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The female alpaca can produce one cria per year. The gestation period is approximately 11 months. They seldom ever have twins. Birth rates are high, with the alpaca enjoying a productive life of around 20 years. The courtship ritual of alpacas is very distinctive. In selective breeding, the male is put with the female in a small enclosure. He will chase her and if she is not pregnant, she will eventually allow herself to be mated. The males characteristically warble during active coitus, which can last up to an hour. Alpacas do not come into heat. They are induced ovulators and can be bred year round. Ovulation occurs up to 26 hours after the mating. To increase the chance of conception, the same pair will often be reintroduced every few days. In subsequent presentations, the female will reject the male if she is pregnant. Field breeding is also popular and many alpaca ranchers pasture a male with his group of females year round. Pregnancy may be confirmed by a simple progesterone assay. Females can be bred from around 14 to 18 months or at about 100 pounds. Males begin breeding between two and three years of age. The alpaca produced babies in a variety of colors. Color inheritability is still a matter of intense study. It may take many generations of controlled breeding before this little understood subject becomes a more exact science for alpaca breeders. The newborn baby's color is often a surprise and a delight to its owner. Breeding for conformation and fiber quality is the proven way to herd improvement. Carefully selected stud males and high quality females produce genetically superior babies. Birthing is remarkable quick and trouble-free. Alpacas almost always produce a single offspring and usually give birth in daylight hours. Two weeks later, the female is ready to be bred again. Thus, she will spend most of her productive life pregnant. This is less arduous than it sounds, because the fetus remains small for most of the gestation period. Alpacas are devoted and protective mothers. The baby alpaca, or cria, will suckle from its mother until weaning at about five or six months. 
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