"I always though alpacas were lamas but have seen the ads on H&C and want to know more about them. I've met them at a recent show and my daughter adores them, and I have to say I think they'd make good family pets - we have ponies so I'm used to caring for big animals. My question is this: How do I get started? How much land does an alpaca need and can they live alone or with horses, or do they need their own kind? What would be the basic maintenance tasks and is there any risk of my daughter (five) playing with them? I realise I sound naive, but we have just purchased a smallholding and I feel alpacas would be a lovely addition to our new life. Best wishes, Verona."

Our expert replies

H&C blogger and alpaca expert Rachel Hebditch of Classical Mile End Alpacas replies: "Alpacas are South American camelids and are part of the same family as llamas but about half the size with an adult alpaca standing at around a metre at the withers and weighing around 65 kilos.

Alpacas are herd animals

Alpacas are herd animals and the minimum recommended number is three. They can live with horses but you would still need several alpacas. On average pasture you can run four to five animals per acre. They are grazers and eat grass, need fresh water, access to a soft hay and a supplementary feed that supplies the minerals they need. Basic husbandry consists of worming, annual vaccination, toenail clipping and shearing.

Here come the boys

If you are not interested in breeding alpacas then three gelding boys would be the way to start. Prices for boys are much more reasonable and you would pay between £300 and £700 each depending on the age and colour. As you have a young daughter it might be sensible to buy youngsters between six and 12 months old that you can halter train - this is not difficult. They will become very tame and probably eat out of your hand and are very good with children. Alpacas have a padded foot like a camel, no horns, upper teeth or sharp claws and are gentle animals so I would expect your daughter to be perfectly safe. Alpacas do not 'play' with people like dogs do but they will happily go for a walk on a halter and are very interested in everything going on around them. There are also junior handler classes at many shows where the young people have to walk their alpaca around the ring and answer questions about them.

A yearly haircut

Alpacas have to be shorn annually as their fleece does not stop growing. On average, an alpaca will produce five to six inches of fleece a year and if they are not shorn they will get too hot in the summer which is a welfare issue. Although they are clean under the tail if there's two years growth the owner may have to dag them. This is true of huacaya alpacas. Suri alpacas, the ones with fleece that hangs down in locks, are often not shorn for two years. Shearing is normally done during the summer, any time between April and September. There are plenty of alpaca shearers, home grown ones and teams that come over from New Zealand and Australia who are dedicated alpaca shearers. It should take between five and ten minutes to shear an alpaca and cost £12 upwards depending on numbers in the herd. The handpiece is the same as a sheep shearer but the method very different. Alpacas are hobbled and stretched out on the ground for shearing. Good luck!"