In Melbourne this week the weather has been consistently in the 40 degree range, which got me thinking, earlier in the day, how do our alpacas withstand not only the heat but the hot wind that goes with it?

On our property at KINGSVIEW ALPACAS during the summer months we run three mobs of alpacas, the females, the males in two groups with the stud males split up. 

I considered the plight of the females especially, some have cria a foot from the spring season (rehydrating not only themselves but a cria) and the pregnant females that are due in Autumn (who are carrying around the extra weight).  I have visited them a number of times a day and observed that they cleverly (and upon observation seemed an obvious thing to do) sat amongst the mini pine plantation most of the day, staying out of direct sunlight and also out of the wind and only made their way to the dam when necessary.   It wasn’t until the evening that they went out in the paddock to graze and feed.

The key to this kind of weather is some form of natural shelter where possible and keep on eye out for some of the more vulnerable alpacas.