or Rental Page
So, you want to rent a llama?Any idea about how to go about it?
What should I expect from a llama?
The following should help you understand llamas better
and prepare you for the fun adventure you can have with them.
What to know about your rented llama
The llama is not the perfect pack animal. We don't know of any animal that is. Each pack species has different characteristics and qualities. We like the over-all qualities of llamas. They are like the minipickups of the pack world. They will haul about half as much as a horse, but eat only a quarter as much.
Llamas will usually be very quiet. They may hum. That sometimes means they are anxious or slightly complainting about being alone, away from others, or??? It is usually not a serious sound. They do have an alarm call that you may hear if they are not used to deer and one of those "dangerous" critters sneaks into camp. We have one big guy that will alarm when he sees raccoons; others that are so used to deer and elk that they just aren't concerned in the slightest. If you hear an alarm in the middle of the night, you should check it out in case there really is some danger-that would be a mountain lion (or possibly a bear).
They love to greet each other with snorts and sniffs. In the pasture that is fine, but we limit the sniffing to noses, not rears out on pack trips. That offends some llamas, and you are more likely to get one spitting a rejection to another for his personal sniff. Snorting is the llama pounding his chest telling others that he is big stuff. It is kind of a challenge.
That means beware that llamas will often take advantage of tailgating to sniff their neighbor's rear. That is a no-no in trail etiquette. Keep them a little farther back.
An irritated llama pins his ears back and often raises his nose ever so slightly. Not all llamas who lay their ears back are irritated. Sometimes it seems to be merely an expression of disdain toward other llamas or the situation. When a llama wants to bully, threaten or bluff another, it is often with ears back. It is also a precursor for a really irritated llama that is thinking about spitting. Spitting is a normal put down and sign of anger between llamas. Often it is more a threat than a serious reality. Spit is not dangerous to your health, but serious spit can be smelly. You should never be the target of spit unless the llama feels very hurt, angry, or threatened.
Some llamas like to lead the pack string; others like to be the tail-end. Some couldn't care less where they are. Your renter should share any information about such preferences. All of them should follow along without tugging and cajoling.
Llamas have pads on the bottom of their feet, much more like a dog's pads than a horse's hooves. They are quiet when walking. You may find yourself even forgetting that you have a large pack animal, loaded with all your camp goods, strolling along behind you. You may not feel him on your lead nor hear him on the trail.
What to expect from your rented llama
You should never be spat upon (if you stay out of the range of irritated, arguing llamas). If you get between two very upset animals, that is your problem. This is a rap that is not accurate. Llamas no more spit on people than dogs bite people. Some do, but that is usually a sign of mistreated, hurt, angry, or ill-tempered animals. It is a rarity. I would much rather have a llama spit on me than a dog bite me.
You are unlikely to be kicked and can easily learn how to avoid setting off the rare llama who does kick. Llamas don't usually kick, and if they do, it is not a well-aimed, dangerous kick like a horse or mule delivers. It is more an attempt to get a fly or something irritating away from their back legs. If they do kick, know that their feet are padded, not shod. There is a big difference.
Trained llamas load and transport easily. They should jump quite readily into a van, pickup or trailer. Sometimes our guys do act reluctant to jump into the back of our 4X4 pickup, and one of us will wait and give a couple tries, then the llama's fore leg to encourage him. Be cautious when unloading, because some tend to leap when unloading. (That is not the sign of a well-trained llama, but it's not a major strike against him.)
Your llamas will be calm under most circumstances. Grouse flying up from under the feet will unglue the calmest llama (and backpacker). Horses, on the other hand, may come unglued for the least possible reason. Well-trained and experienced horses will be no problem, but who knows which is which when you meet them on the trial? Horses have the right of way. Get off the trail, downhill, and talk to the horses and people. They may do the same for you, but be cautious. Some horses are wild acting and the riders are way up in the air. Again, be cautious.
A open-mouthed panting llama is way too hot and/or tired. You have been over-taxing him, he is out of condition, or the heat of the day is getting to him. Cool him off and rest. This can be serious, so check him out carefully. If he doesn't quickly recover, you may need to unpack him and douse his chest with water and give a good rest. Prevent such problems with conditioned llamas, reasonable loads, packing early on hot days, and giving good rests in strenuous situations.
