The Newsletter of Southeast Llama Rescue, Inc.
Volume 2, Issue 3
June 1, 2008
SELR Mission Statement: To protect the quality of
life and improve the well-being of abused, neglected,
unwanted, and behaviorally unmanageable llamas
through prevention, education, intervention,
placement, and lifelong care.
Left: SELR Llamas living at the Circle Ranch in West
Texas. Photo taken in April when SELR volunteers
visited the ranch to perform health evaluations of
the llamas. For a full report, read “Meanwhile, We’ve
Been to the Ranch,” on pages 2 & 3.
Volunteer Highlights—By
Shirley Engelhardt, SC Adoption Coordinator
We continue our story on SELR’s board
members, with this profile of Chris Adams,
Lynette Melton and Nancy Sottosanti.
in the llama and have proven themselves to be
good candidates, Chris gives them the animal.
Wow. What a wonderful program.
Below are some of Chris’ 4-H kids after a
county fair show.
Chris Adams
After a Girl Scout trip with her daughter in
2002, Chris became a new llama owner. Chris
and her daughter were smitten.
Today, Chris’ farm is home to 20 llamas, most of
which are rescues. She and her family,
particularly her teenage daughter, try to
rehabilitate and train the llamas to be future
4H animals. Following the lead of a Northern
Ohio 4H club, they started a program to "lease
a llama." Local 4H kids get the opportunity to
try a llama for a year without the commitment
of owning the animal. The kids go to Chris’ farm
and learn how to take care of their "leased
llama." They work off their "lease" with farm
chores (no money, just hard work) and have to
show Chris that they can do all the things
needed to be a llama owner. At the end of the
lease period, if they have shown a true interest
(Continued on Page 4)
In this Issue
1
Meanwhile, We’ve Been to the Ranch
2
The Origin of Unicorns
3
Haltering the Untouched Llama
5
Successful Shearing
6
What My Rescue Llamas Mean to Me
7
The Llama Rescue Review
Board of Advisors
Lynette Melton
Deb Logan
Nancy Sottosanti
Melissa Perryman
Chris Adams
George Brandon
Helen Carpenter
Pat Cothran
Susan Gawarecki
Chris Stull
Julie Wier
Ricky Zachow
SELR Founders
Alvin Bean
Lance Hardcastle
Mailing Address and Contributions:
SELR
678 Mill Creek Rd
Luray VA 22835
E-mail:
llamaquestions@southeastllama
rescue.org
Website:
www.southeastllamarescue.org
Newsletter Editor
Melissa Perryman
Supporters
Donors
Joan Rettenberger
SSLA Hobo Show
Sun Trust Bank
Allen Cannedy
Chrystal Chaddock
Starr Cash &
Jaworski
Linda LaBarge
4-H Llama Lleaders,
Mason, IL
Ann & Henry
DelVecchio
Ellis family
Jo-Ann Close &
Austin Morrissey
Ohio U Vet School
Melissa Hamilton,
DVM
Tracy Snell
Knox Dayton
Stacy Mashburn
Adopters
Julie Wier— Powatan
Leigh Aiken—Ricky
Kim Ledum—Scorpio
Susan Gibson—
Snow & Sprite
Cynthia Shaffer—
Belle & Cria
Cathleen Robinson—
Cleo
Transporters
Bill & Carolyn Blalock
Helen & Lyle
Carpenter
Paul Celluci
Pat & George Cothran
Randall Gooding
Claudia Hammack
The Hughes
Deb Logan
Tony & CozetteO’Neil
Bobby Smith
Elizabeth Strub
Rebecca Wood
Thanks to everyone who makes a
positive difference in the lives of
SELR lamas!
Meanwhile, We’ve Been to the Ranch!
By Lynette Melton, SELR BoD, Chair
Last year, 12 ABS llamas in SELR's
care found a new lease on life in west
Texas.
These llamas are all high level ABS
(Aberrant Behavior Syndrome), and
despite training (years for some of
them), they continue to be aggressive
to humans. There are very few foster
homes who can handle aggressive
llamas, and since these llamas would
likely never be adoptable and are
potentially dangerous to their human
caretakers, the ranch seemed a better
alternative for them.
