Buying Your First Alpacas: A Step-by-Step Checklist

Buying alpacas is exciting — and it’s a commitment of up to 20 years. A little preparation prevents the most common beginner mistakes: buying a lone animal, buying the wrong sex mix, or bringing home disease.

Step 1: Decide why you want alpacas

Step 2: Buy enough — and the right mix

• Never buy one alpaca. Alpacas are herd animals; a lone alpaca lives in chronic stress.
• Three is the practical minimum. If one dies or is sick, the others are not left alone.
• Don’t buy a male and a female pair unless you want almost continuous pregnancies.
• Keep intact males away from females. Plan separate paddocks if you breed.

Step 3: Prepare your property first

Before the animals arrive you need:

1. Fencing: 4–5 ft (1.2–1.5 m) non-climb woven wire; see fencing guide.
2. Shelter: a dry three-sided shed with about 20–40 sq ft per alpaca; see shelter guide.
3. Pasture or hay: plan 5–10 alpacas per acre of good pasture, and a hay supply. Use the stocking-rate calculator.
4. Water: clean water with a heater for winter.
5. A vet who treats camelids — find one before you need one.
6. Supplies: halters, lead ropes, toenail shears, a scale or weight tape, a thermometer and a first-aid kit.
7. A quarantine area for new arrivals.
8. Check zoning and registration rules in your area.

Step 4: Choose a breeder and animals

Questions to ask the seller

• How old is the animal, and is it registered? Can I see the paperwork?
• What is its vaccination, deworming and fecal egg count history?
• Has the herd been tested for BVDV and Johne’s disease? Any history of disease?
• Has it been shorn, and when? Are fleece test results available?
• Is it halter-trained and used to toenail trimming?
• For females: breeding history, ease of birthing, mothering, milk supply.
• Will you provide after-sale support and help with the first shearing?

What to look for in the animal

• Bright, alert, curious — not dull or isolated from the herd.
• Body condition of 3 out of 5 — feel the backbone under the fleece. Use our body condition guide.
• Straight legs, even gait, well-trimmed toenails.
• Correct bite: lower incisors meet the front of the dental pad.
• Clean rear end (no diarrhea staining) and healthy, crust-free skin on legs and face.
• Even fleece without lice, mats or excessive guard hair.
• For males bought for breeding: two normal-sized testicles.

Step 5: Prices and paperwork

Prices vary widely by region, registration and quality. As a rough guide, pet and fiber geldings often sell for a few hundred to about $1,500 each, while registered breeding females and proven herdsires can cost several thousand dollars or more. Get a written sales contract that lists the animals’ ID, health status, any guarantees (for example live cria guarantees on bred females) and who pays for transport.

Step 6: Bringing them home

• Transport in a clean trailer or van with bedding, on a cool day. See transporting alpacas.
• Quarantine new animals for about 30 days away from any existing herd and run a fecal test. See biosecurity.
• Expect a few days of humming and reduced appetite while they settle in. Keep routines calm and quiet.
• Offer the same hay they were eating and change diets gradually.

Frequently asked questions

How many alpacas should I buy first? At least three of the same sex — usually three geldings for a first herd.

Are males or females better for beginners? Geldings. They are cheaper, calmer and don’t involve breeding or birthing.

Should I buy registered alpacas? For breeding or showing, yes. For pets and hobby fiber, registration matters less than health, temperament and fleece quality.