We hear this sentence on almost every walk.
Usually with a smile, sometimes with relief, often with curiosity:
“We’re walking with alpacas — those are the ones that don’t spit, right?”
Our honest answer:
Oh yes, they do. Very much so.
Because as cute, fluffy, and peaceful as alpacas may look, when something annoys them, they make their feelings known. And surprisingly accurately, too.
But don’t worry:
They do not spit all the time. And they almost never spit at people.
Usually, spitting is more of an internal alpaca matter — between each other, during arguments over food, when someone gets too close, or when one of them is simply having a bad day.
Charly, for example, is a real spitting professional.
Pedro is pretty good at it too.
And when Samurai gets really annoyed, well… let’s just say everyone knows about it.
But Romeo has never spat.
Really. Not once.
He’s more the type to say:
“Chew, smile, ignore.”
Why do alpacas spit at all?
Quite simply:
It’s part of their language.
They use it to say things like:
“Stop!”
“Leave me alone!”
or
“That was MY hay pile!”
Instead of kicking right away or making a lot of noise like some other animals, alpacas prefer to launch little greenish air-bubbles made of half-chewed hay.
Charming?
Well… maybe not.
Effective?
Absolutely.
And what about llamas?
They can do it too.
And they can be very good at it.
Especially our llama Pepe. He could probably hit a target from five meters away.
But most of the time, he prefers to look majestic and let the others handle the drama.
Our conclusion
Yes, alpacas do spit.
But they are usually as polite about it as possible.
And if you treat them with respect,
the worst you are likely to get is a look — not a direct hit.
So don’t worry:
If you join us for a walk, you’ll get plenty of fluff,
maybe a blade of grass in your shoe —
but almost certainly no spit in your face.
Your team at Knuffig mit Flausch
and the peaceful, fluffy gang from Schönenberg Alpakas