ABS llamas are agitated by
interactions with humans and often
develop stress related health
problems, such as ulcers. The
expectation was that living in a larger
area with minimal daily human
interaction would be beneficial to
these llamas. The 12 geldings
selected were evaluated, with vet
input, to ensure they were in good
health and likely to do well at the
ranch.
Chris Gill's Circle Ranch is a 32,000
acre holistic grazing operation high
in the Sierra Blanca mountains.
Holistic grazing is the idea that by
hosting a number of different species
with different nutritional and grazing
requirements helps the land stay as
productive as possible. Their feet
break up the dry, sandy dirt to allow
what little rainfall is received to
better penetrate. The urine and feces
of the various animals promote this
as well. There are a number of
2
pronghorn antelopes and elk, as well
as some mountain bighorn sheep.
The grazing operation is primarily
aimed at finishing cattle before they
head to market. Circle Ranch doesn't
breed them, they are paid per head to
let them graze 200+ days, then
they're sent to market by their
owners.
The cattle eat the grass and the
browsers eat the other vegetation.
Some of the plants will smother
themselves out if not grazed, so those
hungry mouths actually promote
healthy plants. It is a rather amazing
operation, and according to Chris
they have consistently exhibited far
more productivity than other desert
ranches using conventional methods.
Holistic grazing just may be the
pasture management wave of the
future!
Chris has llamas on Circle Ranch
mainly just because he likes to look
at them. The antelopes do basically
the same grazing job, but he loves to
see the llamas in the prairies, deserts,
canyons, and on the mountains.
SELR volunteers were invited to visit
Circle Ranch to see where the llamas
are living, health check the llamas,
and shear any that needed it. Five of
us took Chris up on the invitation and
went to the ranch in mid-April. Deb
Logan, Tracy Snell, Susan Coley, my
hubby Kim, and I spent a couple of
days touring the ranch and checking
on the llamas.
There were two other small herds of
llamas on the ranch before we sent
our 12. The herds are kept in separate
sections of 640 to 2000 acres each.
We saw one herd (the second herd, I
think) from a distance, proudly
walking along a mountain ridge.
What a lovely sight!
(Continued on Page 3)
The Llama Rescue Review
Meanwhile, We’ve Been to the Ranch . . . Continued from Page 2
get back to their browsing when we were done!
The original herd was gathered at a cistern, enjoying the
water and sunning. We walked amongst them and
checked them over. All appeared to be in great shape.
We were very pleased to see that all the 12 appeared to
be quite healthy. All the health data was recorded and
will be kept for comparison purposes in years to come.
As the climate is very arid and the temps barely reach
the 90s in the two hot months of the year, and the
winters are reported to be quite cold, we determined
that none needed shorn this year. Susan, who lives
barely a day away, has agreed to continue to check on
the llamas and see that any who need it are shorn next
spring.
The SELR 12
were spotted
and called in
to a corral
with
feed
buckets,
where
we
body scored,
did famacha
toenail, and
teeth checks,
and evaluated
them for shearing. Those guys were just as feisty and
obnoxious as ever with humans, and were very glad to
I am so glad that we have found a place where these
ABS guys no longer have to endure the stress inducing
circumstances of constant interactions with humans and
can just be llamas. To view more photos of the llamas
at Circle Ranch, please visit http://public.fotki.com/
SELR/
The Origin of Unicorns
By Gary Kaufman, Roads End Llamas, www.roadsendllamas.com
Once upon a time, long, long ago,
the last pair of unicorns on earth
realized the only way they could
survive would be to disguise
themselves and their magic from the
world.
They ran away into the deep high
mountains of South America. There
they met a family who cherished
them for what they were and
recognized how special they were.
They were allowed to roam the
mountains freely, without
interference.
One day the youngest child saw
strangers on horse-back riding up
the trail that led to the high
mountain valley where the two
unicorns lived. Fearing the worst,
the child ran ahead to the unicorns
and told them what she had seen.
Gasping and out of breath she said
“Run, hide, disguise yourself. There
are dangerous men coming up into
the valley and I know they mean to
harm you." The unicorns were
confused about what to do.
"No matter where we go," the male
unicorn said, "People will know us
for who we are by our wonderful
horn. What are we to do?"
"You will have to remove your
horns, it's the only way," said the
child in all honesty. "It may hurt,
but I can't think of any other way."
