Alpaca

-

Alpacas and llamas are members of the camelid family. Llamas and alpacas are not wild but domesticated. The alpacas is greatly appreciated for its many qualities, not least of which is the value of alpaca wool, known as fiber. It is soft, strong, and warm (warmer than most sheep wool).


Types of alpaca
  • A huacaya alpaca
  • A suri alpaca


The huacaya appearance is due to its fibre growing vertically out of its skin in small bundle with a tight crimped wave which makes the fleece sit vertically off the skin giving it a Teddy Bear look.

The suri appearance is due to its fibre growing out of the skin in bundles/locks without any crimped wave. This makes the suri locks twist and hang down along the flank of the alpaca giving it an appearance like a Wensleydale sheep. 



Behavior

Alpacas and llamas are social animals and flock oriented. They produced muted but distinctive humming sound to communicate with one another. Humming is heard frequently with a dam and her cria. They produce a clicking sound as a warning to alert others to potential danger, and grumble at one another if personal space invaded. Alpacas and llamas can also produce high-pitched screams if they are extremely frightened or during breeding.

Offense and defense weapons used by camelids including kicking, charging, chest butting, biting, and spitting onto other camelids or people. Alpacas and llamas demonstrate annoyance by spitting or regurgitation. This starts as gurgle, or split, can reach as far as six feet and is very accurate in striking a target. The fluid has a strong, abnoxious odor that cannot be easily removed especially from clothing. 

Ear and tail positions are good indicators of how an alpaca or a llama is likely to behave. Attitudes can be evaluated by ear and tail position. 



Diet
  • Alpacas only eat vegetation (herbivores). They eat mostly grass. The diet of alpacas consists of hay, leaves, and pellets. 

Vital Signs
  • Temperature: 37.5-38.9 C
  • Respiratory rate: 10-30 breaths per minute
  • Heart rate: 60-90 bpm
  • gut contraction : 3-4/minute

Alpaca weight and reproduction
  • birth: 9-14 kg
  • mature: 110-250 kg
  • Males reach sexual maturity at the age of 3 years while females are ready to mate earlier at the age of 1 year.
  • Gestation period: 242-345 days.
  • Babies feed upon maternal milk for 6 months and are weaned earlier or later, depending on growth rate.

Vaccination

Administration of vaccination is not difficult with correct restrain. The vaccine is given subcutaneously in the axillary area or just behind the elbow. There is a little area of looser skin that can be tented to place the needle under the skin. Use of axillary area helps reduce the possibility of adverse vaccine reaction and causes less pain for animal.




Vaccination commanly used  in Camelids (CD/T)
  • Clostridium perfringens type C,D, and C. tetani
  • C. perfringens has been implicated in diarrhea and sudden death in crias and occasionally adults. All animals are at risk for tetanus following infection primarily through wounds, castrations, etc. 
  • Vaccination schedule: Adults yearly; pregnant females 4-6 weeks prior to parturition; crias at 3-4 months old and again 4 weeks later then yearly thereafter. 
  • Vaccine: Covexin 8
All clostridial vaccines are made from the modified toxins of the given bacteria, so it stands to reason that giving more of these toxins increases the risk of adverse reactions to a vaccination in the form of allergic/anaphylactic reactions, fever and/or illness, and possibly abortion in pregnant animals. CD/T vaccine should be given subcutaneously, 2cc per animal. Animals over one year of age can all be vaccinated annually as a group without regard to pregnancy status, etc. New animals with unknown vaccination histories should get two doses three weeks apart, then annually with the rest of the herd. 


Refererances:

Judah, V and Nuttall, K., 2017. Exotic animal care & management, 2nd eds. Cengage Learning.