Experienced llamas should not balk at reasonable deadfalls or brush. Just be cautious that obstacles don't dislodge panniers or poke the animal. Give them time to maneuver, especially if you have a couple tied together.
Llamas are very stable across a variety of terrain. Just avoid letting their legs fall into holes, between rocks, and so on.
Stream crossing is usually nonthreatening and easy. Some llamas are cautious about water. You may want to lead them across one at a time. A trick that sometimes works is to tie the longer tether rope and encourage a llama to cross that way instead of leading him across. Be careful because some will try to jump (catapult) across narrow streams. That is not good for pack stability-nor for yours if you are in the way. We hold leads tighter for an animal that tries that and encourage him to walk across.
If your llama balks and you are unsure what the matter is, try having the other llama take the lead. This often works for a llama that lies down on the job, too. We usually don't let a llama pick when he can lie down and rest. We will get him up, but have the others walk off and leave him, rush at him to scare him up, or pull the lead to the side forcing his neck toward his rear. Then after a few steps, we may pick a spot for him to rest. Sometimes we wait to see whether it was a fluke and he might not do it again. If he does it again, try to find out what is the matter and correct the problem.
When llamas go to the bathroom, they like to stop to do their business. If another llama has defecated on the trail, the others may pick the same spot to go. They do that a lot in the pastures. Be warned that when crossing a stream some will pause in the stream and the water will suggest things you don't want them to do there. Move them on through. Also, we llamapackers like to boot/stick-kick all droppings from the trail-even though they may have the appearance of elk droppings. We think it is just good manners.
What your llama should expect from you
He assumes you are the leader, protector, and maker of wise decisions for the trip. Your packer may disagree with some of your decisions, but if he is well-trained and mannered, he will always go along with you.
No rough treatment. Gentle, but firm control works better. Hitting does not have the desired effect in training. Hitting or rough treatment may relive your frustration, but it is counterproductive with the llama. Some animals may respond to such treatment, but don't expect it to work with llamas.
No mush. Most won't appreciate your treating them like a cuddly puppy. They are llamas. Live with it. They may tolerate strokes or scratching on their necks, and some may even like it (you will be able to tell). Most will not like head touching.
Safe places to be tethered where he will not get all tangled up easily. Check on them regularly. Even experienced ones can get in a mess.
A chance to drink, even though he may not do much at times-especially on the first day. Some will stand there looking like, "What are you stopping for?" Others may drink. Some will surprise you by their camel-like abstinence of water; others may drink at every opportunity. Remember, they are different from one another.
Safe transportation. When trailering them, watch the corners and big bumps. They are likely to lie down to travel, but do not try to turn them into butter on the way to the trailhead.
Use quick release knots. If for some reason they get into trouble, you want a quick and easy way to release them.
Well-balanced panniers. These should be within less than two pounds. Unbalanced panniers will tend to rock, sway, and shift. The closer they weigh, the better. Weight should be balanced in each pannier. Ideally the weight should be in the center of the pannier and not at the very top or bottom. Heavy items on top and tied above the panniers are likely to shift the load and cause problems after a few miles.
No pointed items on the pack itself or in the panniers to poke or rub the sides or back. It is essential that NOTHING rub against the llama's spine.
Accurately placed saddle, so it will not rub the shoulder muscles and so it will stay in place. Make sure the renter clearly shows and has your practice this essential skill. It is not all that hard, but very essential. The front cinch is to be firm, the back tight, but not as firm. The back cinch should not ride back too far. If it does, it will rub the penile sheath and you will have an unhappy packer.
Careful loading of panniers. When you put a heavy pannier on one side, it tends to pull everything lopsided. It is best to have another person hold it up while you are loading the second one. When down the trail about 20 minutes, stop and check the loads. Packs that are not tight-fitting will slide forward on long or very steep downhill stretches and may need some slight adjustments. Going downhill is more of a problem than going uphill in this respect.
Gullibility. He expects you to fall for his story about starving to death. Your llama really doesn't need to munch along the trail. Some consider that to be bad llama manners and require the llama to wait until camp or when they say it is okay. Others let their animals snack at appropriate spots. That slows down progress, and the llama begins to assume he can pick and choose whenever he wants to grab a bite. Allowing snacking during travel and behind your back also increases the risk of inadvertant plant poisoning.