The alpaca has a soft padded foot which is edged by a hard toe nail. In their native environment the ground is harder and stonier and the toe nails wear down naturally. On our softer pasture there is very little abrasion to impede their growth and these toe nails need clipping at least every three months depending on your pasture. One of these sessions is normally incorporated with shearing but it is essential that the toenails are maintained and do not grow over to damage the soft pad of the alpaca’s foot.

Clipping these nails is a simple enough task requiring one person to hold and the other to lift one alpaca leg at a time and clip. This should never become an alpaca wrestling match and if you find it is it’s time you paid us a visit or signed up for a course. ( see workshops)