Occasional grooming, toenail trimming, vaccinations and parasite control comprise the majority of regular care. Annual shearing can be done with hand shears or sheep-sheering equipment. Alpacas do not come into heat but, instead, are induced ovulators and are able to breed year round. Pregnancy may be confirmed by a variety of tests. The alpaca's gestation period is approximately eleven and one-half months, most often resulting in one healthy baby, called a cria.
Most births occur during daylight hours and require no human assistance.
Alpacas are devoted and protective mothers until weaning at 5 or 6 months. Breeding for general health, reproductive vitality, conformation and fiber quality is both an art and a science that becomes more predictable as the alpaca industry matures. Even so, the cria's color is often a surprise and a delight to both the experienced and the inexperienced alpaca breeder alike. Alpaca fibers are among the softest of all animal fibers. Alpaca fleece does not contain lanolin and do not have guard hairs, making cleaning and processing very simple and enjoyable.