Yes: they are gentle, fascinating, fun and undemanding "field pets". Whether for walking, packing, carting or "just to graze and grace your land",  

The Times (our leading UK national newspaper) described RoseLand Llamas  as "Outstanding in their field"! 

Naturally house-trained, llamas can even be allowed to make brief house visits!
 

Grass principally, supplemented by hay if needed. A coarse mix such as for ponies or goats can be given as a treat.
 

Llamas get on well with people generally, but they do appear to have an extra good rapport with the young and the elderly.
In the USA they are used in therapy work, even visiting inside hospitals.
 

Llamas will live happily with horses, donkeys, and in fact all field stock, making excellent companions for the lone pony or horse. They accept dogs readily provided the dogs are sensible with them! Our old German Shepherd Dog used to play tag with the llamas; they would take it in turns to chase
and then llama or dog would lie down for the other to sniff!
 

Shy but curious is a fair description: the independence of a cat in the field with the trainability of a horse when haltered…
 

No, not at all! Llamas will sometimes hum gently but whether 3 or 30 in a field, if you can't see them you would not know they are there.
 

Yes. We supply our llamas halter and lead-trained and can offer advance training to trekking standard. Even for the inexperienced it is not difficult to carry on from there...
 

Llamas invariably calve on their own without need of help. Gestation is 11½ months, and females usually have a calf, a 'cria', each year of their lives from 18 months of age. Males become fertile usually rather later, around 24 months.
 

They can be expected to live until around 15 years of age, and many live into their twenties.
 

No. On a weight ratio basis they eat less than sheep, they rarely need veterinary care, and are gentle on fencing, housing and land.
 

A minimum of 3/4 of an acre is recommended, and an acre will support 3-4 llamas.
 

Do llamas need to be
dipped ? 
 

Llamas do not need to be sheared at all if you do not plan to use the wool. An occasional groom will keep the coat looking good. However if you do want the luxurious wool then this can be done every other year or possibly annually. If not sheared the wool simply stops growing!
 

Llamas do not have hooves but toes.The toenails may need a rare trim depending on the type of ground and the individual llama. We have many whose nails have never needed trimming.
 

To ensure llamas are properly socialised, we recommend that youngsters should not leave their herd until they are at least ten months old if going singly, or 7-8 months if to be with other llamas.
 

Llamas are not farmed commercially in Europe for their meat.

The attraction of llamas for us is that they are commercially viable for their many "living" qualities, without ever needing to consider a meat market.
 

From white to black with many shades of brown and grey in between; solid, patchy and spotted…

The wide variety of natural shades is one of the great attractions for hand spinners and knitters.
 

Not in the UK or anywhere else as far as we know. Llamas are considered domestic livestock and require no licence.

They are also wonderfully paperwork and bureaucracy free in terms of DEFRA requirements!

A licence is needed, however, for the llama's wild cousins the guanaco and vicuna.
 

If you mean will the llamas you buy spit at you or your family, friends and visitors, then the answer is almost certainly NO - unless you have a rare, rogue animal!

Just as dogs can bite and cats can scratch and horses can kick, so llamas can spit. The vast majority will only do so at humans, however, if they have been incorrectly reared (i.e hand-reared), or they are badly treated, or are put through situations that they find excessively stressful.

Llamas do use spitting among themselves to maintain a pecking order and to maintain their own space.

It really is a much over-hyped characteristic, found in some zoos, that is irrelevant to most people's day-to-day experience of their llamas.
 

Llamas are a herd animal and we believe a happy herd begins with two.

Llamas do not suffer from any unusual illnesses unique to llamas, or different to those occurring with other breeds of livestock kept in the UK. Most "large animal" or farm vets will be happy to take on your llamas and these days many vets already have experience with llamas. When we sell RoseLand Llamas  we always provide contact details of our own vet who welcomes calls from our clients' vets to discuss llama welfare.  Although llamas can, like any animal, become ill, they tend to be far hardier than most.
 

Llamas are still relatively rare in Europe, and because there are so many diverse uses for them, they offer varied and exciting opportunities to gain a sound financial return.

They make the ideal diversification for landowners, smallholders and farmers and offer standalone business opportunities in breeding and, for example, trekking.

We will be happy to discuss this with you in more detail and give full and comprehensive start-up help.
 

What if I have more questions ?