And now, hundreds of years later,
when you go out into the fields, you
will see their children, now called
llamas, still chewing on the magic
of the horns their great-great-great
grandparents passed on to them
after all these years.
The unicorns agreed, the male bit
off his partner's horn, and she bit off
his. They stomped the horns into
small pieces and each ate the other’s
horn so there would be no trace and
the magic would be preserved.
This article was first published in the LANA
journal. Copyright Tuesday, February 12,
2008 Gary Kaufman, Roads End Llamas
Olympia WA. Permission is granted for
nonprofit educational duplication and
distribution. This permission is in addition
to rights granted under Sections 107, 108
and other provisions of the U.S. Copyright
Act.
And from that day on every time the
little girl would go up into the high
mountain valleys she would call out
to them with her very special name.
"YAMA, YAMA, YAMA come see
me," she would call and they would
come out of hiding and play with
her.
One day her father followed her into
the hills and heard the strange name
she called out. "What else would I
call them father,” she said. “You
Are Magic Animals, of course."
Unicorn Leader, illustration by Erika Wolf
3
The Llama Rescue Review
Volunteer Highlights—Continued from Page 1
Chris’ rescue days began by accident when an old
acquaintance of her husband’s mentioned three
llamas she thought needed to be rescued. A few
phone calls later and the first rescue took place.
From there, word spread and people now search
Chris out. She had several private rescues under
her belt when she happened upon SELR in the Fall
of 2004 and, joined the board in 2005. She served
as Secretary for one year and now serves on the
Fundraising Committee.
Chris is excited to see where SELR will be heading
in the future and looks for “much growth to come!
L y nette
Melton
(left) and husband,
Kim, bought their
first llama in late
1999 to serve as a
companion for their
pygmy goats. They
fell in love with
llamas and today their herd numbers 24 llamas and
four alpacas along with two pygmy goats, a dog, a
cat and a parrot.
Lynette’s association with SELR began in 2002,
when she and Kim fostered Isaac. Shortly
thereafter, they became mentors for a SELR
adoptive home and today, they mentor three SELR
adoptive/foster homes and are the go-to folks to
call for several other farms.
Mentoring aside, Lynette and Kim have provided
llama transport and have participated in shows and
other SELR events (e.g. work days and llama health
days). Lynette was elected to SELR’s board in 2005
and has served as Chair of the Board since then.
She has also served on the SELR Fundraiser
Committee and compiled SELR annual reports,
established the SELR shop on the CafePress
website, created SELR logo and graphics with two
other SELR volunteers and is now a member of the
Newsletter Committee. She also monitors all SELR
4
committees.
Lynette works at Rutherford Hospital, Inc. in
Rutherfordton, North Carolina, and also shears
llamas and alpacas. She dreams that llama and
alpaca rescue will decrease and eventually
disappear. Until that time, you can find her
working diligently, heart and soul, to continue
and increase camelid education, intervention and
awareness while protecting the quality of life
and improving the well being of those camelids
needing our services.
Nancy Sottosanti came about the llama thing in
a roundabout way. She went from biochemist to
a “camping tour” business that she ran on
weekends – rafting, hang gliding, canoeing, etc.
on the beautiful Shenandoah River and Valley.
She also sold real estate and found her current
12 acre place with farm house. The farm needed
animals. Nancy had grown up with sheep but her
vet suggested llamas. Synchronistically, that
month’s issue of Country Living featured a llama
farm in New England. Llamas sounded like much
more fun than sheep so Nancy bought three
bred females and started Persimmon Hill
Llamas. The year was 1988.
Since then, Nancy’s herd has grown to as many
as 32 but today stands at ten llamas with three
co-owned studs. Her llamas have done well in the
show ring (four to six shows/year) and they
partake in fun activities like Christmas parades,
fiber festivals, etc. But, according to Nancy,
now more of her llamas are becoming “pasture
puffs along with me!”
Nancy has been rehoming and rescuing llamas
for more than 12 years. In addition to her
contributions to SELR, Nancy also serves on the
Board and as newsletter editor for her regional
LAMAS association.
You can read about Nancy and her llamas at
www.persimmonhill-llamas.com.
