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Llama Management


jomur
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We have had one llama for about 6 months. We had him gelded about 2 months ago. He is ok with the sheep and treats them well. We bought a second male gelding about three weeks ago. We kept the two separated but in adjacent fields until two days ago. We put them both in a fenced pasture without sheep. All was well for about an hour. Then the first llama got aggressive toward the other one ,forcing him to the ground by using his neck. I broke them apart a few times but they continued to chase each other and the aggressor continued to put the newer llama down. I was hoping they would tire and quit but after one altercation one got bitten and there was some blood. I managed to separate them .The non-aggressor had had his ear bitten ,not a serious injury ,but bloody.

Is this behavior a common occurrence between two male gelded llamas ? If sheep had been present would it have occurred ? Any advice would be appreciated.

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When I put 1 rams together I put them in a space where it is to small to really run at each other. Llamas are different "boxers". If you have well trained dogs you might use a dog to work the llamas enough that they worry about the dogs more than each other.

Another way is give them each some sheep. keep them close but apart. Llet them bond to their sheep, change the sheep out for a while to where they each have each others then put the whole kit and caboodle together. They sometimes can get so worried about their charges that they forget to fight.

 

Time and space is your friend. They don't have to like each other they just have to not fight!

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bcnewe2's suggestion to keep the two separate, and give each a share of the sheep , would be the safest way to go. If the old llama is bonded to "his" sheep, adding the new llama with the sheep present may set up an even more aggressive

attack, with the added thrill of the sheep milling around. Even if there aren't major injuries, and you decided to leave them all together to work things out; you may find that the old llama will bully the newcomer and chase him away from the flock, the feed, the hay, the water, and he'll do so poorly you'll have to pull him out i n the end anyway.

 

The flip side of it is, if they do get friendly; instead of joining up to protect your flock, they may just as well join up to sunbathe in the dirt by the gate, while your flock wanders off alone. Instead of double the protection, you get a llama group and a sheep group.

 

Hope it all works out for you!

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