Alpacas are pretty friendly critters but they do have a few defense techniques.
1) They spit. And it stinks. But that's all it does. Usually pacas spit at each other to keep the pecking order. The only time I have ever been spit near was during shearing. And it flies about 10 feet. And it's green. And it's gross. Probably because it is stomach acid. Alpaca spit can't hurt anything but your feelings.
2) They kick with their rear feet. And leap out of the way. If you get a kick, you may get a small bruise. We teach our kids to never bend over near the rear of the alpaca to avoid getting a kick to the noggin. I have been kicked once. Again during shearing.
3) They scream. Loud. At least our boy El Cortez does. It sounds like he's screeching, " EYE EYE EYE EYE " Over and over again. It is his battle cry.
So, in general, alpacas are pretty defenseless. Most alpaca farms have a fantastic pair of LGD's( livestock guardian dogs) or a guard llama. Don't worry, next time we 'll tell you the difference between an alpaca and a llama!