The Llama Rescue Review
Haltering the Untouched Llama
By Gary Kaufman, Roads End Llamas
One of the hardest processes I have to deal with is stressing about being confined, and do it one more
trying to define any given llama’s spatial 'comfort time. See if that space of his standing can shrink a
zone' during any training session.
bit. If it doesn't, oh well, if it does COOL. Walk
If you have the ability to, create a large space, away, feed him a bit more and call it a day, unless
round, square, or any shape you can create fine. It’s you think he is ready for more. Each time shrink
not the shape that's important at this time, just that space until you think you are close enough to
touch him. When you can reach out and touch him,
working within a space.
that is literally all you do, reach out touch him with
Time is your friend, and llama time and people time a quick stroke and walk away. I wouldn't do it all
are not the same thing. The other thing that is in one day by any stretch of the imagination, but
surprisingly critical is that you keep breathing and I've seen it done in under an hour with some pretty
BE CASUAL. These guys live and die by wild guys. At some point during the process, he
understanding the nature of body language, and will eventually turn into you when you turn your
anything that is interpreted as threatening will be. If back and start walking away. That is a good sign.
you move around in your regular life briskly during You are building a relationship of trust and
tasks, keep that same pace when with him; if you are leadership.
a 'slow mover' then move slow when you are with
When you get to the point where he is willing to let
him during training. Be consistent.
you be within a 10 foot area, you could certainly
shrink the space a bit and keep on going. The
objective is to make him a willing partner in the
process of being touched and handled. Then you
deal with the halter.
Time, time, time and being consistent are going to
be the allies in your partnership. I'm not sure I
would even make this an everyday thing, but every
time you have the opportunity to just 'touch him'
take it. You aren't trying to do anything, just walk
by, reach out and brush some part of his body
without even stopping to breath.
So.. llama is in big space with YOU in the center.
Angled facing towards his head, just behind his
ribcage off his flank and he should walk forward or
angle away from where you are standing. Keep
distance and don't chase, just 'move him out' with
your body. Angled facing towards his head a bit but
more off his front shoulders and with the right space
between you and him, he should stop moving. Do it
all slowly and from a reasonable distance. The
minute he stops moving start watching his feet, say
a command ["AND STAND"] BEFORE he shifts
his weight or moves a foot, then take a half step
backwards, turn around and walk away. Remember
the distance that was between the two of you, go get
a cup of coffee and give him a very small amount of
something he likes to eat in a bowl.
Come back after your coffee, but BEFORE he starts
5
It's hard to explain verbally, but if you ever watch
horse training shows, you can apply this to that
process. When you watch, listen or attend a Cathy
Spalding clinic, John Mallon clinic, or Marty
McGee-Bennett clinic, the single common thread
you will find in all of them, although they all call it
different stuff, is you positioning and placing
yourself in a location of control of the space, AND
using your body to assist the animal in
understanding what you want them to do. That is
decidedly different from what you DON'T want
them to do.
I suggest that you check out your local llama
association. They have a lending library for
members I assume, but will also probably be able
to assist you with someone who is a member and
might live nearby.
The Llama Rescue Review
The Culinary Camelid
Are you looking for tasty treats
to tempt your camelid friends?
Two of SELR’s volunteers offer
the following tips:
I have been feeding my herd
plentiful treats from a natural food
store for over ten years. I have
never had a problem, and the
animals are thrilled. Their favorites are: broccoli,
cauliflower, brussel sprouts and carrots. They love
all veggies and most fruits! I have a couple with
“sweet tooths” that especially love melons and red
beets. There are a couple tips I'd like to pass on:
Never! feed banana peels unless they are for sure
organic bananas, it's one of the heaviest sprayed
crops around. I also avoid grapes. I don't think they
are a problem for llamas, but if you have any dogs,
they can be fatal to dogs. For tomato, peppers and
eggplant, I remove stems and non-fruit part, as they
are in the deadly nightshade family.
—Ellen Prosser, Yenneveldt Farm Llamas, MA
Successful Shearing
- First, Relax. Be Patient. Be Calm. The
llama will sense your mood and will
react in a negative way if you're nervous, upset, in a hurry. Sing to the llama,
quote poetry, tell stories. Sure, you
think you're talking to the llama, but in
reality, you're calming yourself and
your calm voice will, in turn, calm the
llama.
