The Good, The Bad and The Beautiful

We haven't blogged for a while because we have been really upset.  Rosie who was pregnant and, according to the breeder, was due to birth in September 2010, gave birth to a tiny boy during the night at the beginning of Feb, he was dead and still attached to the placenta, weighing 3.3kg in total.  We had a post mortem done and there was no reason for his death but VLA acknowledged that he was premature.  We gave Rosie antibiotics the same day but she died two days later.  VLA can find absolutely no reason for her death either.  It was really upsetting as there has been somebody here every day since August last year waiting for her to birth.  She had been scanned twice and there had been a heart beat both times and even though the vet had told us that the due date was wrong we didn't want to believe him but it has now been confirmed.  It doesn't really help being told that there was nothing that we could have done about it, sometimes it feels as though it would have been better if a reason had been found on PM. 

On a brighter note.  We had to leave the premises for me to go to a doctors appointment on 1st February.  We were gone for all of 2 hours and look what we found when we got back.

Si had checked Nata, who we knew was probably due to birth during that week and there was no sign of any change.  We were unpacking some shopping when he noticed something in the paddock, he ran across and found a very weak cria.  He warmed it up by drying it with a towel and then we carried her into the barn with mother following close behind.  By this time we thought that we had better check the sex of the cria and were delighted to find it was another female.  We've had quite a run on the pink ones.  I phoned Head Office (Wellground Alpaca Stud) for advice on a winter birth and the main thing was to get her warm.  Si kept trying to get her to stand but she seemed unable to on her own.  Everytime he took his hands away she just flopped to the ground.  I wasn't going to get attached as I was convinced she was going to die but we persevered.  We gave her 'Kick Start' and kept holding her up to her mum's teats and eventually she started suckling.  Everytime the sun shone over the next few days she was taken out to absorb some rays.  She was given Vitamin A,D and E gel at one week and livened up considerably, a few weeks later we gave her an injection of liquid sunshine and it worked like magic and it even enabled her to pronk the next day.  She is now so lively and needs a playmate as she is driving the rest of the pregnant girls mad by jumping on them whenever they lie down.

We didn't name her for a couple of weeks but she is now known as Eleanor Rigby and here she was yesterday squinting at the sunshine.

I have been able to take a few shots over the past few days, mainly because I have remembered to take the camera with me but also because the weather has been lovely and sunny.

I was trying to get a shot of Juno sitting sunbathing but Larra decided that she had to be in every shot so I gave up in the end and included her too.

The Humph is due to birth next and we are really looking forward to seeing what she produces.  She has been mated to Andean Thunder of I-Spy who is owned by Peter and Carol Watt of Ashton Lane Alpacas.  He is a beautiful Rose Grey Suri.  At the moment The Humph is looking after all of last years cria in the birthing paddock.  They were all late births so have only just been separated from their mums and they spent a few days crying right under the window.  There's nothing like weaning time to put you on a guilt trip.