Westwind Alpacas www.alpacas.ie



Komentar

Posting Komentar

Postingan populer dari blog ini

Metabolisme Zinc Pada Manusia Dan Hewan (Anjing & Kucing)

-
Gambar
Dietary Zinc Pada Manusia, Zinc tidak disimpan di dalam tubuh sehingga dietary intake zinc secara konstan adalah hak yang essential.  Tabel 1. Kebutuhan zinc pada manusia Pada anjing dan kucing, zinc tersedia dan disimpan di jaringan tubuh Tabel 2. Kebutuhan zinc pada anjing Tabel 3.   J umlah kandungan zink dalam makanan Zinc secara normal didapat dari daging merah dan protein hewani lainnya, namun kandungan zink yang ditemui tidak dalam jumlah yang tinggi. Zinc yang terikat dengan ligan akan memfasilitasi untuk absorpsi. Pada kebanyakan tumbuhan seperti jagung dan beras tidak berfungsi sebagai sumber zinc. Pada tumbuhan terdapat pytate yang dapat menhambat absorosi zinc karena terjadinya chelated zinc. Tingginya insidensi defisiensi zink\c dapat terjadi akibat diet protein hewan yang rendah, mengkonsumsi banyak pytate, serta rendahnya kandungan zinc di tanah. Keseimbangan Zinc (Zn) Homeostatis zinc dipengaruhi oleh absorpsi eksogenous zn, sekres
Baca selengkapnya

PROSEDUR HISTOLOGI: PEMBUATAN BLOK PARAFFIN DAN PEMOTONGAN

-
Gambar
Pembuatan blok paraffin merupakan prosedur histologi lanjutan setelah melakukan  koleksi sampel . Koleksi sampel dapat dilakukan secara perfusi. Berikut adalah contoh pembuatan blok paraffin pada otak tikus beserta pemotongan preparat secara serial menggunakan mikrotome Pembuatan blok parafin preparat otak Irisan otak dimasukkan ke dalam kain kasa, didehidrasi dengan direndam  dalam larutan etanol bertingkat yaitu 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%, 100% dan 100%  masing-masing selama 60 menit pada suhu kamar. Proses selanjutnya dilakukan penjernihan ( clearing ) menggunakan  xylol  selama 15 menit pada suhu kamar sebanyak tiga kali. Setelah proses  clearing , dilakukan proses infiltrasi dengan parafin cair sebanyak 3 kali pemindahan masing-masing 60 menit dalam inkubator suhu 60 ºC. Jaringan kemudian dibenamkan atau ditanam di dalam parafin cair dan didinginkan pada suhu kamar sehingga menjadi blok parafin.  Gambar 1. Otak yang dikoleksi kemudian diproses untuk dijadikan blok paraffin
Baca selengkapnya

Ultrasonography (Usg) dan Aplikasinya Pada Pemeriksaan Organ Reproduksi Serta Diagnosa Kebuntingan & Foetal Sexing Pada Ternak

-
Gambar
Ultrasonography (USG) digunakan sebagai alat diagnose pada sistem reproduksi betina dan memiliki nilai ekonomis untuk menentukan kebuntingan awal pada ternak (DesCôteaux et al., 2006a). Pada artikel ini dibahas tentang prinsip dasar USG, tipe USG, komponen USG, gambaran USG dari organ reproduksi serta diagnose kebuntingan & foetal sexing pada ternak. PRINSIP DASAR USG Gambaran USG terbentuk dari intensitas gelombang suara yang dipantulkan kembali oleh jaringan kepada probe (transducer). Berdasarkan kekuatan intensitas tersebut dapat dievaluasi bentuk, kontur, ukuran serta posisi dari struktur yang dipelajari. Struktur echogenic terbentuk dari pantulan gelombang suara yang tervisualisasi sebagai warna putih hingga abu-abu pada monitor, sedangkan struktur yang tidak bersifat echoes ( anechogenic ) seperti cairan folikel akan mentransmisikan gelombang sehingga tervisualisasikan sebagai warna hitam (DesCôteaux et al., 2006a). Gambar 1. Terminologi echotexture. Jarin
Baca selengkapnya