Combing out Llamas (that shed)
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Grooming
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.
Classic llamas
The two defining features of classic llamas are:
a double coat with abundant guard hair, and
regular, seasonal sheds when dead underwool combs out easily
If your llama does not comb out easily, no matter how short the fiber is, it is NOT a classic llama. The only exception is a llama whose grooming has been so neglected that there is no hope of telling whether it is a classic llama or a cross. In any case, if the llama's coat won't comb, DO NOT comb it! It will only frustrate you and hurt the llama terribly.
Shearing a classic llama is not only unnecessary, it is potentially dangerous. The shedding double-coat (not fleece!) of the classic llama relies on abundant guard hair rather than density for weather protection. A shorn classic coat is too sparse after shearing to maintain body heat in inclement weather, and the protective guard hairs will be too short to shed rain and snow or deter insects. A shorn classic llama will burn much more easily through it's sparse coat than a shorn, dense-fleeced woolly or crossbred llama.
Classic llamas will maintain a clean, healthy coat with occasional grooming. Very regular grooming can also allow some near-classic crosses to be kept free of dead fiber and mats. Combing minimizes the risk of heat stress as well or better than shearing, and also leaves adequate protection from inclement weather. In short, a combed classic llama is a true all-weather llama.
After combing, your classic llama needs no special care, but if s/he had any heavily matted parts, s/he may be a bit sensitive in those areas for a few days.
The grooming tools we recommend for classic llamas are:
slicker brush - Twinco/Lambert Kay "Ever Gentle", size large
These are pretty common and can be found in most pet stores. We've tried several other brands with poor to very bad results, so we wouldn't recommend experimenting.
v-rake
The Aaronco rake handle is most comfortable for the human, but it does tend to fatigue and eventually breaks under normal use. The "Grooma" brand v-rake is next most comfortable, but the rotating-tooth design tends to cost more without obvious benefit to the llama. Both the Aaronco and the Grooma rakes have rounded tines that are easy on llamas' skin.
Wooden-handled models have significantly better durability, but some of them have more pointed tines and require sensitivity from the human.
The slicker is used to break apart felting fiber tips, dried mud, and remove surface vegetation. Regular brushing decreases combing time markedly by removing dead fiber as it is shed and before mats form. On llamas that have been dematted to the skin, the slicker can also be used to gradually remove embedded vegetation and debris and mats that are just starting to form.
The comb or rake is used to remove dead underwool. A llama's wool grows out, not down, and so the rake is used primarily with a "picking" motion to tease mats and dead fiber clusters from the live wool without undue pulling and pain. A complete combing should be done once in the spring and once in the fall. If you notice there are some areas that resist combing even though others do not, wait a couple of weeks and try again -- the shed is not simultaneous, and some areas release fiber later than others.
A classic llama with a healthy, dematted coat will collect very little (if any) vegetation or debris on the coat surface, and very little beneath except at the base of the neck. Dust can be worked out with a leaf blower.
At some times of the year, guard hair becomes dry and tangles easily. A spray-on conditioner will make the job much easier for you and will make your llama a lot happier. Lama Groom has given us good results; EQyss rehydrant spray (diluted 1:4 with water) also works well. Both products allow the coat to shed debris and stay cleaner for some weeks, and they do not make the hair slick, so packing equipment will still function properly.
Reclaiming neglected classic coats
If your classic or near-classic type llama's coat was neglected, or if s/he got into a substance that cannot be removed from the coat, shear as for a crossbred llama (see below). After shearing, initially care for him or her as you would any shorn llama (see below under woolly llamas).
Grooming procedures for the neck and tail do not change unless severe mats or presence of an adhesive or unhealthy substance necessitated shearing them as well. "Dreadlocks" in the tail may take months to work out completely -- be patient, and try to tease them apart rather than pulling or combing them out. A horse mane-and-tail detangler will often ease the job ("Cowboy Magic" can work extremely well).
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