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The first thing is that you want to buy more than one alpaca when you first start. This is because alpacas are social animals and need the companionship of other alpacas to be truly happy in their new environment. We suggest buying one female and one male for your first purchase.

Make sure that both the female and the male are of good quality. You want to make sure that the female is strong, has a good bite, has high-quality fleece, is able to produce young along with an adequate milk supply, etc. A quality female alpaca should cost between five and ten thousand dollars. The male should also be healthy and if it has a history of producing young, that’s all the better. Ask to see photos of the young your prospective male has produced to verify your male’s genetic worth. You can also usually include a “live birth” guarantee in your purchase. This guarantees that your female will produce young or gives you the option to rebreed your female with another male of the seller’s herd.

Young alpacas are normally cuter than adult or older alpacas, but remember that looks aren’t everything. Buying an older alpaca who has already produced young virtually guarantees their reproductive ability. You can also see their offspring in photos or in person to get a good estimate of the likely value of their future offspring. You will have an easier time breeding an older alpaca and can imagine that they will give birth more easily than a maiden alpaca would. There are no guarantees with young females, but if you want a younger alpaca, you can usually make a safe purchase by verifying that her mother and siblings have produced well in the past.

In order avoid inter-breeding too closely, make sure you purchase your alpacas from, or breed your alpacas at a variety of farms. You don’t want to get all of your alpacas from one place because it will be likely that all of your alpacas will be related. Ensure genetic diversity by varying your purchase sources and breeders.