Also one way to test to see if a female alpaca is pregnant is to put her in with a male alpaca. You'll see that in some of the pictures of our alpacas, especially the males. We don't usually cut the fiber over their eyes because it is too likely that we could injure them. We shear our alpacas every year in the spring. This schedule allows them to be cool during the summer but have time to grow a new fleece by the fall.
Some people shear their alpacas every other year.
Timing of shearing depends upon your climate and how long you want the fiber. When you shear once a year, as most breeders do, you get an average of about 4-6 pounds total from your alpaca. Sometimes it is less and sometimes it is more. We have a herdsire male who as given as much as 11.5 pounds in one shearing. His fleece is obviously very dense.