Downside…

Alpacas, being in relatively short supply in the UK, are expensive. The cost of a pregnant female being anywhere between £3,000 - £10,000. Stud males can be more expensive depending on the specific bloodline. Male, wethers (castrated males unsuitable as sires) sell for between £500 - £1,000.

Alpacas, being a herd animal, cannot be kept isolated, and therefore it is vital that the initial purchase be at least two animals. Castrated males (wethers) are often sold as companion animals to a single female purchase.

Alpacas give birth to only one cria per annum. It doesn't take a genius to work out that building up a herd is a long-term project. The upside of this is that it also protects the industry against the majority of the "fast buck" hype which inevitably gets tagged to the unusual livestock market.

Alpacas have to be mated before they start to ovulate and are at their most receptive about 14 days after giving birth. As the aim of the fibre industry in the UK is to selectively mate to continually improve stock and fibre, it is vital that great attention is paid to choosing the best sire possible for any given female. Unless you are lucky enough to have the right sire for your particular female in house, mating tends to be a long process involving transporting your animal to the chosen sire and leaving her there for roughly eight weeks. It takes this long to mate regularly with the chosen sire and confirm with ultrasound the animals status before a return to the home farm. Given that the female will be nursing her young cria during this time you tend to miss out on two of the early months of your cria's development.

Alpaca sires of proven superior quality are at a premium, and as such tend to attract substantial stud fees.

WARNING!!! Alpacas attract an awful lot of interest and there will inevitably be a lot of questions to be answered from the curious passerby, Be warned.