Alpaca Bottle Babies

ALPACA BOTTLE BABIES

Below are recipes for alpaca milk. We find this works MUCH better than powdered milk replacers. Add the solid ingredients, the Skim Milk followed by the Yogurt in first using the funnel. If they get stuck, the liquids will push them through the funnel. Shake well. Warm by placing the bottle in a bowl or pitcher of hot water. The microwave is bad because it kills good stuff and leaves hot spots that can scald the cria. Because the little guy has gotten used to the dams teat it may take a bit of persistence to get him back on the bottle. Putting him in a cushed position & then straddling him on your knees puts him in a controlled position so you can then use both hands (arms) to control his head & get the nipple into his mouth. Very gently squeezing the bottle to get a bit of milk in his mouth may help. Sometimes, after a short break of 3 or 4 minutes, they will take another round as big as the first. Alternately, using a 10 ml syringe may work. We had a cria that absolutely refused a bottle but would suck from the syringe. Be very careful to go VERY slowly. Aspiration and milk in the lungs is deadly. Pritchard nipples work great. For a young cria, start with a very small hole in the nipple. As the cria ages, the nipple hole size can be increased. An older cria can have a pretty big hole and will intake more milk in a feeding.

Newborn Formula: Birth to 2 Weeks to a Month

½ Meyenberg Condensed Goat Milk (Baking Isle near Carnation Evaporated Milk)
½ Water

Advanced Formula: RubberMaid Container

3 tablespoons skim milk powder
1-3 tablespoons yogurt (Vanilla Plain Full Fat)
1 3/4 Cup Whole Milk (Vitamin D Milk)
1/4 Cup Half & Half

Advanced Formula: Single Bottle

3 teaspoons Skim Powder Milk
2 teaspoons yogurt (Vanilla Plain Full Fat)
10oz Whole Milk (Vitamin D Milk)
2 oz Half & Half

Amount Per Day (15% of Body Weight)

15lbs X 15% (.15) = 2.25 pounds of milk X .0625 lbs per oz = 36 ounces per day