Most are a bit nervous at first, but
relax as they realize we're not literally
'making a rug of them.' Those in our
herd who are most resistant are usually
left until last. By then, they've watched
all the other llamas survive shearing and
are possibly beginning to feel a bit
warm with all that fiber still on them.
Once we start shearing them, it only
takes a moment for them to realize that
they're feeling cooler and to calm down
somewhat.
Some llamas are more comfortable
with just one person working with them.
If that's the case, your partner can begin
working with another llama or hover out
of sight, in case you need help.
For shearing, we either use scissors or
Llama Bars— Recipe by Bob Huss
2 cups uncooked oatmeal (I use the Old Fashioned)
2 cups whole wheat flour (I use the course stone
ground)
2 cups shredded carrots
1 tablespoon salt (too salty for me, but Betsy liked it)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use EVOO)
1 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon baking soda sprinkled on top of the
other ingredients (The baking soda may need to be
adjusted for a lower elevation.)
Dump all ingredients into a large mixing bowl, then
combine with a mixer, until all ingredients are evenly
distributed. Lightly oil a 13x9 cake pan. Press the
mix into the cake pan. Bake at 350 degree until an
inserted toothpick comes out clean or test with a
light finger pressure like you would brownies. At this
elevation it takes about 45 minutes, but everything
bakes differently at 7,700 feet.
By Lynette Melton, SELR BoD, Chair
electric shears, depending on the temperament of the animal and the availability of electricity. I can shear a rambunctious animal almost as quickly with
scissors as with electric shears. I find it
easier to move about with the scissors
than with the shears, power cord, etc.
As far as I know, no llama has ever
died from being only half (or 1/4, or
3/4) shorn. If shearing is too traumatic,
and unless the animal is in danger from
the heat, stop. Let him/her back in the
pasture. Wait a day or two and try again.
In a case like this, I'd start by opening
the 'vents,' or the areas between the legs
and the body, to improve air flow.
Probably most important of all - please
6
work with your animals throughout the
year, so that shearing is not so frightening to them. Touch them all over, lift
feet, look in their mouths and eyes, lift
their tail, lift their fiber, open and shut
the scissors or run the shears around
their body without touching. All of
these will help the llama become accustomed to being worked with, as well as
help you become more comfortable and
familiar with your llama.
Dr. Pugh once gave an illustration:
Imagine that once a year, an alien space
ship lands in your back yard. Alien beings come out of the ship, put a halter
on your face, and lead you into their
ship, where they proceed to cut off all
your hair, trim your nails, peer in your
eyes, weigh you, and stick you with
needles. When they're done, they put
you out of the ship and take off. Now,
what are you going to do when you see
that space ship land next year? Right!
You are not going to run to the ship and
volunteer! You're going to resist with all
your might. Shearing should not be an
'alien' experience to your llamas and
alpacas.
The Llama Rescue Review
What My Rescue Llamas Mean to Me
What does having Betsy and Muffin mean to me?
It means going out to the pasture the morning after
a big storm, a storm that covered thirty inches of
snow with an icy crust thick enough to walk on, and
stamping a path through the snow so they could
reach their warm water creek 100 yards away, and
feeling happy, despite two sore knees, about having
the privilege to serve them in that way.
It means laughing when Muffin playfully takes the
loop of her own lead in her mouth and pulls it out of
my hand, then looks confused because I'm not
leading her anymore.
It means enjoying a hug from Betsy simply because
she enjoys giving hugs.
It means feeling proud of both Betsy and Muffin
because they have so valiantly overcome so many
fears and bad behaviors.
It means feeling sad when Muffin becomes
aggressive because it means I still haven't found the
right way to help her past the one or two remaining
areas of bad behavior.
It means feeling content because Muffin has
Happy Endings
Two years ago I was given a 3 day
old pygmy goat, one of triplets. I
raised her on a bottle, she thinks she
is a dog. I knew she could not continue to live in my house, so I got her
surviving brother. Unfortunately, 2
foster dogs I had got out of their kennel and killed him. I got 2 more ewes
and a billy goat, and wound up with
3 sets of twins and a very horny
billy. Suddenly an ad appeared wanting to trade goats for a llama - my
dream come true. I kept Myra, her
twins and an abandoned billy we
neutered. The goats fell in love with
Anthony in 2 days and followed him
everywhere, standing on his back and
eating from his bucket. The same
By Bob Huss
transformed from a girl who was frequently "the
llama from hell" into a sweet girl who is trustworthy
and always clearly signals before resisting me.
