i just bought my first alpaca! what do i need to know?

They can bite and spit. That said, sheering the Alpaca hair/fur will make you money (not alot), but there's a market for it with weavers.

And they DON'T like ANAL!

Very cool. Alpaca wool was reserved for Inca royalty in pre-Columbian times. Nice little camelid (not camel toe).

I wasn't planning on banging it. I was wondering I'd I could put it in with my goats and if it would be OK with sweet feed and hay.

kiwis men fancy them as exotic

Alpaca dung is not edible.

325 degrees for 1 hour per pound,
cut in thin strips and cook lower temp

No banging and not eating it. I'm thinking about getting it bred in the spring and having it hang out with the goats. I'm looking for pointers. Any help is appreciated.

You need to know that before you buy something you should research what you need to know first.

Did that. Looking for first hand experience.

Now, now, my good man, let's not be too hasty with this thought of yours

for 1st hand info

The first thing you need to do is get a second one. They are herd animals and do not like being alone.

thats great! I am working on spinning up a chocolate brown sheep fleece right now. I will knit into a sweater for my man. All I have to say is you should already know what you need to or your crazy. I'll be glad to take any of the fleece off your hands.

True. I've never seen a single alpaca. Consider getting another one.

They love to be stared at up close

Don't under ANY circumstance feed it after midnight.. also, they really dont like anal as noted above..

the first rule of alpacas is DON"T TALK ABOUT ALPACA CLUB

the second rule of alpacas is DON"T TALK ABOUT ALPACA CLUB

the third rule of alpacas is DON"T BUY ANY ALPACAS UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!!!

obviously a herd is 3 or more. get 2 more alpaca for holy incan trifecta

Um. Well I've never had one but I am looking into it as well as visiting a friend who owns a llama farm. Llamas and Alpacas are very similar. Duh. But what I know is from hanging around there, is that the whole spitting thing, is just if they have an abusive past or feel threatened. (it's a dominance thing). They MUST be in herds. I got yelled at when I asked if I could buy one. They apparently only sell them in threes. But picking the right herd is extremely difficult.

Like all males. No. Dominance issues.

1 male two females, fine if you want to breed.

But i mainly depends on temperaments.

Food:

Also if you do decide to breed. Alpacas go for a lot. 1,000 each if the pedigree is right, and you 4-h them. Also offering your alpaca as a stud. Good too lot's of money.

alpacas love nice green lucerne hay, carrots, sliced apples, horse muesli (a commercial mix of chaff, oats, maize, sunflower seeds, molasses etc), plain grass hay and the leaves from fruit trees.

Alpacas like to both graze and browse which means they will eat grass like a sheep but you will also find them munching on taller plants and trees. They are particularly fond of berry plants (blackberry, raspberry) and the leaves of fruit trees, so young trees will need to be fenced off if you don't want them gobbled up.

An alpaca will eat roughly the same amount as a sheep, however they do like to move (and often run) around so are not suited to being confined in small yards for extended periods.

Always ensure that your alpacas have ready access to clean fresh drinking water. They will be happy to drink from a stream or creek, alternatively you can put water buckets or troughs around your paddocks (just ensure these are cleaned and refilled regularly).

Pastures:
No special fencing is required for alpacas, however some shelter is recommended, especially in case of cold snaps after shearing and in areas with climatic extremes.

Shearing:
Alpacas are shorn once a year. Most alpaca shearers will lay the alpaca down and secure his/her feet to shear, as this is seen as the safest way, for shearer and alpaca. Some alpaca owners shear with the alpacas standing.

Breeding:

Alpacas are slow breeders, with a gestation period of around 342 days and twins are rare. Alpacas have an estimated productive life of 15-20 years.
Hope tht helped :)