On the afternoon of June 12th our girl Roxy gave birth to a beautiful fawn colored alpaca we have named Dahlia. It was very exciting for us - I had been watching Roxy for days now - her due date was June 17th but I had a feeling for quite some time that she was going to go sooner. Karl had been away the weekend before and I was so certain that I did not dare leave to run any errands until he got back.
On Monday there was a lot of activity going on inside her and I really thought this was it - nope; Tuesday it was raining a lot so I figured definitely today - nope. Wednesday the 12th she was staying real close to the shelter - she didn't seem anxious or anything and there really wasn't any sign other than the movement of the cria inside her. We were both outside working in the yard, I in my gardens and Karl mowing the lawn.
I had just checked on Roxy - she was standing in the door of the shelter - I told her that if she was going to have this baby she better do it today because the weather was forecasting heavy rains again for tomorrow. Of course she just stood there looking at me with those big eyes. I went around to the other side of the house and Karl was now mowing in front of their shelter.
I heard the lawn mower stop and thought "why would he be stopping the mower there". It was quiet for a few moments so I decided to go and see what was up. Sure enough he was on his way down to the shelters because the other girls were looking curiously into the building.
He yelled up to me "get the camera!"; Roxy had just delivered her beautiful little cria.
The first thing I thought when I got inside is that "it's a white baby!" Roxy is a Full Peruvian
1/4 Accoyo Dark Silver Grey and the father is Full Accoyo Fawn colored; I guess Dahlia had taken after her father. She has since started to show more fawn color than white.
Karl wiped her dry with a towel and we proceeded to do everything we had been told to do. We had both been so nervous since Sunflowers delivery last year with her baby dying.
Within 40 minutes Dahlia was standing, walking and nursing from her mother; Roxy had passed the placenta within 20 minutes and was taking care of her baby beautifully. I watched from a distance for hours after; Zinnia, Cosmo and Masquerade had not seen a newborn since they themselves had been so this was very exciting for them. Zinnia made me a little nervous at first; she was a little too excited and seemed to pounce on her so I shoooed her away. The boys were at the fence line making all sorts of noises and trying to see what this little one was. Ivy and Sunflower both sniffed her all over and seemed to be satisfied. It took Zinnia some time but she finally calmed down and has since this writing become a watchful sitter.
We did see Dahlia pee several times and nurse consistently up until night fall. They all were still outside in the field as of dark and when we went to bed.
In the morning I found Karl down at the shelters first thing - even before coffee! - he had looked outside and Dahlia was outside of the shelter by herself so he went down and put her inside with her mother as it was starting to rain. We shut Roxy and Dahlia inside as it was to be heavy rains all day and we didn't want Dahlia outside in it.
Dr. Tim, our vet, came and looked over Dahlia and Roxy - he gave Dahlia a BoSe Selenium shot ; an aid to help the immune system; as this is a selenium deficient area. He checked her all over and was quite happy with her progress. He felt since we had seen her nursing consistently that we did not need to do an IgG test which would show if she received enough colostrum. We had not seen a bowel movement at this point and he said that if not by Friday he recommends an enema. I am really not sure if she may have gone during the first night out in the field to release the meconium and I didn't see any evidence of it; she was also going to the poop pile and nothing was happening so we did give her the enema on Friday.
She is doing wonderfully - wants to be outside all the time - just loves to run and play in the green grass; don't we all.......
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