I always loved seeing the llamas that were at the fair, and I was very happy when I got my first llama, a brown and white male named Gilligan. He had been handled since he was a baby, and was a very sociable llama. When he came up to me, he always put his nose right in my face to give me a kiss.
Llamas are very calm and gentle, and not spooky like a horse is, but they are also very shy and reserved; although they are extremely curious animals as well. They love to be led along and go for walks with you, and can even be trained to ride in a vehicle.
They are not strong enough for an adult, but can easily carry a smaller child. I used to take my granddaughter for rides up and down the driveway on Gilligan, and he seemed to enjoy it as much as she loved riding him. She was only about 7-8 at the time, so just the perfect size for him to carry.
Here is a great video of a llama that is trained to climb right in the car and go for rides with his owners.
This is so cute! I remember always going to the zoo and staying as far away from llamas as I could. I did this because I guess I saw them spitting people in movies so I didnt want to get spit on
Is the llama spitting a myth or a real thing that happens ? Other than that these are really proud and beautiful animals
I love that video! That Llama is so adorable! I myself have never seen a Llama in person, but they have always had that mysterious awe about them for me. One of my friends had one though and I was afraid of larger animals at the time so I avoided their house like the plague - wish I would of went over some time though. To the comment above me; I heard that Llama's only spit at other Llamas so I don't know, but that could be true.
(01-23-2014, 03:56 AM)DomDom Wrote: This is so cute! I remember always going to the zoo and staying as far away from llamas as I could. I did this because I guess I saw them spitting people in movies so I didnt want to get spit on
Is the llama spitting a myth or a real thing that happens ? Other than that these are really proud and beautiful animals
Llamas actually do spit at both people and other animals, however, they do not do that unless they are seriously provoked, and my llama never did that with me.
Our female llama used to spit at Gilligan though. he would be getting romantic with her, and she wanted to be left alone. First, she would pin her ears back, and give Gilligan a really ugly glare. if that didn't discourage him, then she started making kind of a gurgling noise, and you could see her throat bulging, as she prepared to spit at him. If he still tried to chase her around, then she would spit at him, and he would then leave her alone.
I think they mostly do it when they feel threatened, and I have seen people actually walk up to a llama at the fair and spit at the llama, and then it would spit back at him.
If they are raised as a pet, they are very friendly, just shy.
Awwww! That video was too sweet. I have never seen anything like it before & trust me, I've seen a lot of crazy things! Animals are so smart and amazing. I love llamas & I love their eyelashes too. Can you tell I'm jealous?! I always wondered if there was a difference between Llamas and Alpacas(sp?) My hairdresser once told me that she had an Alpaca farm & would breed them. You're so lucky I wish I owned a llama! This post about Llamas reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite where he's feeding Tina the llama!
Llamas and Alpacas are very similar, but they are indeed different creatures. Llamas are larger and their face is different from an Alpaca. Where a llama is large enough to be used for a pack animal, or to pull a cart with 1-2 people riding in it, an alpaca would have a hard time , since they are not much bigger than a large size dog.
Both have beautiful wool, which can be woven into hats, sweaters, and other wearables.
Alpacas are more expensive than a llama is, for some reason, and I enjoyed my llamas, but have never owned an alpaca.
Now that i live inside of a larger city, I am not apt to ever have the chance to have one, or another llama.