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Breeding in Alpacas: Part 3 (Pregnancy)
- Fostings Alpacas
- Jan 5
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 6
Next in our alpaca breeding mini-series is supporting the female through gestation and testing for continued pregnancy. For the complete series, check out part 1 (selecting your breeding herd) or part 2 (the mating process) or part 3 (gestation and pregnancy testing) or part 4 (birthing) and part 5 (early cria care) or part 6 (cria care beyond the first week).
The Basics
How long are alpacas pregnant for?
Alpacas are pregnant for an average of 343 days (11.5 months) but can vary between 320 - 375 days.
What is a baby alpaca called?
A baby alpaca is called a cria.
How many babies does an alpaca have?
Alpacas can carry to term and give birth to a single cria. The occurrence of twins is rare and, if it does occur, usually results in the foetuses being aborted around 5 to 6 months gestation. Because of the high risk nature of a twin pregnancy, it is recommended that twins are aborted if they have been identified early on. Despite the odds, there are very rare recorded instances of successful twin births.
Avoid Stress!
Once bred, avoid causing unnecessary stress for your alpacas. This is particularly important in the first 60 days of pregnancy, as this can lead to early embryonic death (loss of the pregnancy) and the last 60 days of gestation, as stress can cause premature birth (putting the cria at risk) or abortion.
If sending your female to another farm for mating, it is recommended to leave her there for at least 60 days afterwards to avoid the stress of travelling her whilst in the early stage of pregnancy.
If selling or purchasing females, avoid moving them within the first and last 60 days of gestation and wait until cria are at least 2 weeks of age, so they will be able to cope with the journey.
Pregnancy Checks
How is pregnancy identified?
A ‘spit off’ is the term used for the method of pregnancy determination using behavioural testing in alpacas. A male is presented to the female on a halter in the mating pen. The theory is that if the female sits, she is not pregnant, but if she turns & spits at the male, she is pregnant! This behavioural testing is accurate around 85% of the time. Ultrasound scanning can also be used from 30+ days after the last successful mating date (LMD) to support the conclusions from behavioural testing.
7 day Spit Off Test
A spit-off can be conducted as soon as seven days after the LMD to assess ovulation and potential pregnancy. You may see either:
Non-receptive behaviour (spitting, refusing to sit) suggests that ovulation occurred (too soon to say if she is pregnant yet, as it is possible for her to ovulate but not conceive).
Receptive behaviour (sitting for mating) indicates that ovulation did not occur, and re-mating should be attempted.
14 day day Spit Off Test
A second spit-off test should be performed 14 days after the LMD to further assess pregnancy status:
Non-receptive behaviour (spitting at the male and refusing to sit) strongly suggests that the female has ovulated and is now pregnant.
Receptive behaviour (sitting for mating), despite a non-receptive response at the 7-day test, indicates that ovulation occurred, but conception did not take place. In this case, re-mating can be attempted.
This method provides an early indication of pregnancy but should be followed by further tests for more accurate confirmation.
⚠️ Important:
Mating should not be attempted more often than every 7 days and not exceed a 3 matings within a breeding season before requesting veterinary assessment, as more frequent matings does not necessarily equate to higher chances of conception, and instead can increase the risk of infection.
21, 28 & 60 day Spit Off Tests
Regular monitoring during these early stages using additional spit-off tests at 21, 28 and 60 days after the LMD help confirm continued pregnancy. Sadly, Early Embryonic Death (EED) is common during this period if the developing embryo fails to attach to the uterine wall and establish a placenta. By conducting these checks, it helps detect pregnancy loss and potentially allows for timely re-mating.
Pregnancy scanning
Ultrasound scans can provide a more definitive pregnancy confirmation to support behavioural testing and help to identify problems in females who are behaviourally demonstrating pregnancy, but are in fact empty. The following options are available:
From 30 days post-mating using rectal ultrasound
From 60 days using abdominal ultrasound
It is important that an experienced vet carries this out, as rectal ultrasound scanning has a higher risk of internal tearing and perforation in alpacas than sheep or cows.
Mid-Pregnancy Check-Ins
Conducting further spit-off tests at 4 & 8 months is recommended to:
Confirm continued pregnancy.
Adjust feeding according to pregnancy status (pregnant alpacas require 2 to 4 times their normal maintenance rations to support cria development).
Supplementary Feed
We won’t dwell on supplementary food too much here, as it is covered in our blog on nutrition, but here are some important reminders...
Alpacas have a compromised physiological state when pregnant and lactating, so will require up to 2 - 4 times the recommended maintenance rations.
VITMAINS & MINERALS: Camelibra is a vitamin & mineral supplementation designed specifically for camelids and needs to be provided YEAR ROUND to mimic the nutrition they would obtain in the Andes (winter vitamin supplementation is still required in addition to this). Make sure to measure out the appropriate amounts for weight of the alpacas and their condition, as the volume across feeds can differ greatly.
FIBRE & CONDITION: Feeds such as Fibregest, Waterhouse Feed and Speedi-beet can be fed to help the dam maintain and/or improve condition - ALWAYS make sure beet is soaked as according to the packaging, as it can be fatal if fed dry.
PROTEIN: Micronized Peas are great for giving the dam extra protein to help grow the cria.
Expand your knowledge
There's a lot to learn about breeding alpacas, such as selecting your alpacas, the mating process, supporting the female through gestation, testing for continued pregnancy, the birthing and what to expect as well as trouble shooting problems including malpresentation - when you can correct it and when to call the vet - as well as early cria care and care beyond the first week. The Alpaca Breeding Course, here at Fostings Alpacas offers all of this in a mixed theory and practical delivery, so you come away confident in knowing what to expect when breeding alpacas.
Disclaimer: Fostings Alpacas are not a veterinarian body. Always consult your vet when creating a health plan for your herd and if you are ever concerned about your alpacas.
