Romeo Fact No. 2: The Alpaca Toenail Trimming Drama

If you know Romeo, you already know his style: fluffy, calm, gentle, and unbelievably cute.
He looks sweet, moves in slow motion, and often seems like he is floating through his own little world.

But when it comes to alpaca nail trimming, Romeo has one very clear opinion: absolutely not.

The problem is simple.
Like other alpacas, Romeo’s toenails need regular trimming as part of proper alpaca care. To do that, he has to stand still and calmly lift one foot after another.

For some alpacas, that works just fine.
For Romeo? Not even close.

It usually starts innocently enough.
We walk up slowly, talk to him in a calm voice, and carefully lift one foot. But the moment Romeo realizes what is happening, he simply drops to the ground.

Not loudly.
Not wildly.
Just with full commitment.

Like a soggy sack of flour.

If that does not work, he has other tricks. He pulls his leg away, leans sideways, twists his body, or presses all his weight straight into the ground. And just when we think we might finally win, Romeo adds one last clear message with a tiny backward kick:

Leave. Me. Alone.

Of course, we explain everything to him every single time.
We offer treats.
We ask nicely.
We stay patient.

But Romeo does not negotiate.

Throughout the entire nail trimming drama, he looks at us with his usual innocent face — calm, relaxed, and completely uncooperative.

And when we finally finish the very last toe, Romeo trots away looking perfectly pleased with himself.

Slowly, of course.

And probably thinking:

I’ve trained you very well.