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Alpaca management is not complicated or difficult. Occasional deworming, and trimming of toenails and teeth, as well as the annual shearing comprise the major husbandry. Vaccination against tetanus, rabies (in endemic areas), clostridial organisms, and parasite control are advised for health maintenance. Alpacas require no special fences or barns. Fences should be designed to keep out dogs and coyotes. A three-sided enclosure or lean-to is entirely adequate. The alpaca prefers grazing in an open pasture as opposed to the confinement of a barn or stall. Alpacas are domesticated livestock. Normal sheep-shearing equipment can be used to shear alpacas. Because alpaca fiber is virtually grease-free and very dense, electric shears should be oiled to prevent overheating. Some breeders shear with hand shears. The alpaca has the habit of defecating in fixed areas and avoids grazing around the piles, thus, parasite infestation is low. These piles also make the job of cleaning pastures much easier. The firm, dry pellet produced by the alpaca makes an excellent fertilizer. Alpacas are ruminants. They have a three-compartmented stomach and need no special diet. Exceptionally efficient as converters of hay or grass, they are grazers and browsers who will pick daintily as they wander through the pasture. In winter and in the last stages of pregnancy, supplementary feeding may be advisable. Alpacas take readily to good quality hay and protein pellets. 
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