to put on excess weight during that time, and too small an area will allow other llamas too close for his territorial instincts to handle -- thus a small area can keep a stud so anxious that it is impossible to keep adequate weight on him.
In many parts of the country, winter means that compromises must be made between space to roam and future pasture health. During harsh weather, many llamas (when given a choice) prefer to stay in a sheltered area that will conserve heat and allow their soft foot pads adequate time to dry out. Snow may also mean that constant maintenance -- more than is humanly possible with a large pasture -- is necessary to keep llamas inside the fence instead of waltzing over the top. A good management practice for the winter months is to provide as much dry-floored shelter as possible, and restrict the llamas to a small area or paddock (a "sacrifice pasture") around the shelter. When weather and other conditions allow, the llamas might be allowed an occasional few hours in the larger pasture as a "vacation."
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