Characters in the Herd
At Love’s Grace Farms, there are a few alpacas with character. Most of our herd of 200 are similar in nature and behaviour. They just want to eat, chew and enjoy life on the farm as part of the alpaca clan. Some of them stand out, though, and Prince Eddy is one of them, and this is his story. We don’t understand why he is the way he is, but we are getting used to it.
Mr. Curious – Prince Eddy is Different
Prince Eddy is 5 years old now, and he has always been a curious fellow. Most alpacas do not want to be touched by other alpacas and especially not by people. This trait is frustrating for people, since we so enjoy sinking our fingers into the softness that surrounds each of them. Prince Eddy is different, though. He will walk right up to you, give you a big sniff and then he’ll start chewing on your clothes or hair. What is he thinking!?! I’m not an alpaca, and he doesn’t appear to be blind, but he has no fear of people. Instead, he wants to know more about us. Male or female two-legged creatures, it doesn’t seem to matter, he’s just curious. So, we get to hug him around the neck and sink our fingers into his soft fiber. Thanks, Eddy!
Watch out for His Nibbles
Prince Eddy gets the same food as all the others. He’s not offered treats to lure him to us. He just comes on his own to check out the humans. For whatever reason he’s ready to approach, and we enjoy his curious ways. He does like to chew on clothes or hair, though. Since all alpacas have just a lower jaw and a soft upper palette, the nibbling may be annoying or disconcerting, but he can’t really destroy or put holes in us or our coats. We’ve all heard about horses mistaking fingers for food, but thankfully that’s not possible with alpacas.
Check out those Eyebrows!
One of these days I will get a good picture of his eyebrows and will add it to this blog. His eyebrows are dark and curled like eyelashes. They are beautifully long and extend several inches past his head – the envy of all camelids! Actually, an alpaca’s eyebrows offer some protection from dust, which is much more important to Eddy than being handsome with meltingly gorgeous eyes.
Is this His Year?
Most everyone really likes our Eddy and they think we should have little Prince Eddies in the near future. Maybe this will be your year, Prince Eddy! We’ll keep you posted!
