Huacaya alpaca

[5][7] In the 1980s, these Huacaya were imported to other countries including Australia, Canada, England, France, New Zealand, and the United States of America to set up alpaca industries internationally.

Ideally, the conformation of a Huacaya should be correctly balanced by having a neck and legs that are two-thirds the length of the alpaca's back.

Some farmers in South America shear their alpacas on a 14-16-month schedule to achieve higher fiber lengths.

[7] A higher crimp measurement is associated with a heavier fleece, lower micron count, and greater uniformity and is valued in some alpaca shows.

[1] There are 22 varieties of coat color recognized in Huacaya alpacas including "black, brown, grey, caramel, red, fawn, and white".

However, these categories don't reflect the reality that alpaca coats present themselves in a color gradient with appearances of unique patterns and speckles.

[1][page needed] A male leader, termed the alpha, will take responsibility for herd protection and will display defensive behaviors such as biting, bumping, or kicking in the face of danger.

These relationships can be identified by noticing if alpacas are grazing close to each other, resting with each other, or exchanging soft humming sounds often.

The risk of attacks from these predators is higher in rural areas where wildlife habitats overlap with alpaca pasture.

Guardian animals can be used to protect alpacas from predators including the use of a guard dog and the integration of llamas and donkeys into the herd.

[11][8] While they have a docile nature towards humans, they create strong bonds with other prey animals they don't find threatening and are very protective of these relationships.

[8] Huacayas are organized into a suborder of ruminants called Tylopoda because they have three compartments to their stomach, and their feet consist of two padded toes that end in claws.

[1] Alpacas as livestock can be provided a free range of forages in the form of pasture grasses and legumes (alfalfa or clover hay).

Overfeeding grain can generate an excess of lactic acid in the alpaca's stomach in a process called acidosis.

[12] When giving alpacas free range in pastures, it is important to take into account the possible poisonous plants they may have access to.

T. maritima and T. palustris), bracken fern, cocklebur, and death camas are dangerous and should be removed from an alpaca's pasture.

Insecticide-sprayed pasture or grasses grown from soil polluted with lead, mercury, and copper are deadly to alpacas.

Common parasites for alpacas include lungworms, tapeworms, liver flukes, coccidia, mites, lice, ticks, and nasal bot.