Filed under: Animal fun | Tags: birthday party, camel, cathy's critters, llama, petting zoo, spit
Magic checks out a group of boys
We get this question a lot: “Will he spit at me?” Depending on what kind of mood we’re in, we may respond “Only if you spit at him first!”. Llamas, a beautiful, somewhat fiesty pack animal native to South America, have gotten a bad rap for their temperament and habit of spitting half-digested stomach goo at people. Anyone fortunate enough to have had this experience will testify to how nasty it can be. Half-digested stomach goo is as bad as it sounds.
However, the truth is that llamas raised around people can be reasonably well-mannered. We’ve seldom met one that seeks out human attention the way a dog, or even a horse might, but all of ours (except a few of the younger ones) will stand still and be petted in exchange for a little feed.
Their most endearing habit is that of simply being curious about you. If you stand still they will approach you, sniff your face and study you, as interested in you as you are in them. Don’t be alarmed – they are not looking to see whether they think you’d be a good candidate to receive a face full of toxic bile – yet.
Male llamas will compete for the attention of a female. If two males are both attempting to court the same female, they’ll get into a shoving match, occasionally even batting (beating) each other with their wicked front feet. In this exchange, you’ll often hear the snort, gurgle, and “ptooie” of one or the other hocking up a nice hay-ball on his competition. Female llamas don’t have a typical heat cycle like many mammals. They will mate year-round, whenever they are not already bred. The gestation period is 11-1/2 months, so it’s not uncommon for a breeding female to have a cria every year at about the same time each year.
Another occasion for letting one fly is in a competitive situation for food. When a human comes into our llama pen for the nightly feeding, all the llamas crowd around to be the first head in the bucket after some feed is poured in. They get pushy. One hungry llama may attempt muscle another out of the way using its body to shove the other animal, and lobbing a little of the morning feeding he had been saving in his cheek like a wad of chewing tobacco. This is a very likely time for you to get caught in the crossfire. You have to be on your toes if you get caught in a llama feeding frenzy.
As it turns out, the more “frustrated” a llama is, the deeper from its 3 chambered stomach (the llama is a modified ruminant) it can draw for it’s projectile crud. Therefore, if you get a blast and smells like the worst kind of bad breath crossed with a porta-potty at a chili cookoff, you’ll know you really ticked him off.
My best advice if an opportunity for an encounter with one of our llamas arises is: Don’t withhold food from him. That’s the simplest way to frustrate him and perhaps get a face full. Just belly up to his fence, stand still and let him check you out. You’ll be amazed at how long his eyelashes are, and if you do feed him from your hand, how nimble is his prehensile upper lip.
These are amazing, interesting animals. Don’t let them be over-simplified by some friend who warns you “Don’t get to close — they spit!”. Enjoy the experience and keep an open mind!
—
Kevin Smith
Cathy’s Critters
February 12, 2011
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