06/10/2026
Leo update with LOTS of side info! My tiny love is doing SO well. He has learned how to get in and out of the barn on his own and he is slowly integrating with the boys. I think he will thrive once he is with the llamas. There is one obstacle we are working on though. Buckle in for some interesting info.
If you over handle young llamas or alpacas, they begin to develop the idea that you are also a llama or an alpaca and they may begin to challenge you for dominance. That sometimes results in a behavioral condition known as Aberrant Behavior Syndrome (ABS) and can lead to a very aggressive animal.
The therapist in me has noticed that ABS in camelids is very similar to PTSD in humans. It is something that I have been researching for years. Currently, there isnāt a ācureā for ABS and animals who have it often end up being euthanized. I understand the intricacies of treating PTSD so I am making sure to apply those in my handling/training of Leo. He doesnāt have ABS, but he has a TON of trauma so it is important for me to raise him correctly.
Although Leo has been completely appropriate with me, I have noticed that he was starting to ābaby tailā me and call for me. (Baby tail is when llamas/alpacas walk up to you with their tail up to show submission). He was relying on me more than I would like. If he was a baby, I would be very concerned about this behavior. Thankfully he isnāt a baby so I know that this is fixable.
Neither of these things are dangerous; however, itās good to keep in mind that **an animal who shows submissive behavior can also show dominant behavior.**
I really have no clue how old Leo is and I donāt know anything about his back story. Because of this, I am making sure to take an abundance of caution with training him. I donāt want him to become dependent on me or see me as a peer he can challenge in the future.
Now that Leo is acclimated to his space and is integrating with the herd, my current action plan with Leo is to give him some space to settle in and be independent. I still interact with him and I make sure he is eating but I am more hands off than I was at first. He hasnāt lost any of the skills he has already learned so that is fantastic.
My main goal in the summer is to keep the animals cool and comfortable so this is a perfect time to let him settle in and bond with the herd.
Socializing llamas and alpacas is an art. They arenāt dogs or cats and the right handling and training is sooooooo important.
Now listen (lol) I hate to toot my own horn but I have to AND I have to brag on my babies. The 4 girls I raised from a young age (Simone, Zelda, Izzy and Amy) are the best socialized llamas I have ever met. They are very interactive, friendly and polite. They are amazing with kids. No baby tailing ever. They know humans and llamas are not the same and they treat humans with respect (as long as they are treated with respect). They donāt spit at people or jump or do any of the things they shouldnāt doā¦.Thankfully none of ours really do that.
BUT long story not so short, I put an incredible amount of time into socializing them and I went far off script for how they are āsupposed toā be socialized. I kind of rewrote the script actually. I learned early on that llamas are capable of incredible empathy and understanding so I completely changed their training with that in mind. I literally sat and watched them interact with each other and took notes so I could learn their nonverbal communication skills. I made sure to sit with them for hours so they could learn human nonverbal communication skills. I made sure to have exaggerated facial expressions and reactions so they could really pick up on how we communicate and what human emotions look like. It was an entire thing. I canāt even begin to type out everything I did. Basically, I took everything I learned from years of psychology courses and put it into socializing the llamas. I paid attention to their strengths and made sure to give them ample opportunities to develop their strengths. My universe revolved around them while I was socializing them. That may be one of my greatest accomplishments in life honestly.
*****PLEASE NOTE. The llamas I raised from babies can also be stubborn and bratty and are spoiled but Iām talking about social skills here not compliance.ššš*****
I also raised the boys and, Iāll be honest, I did not socialize them nearly as well as I did the girls. ABS is more common in boys and I took a very hands off approach in socializing them because I was so scared that they would develop it. The boys are super polite but they are more skittish and not as social as the girls. I learned a lot from my approach with them.
So back to Leo. At the end of the day, regardless of how much self-control it takes to not cuddle and kiss all over him, I have to make sure I am *very* observant and mindful about how I socialize him. I know I can do it. Itās just going to take a lot of patience on my end. Heās living his best life under the fans with endless hay and yummies so that is good enough for me!
For now, I will just get the urge to cuddle out on the ducklingsā¦.they arenāt so sure about it but Iām sure they will manage. After all, I heard someone at the store talking about how they were almost ābutchering sizeā and I let them s**t all over my claw foot bathtub so Iām sure they can give me a few cuddles in return š
Farm life š«¶āØš¦šš¦š
