It has been up in the 90s in England for the last week or so and, thankfully, the boys have now been sheared by the wonderful and talented Toria and Rog at SimplyAlpaca. The 'pacas do, however, still get very hot and yet do not appear to drink that much. They get a daily cold shower when I get home from work and they all absolutely love this! I have bought a kiddie's paddling pool for them and as soon as they see me pull into the drive, they head for the pool and stand there, waiting for a hosedown! I give them a thorough soaking and Larry will often drink from the hose but the other two don't. Is it normal for 'pacas to drink very little and should I be worried about dehydration? They have water available all day, with troughs placed at different heights as there is quite a difference in height between Moe and Larry and I also have two pygmy goats, so I need to ensure everyone has water at a comfortable position.....but most of it gets thrown away every day. Obviously, in this heat, the water is pretty warm by 2pm when I get home, so it is refreshed regardless, to ensure a cool water supply. The other thing that concerns me is flies. The poor 'pacas seem to be constantly shaking their heads and tails at the flies and shimmying their skin, itching and scratching and being generally bothered. I have tried a fly repellent spray for horses on them but they really don't like the spray and I can't see that it's making much difference. Does anyone have any suggestions or am I just worrying unnecessarily? The upside of this extra interaction with the hose on a daily basis and also since they have been sheared, is I have noticed how much more they seem to be enjoying being touched. Whereas it often seemed, when fully fleeced, that they didn't particularly enjoy Ttouching anywhere but the side of their neck and their poll, they are now obviously and thoroughly enjoying not only Ttouching on their backs, flanks and necks but also loving a good old fashioned five-fingers, both hands scratch fest.....leaning into it and moving themselves along for a full ears to tail session....even dear Larry Lamb, the supposedly touch-shy, wary one!! I fall more in love with these boys every day