It means that I've learned a lot about llama nature
and human nature by giving what I'm able to give and
receiving much
more because
they have so much
to give.
It means allowing
Betsy to happily
lead our little
procession so we
can visit her
friends at the goat farm.
It means sitting at my computer with my snow boots
and snow pants on, writing this while hoping that the
storm stops soon but with the full knowledge that
I'll soon go out and see the girls, even if it's still
storming.
It means being a better person because, in some
respects, they rescued me as much as I rescued
them.
By Sonja Eckhart
trader contacted me about another
llama and an alpaca and to keep them
from going to stock market I bought
them. I had already applied to adopt
Showoff from SELR, and I had
really liked him so we continued
with the adoption.
The goats decided Red Ryder was
7
OK, and ignored the alpaca. When
Show arrived, there were a few pushing matches and chasing by Anthony,
but quickly they became buddies.
Now the goats can choose their llama
to snuggle with or stand upon. They
prefer Anthony, then Show and then
the baby Red. They are constantly
under foot, but the llamas don't mind
and Anthony even rolls to the side
when one is on his back so they jump
off - if he jumped to his feet they
would fall. Both the adults are vigilant with their goats and show great
interest whenever a dog approaches
the pen. I don't worry about my goats
being hurt and everyone is great
friends. It is a wonderful situation.
The Llama Rescue Review
Shoo Fly—Dealing with this Year’s Invasion of Pesky Flies
By Shirley Engelhardt, SC Adoption Coordinator
The folks who lived in our house before us had horses.
On our first visit to the house (before we bought it),
we noticed these bags of water hanging in the barn.
Not being experienced large animal people, we asked
what they were. “Oh, those keep the flies away”.
Well, none of our large animal friends had ever heard
of these fly bags. And we were beginning to think
we’d been duped by the former owners into believing
such a silly notion—that bags of water can repel flies!
Well, they can, at least that’s what we learned from
some SELR folks and a few resources I found online.
Some think that maybe the
reflections in the water
somehow scare or confuse the
flies. According to WikiHow
(www.wikihow.com), farmers in
Brazil have been using this
remedy for years. Here it is:
Just fill a clear plastic bag with tap water (about 1/2
full). Tie the bag shut with string and use the string
to hang the bag, but keep it away from walls so it can
swing freely.
Apparently adding a penny or two to the inside of the
bag also helps repel flies.
Here are some more remedies that we got from the
Volunteer Chat forum and some online resources.
Lynette Melton gets fly traps at Lowe’s. They’re a
plastic bag that has a bait in it. You fill the bag to a
mark with water and “the flies line up to get in!”
Lynette says they can “get rather rank, but are
extremely effective.” Thanks, Lynette.
From WikiHow:
Clean out a small tin with a lid.
Take a clean piece of cloth or a small piece of
dish sponge able to fit into the container. Saturate it
with one of the following oils:
Lavendar oil—lavendar is considered to be
particularly effective against flies.
Citronella oil (dilute with water first)
Eucalyptus oil (dilute with water first)
Pennyroyal oil (dilute with water first)
8
Peppermint oil (dilute with water first; likely
more effective against moquitoes but also
considered to work against horse-flies)
Lemongrass oil (dilute with water first)
Place the cloth in the tin and shut the lid.
Allow to sit for 24 hours. Whenever you need to use
the tin, just remove the lid and place it wherever you
need it. Make as many as you want to deter flies.
(Replenish the oil after each use; once open to the
air, the strength weakens and needs to be topped
up.)
Or, try filling a quart jar with this mixture:
3 cups of water
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup white vinegar
Mix, punch holes in the lid, and set it where needed.
From www.shagbarkridge.com, here’s a suggestion
(from Paul Wade of Swan Lake Llamas in Ohio) for a
do-it-yourself fly trap - “The Big Stinky”
Using the large, clear plastic barrel from sour dough
pretzels purchased at Sam’s Club, punch holes in the
plastic lid with a red hot nail about twice the size of
a fly. Punch two more holes opposite each other
through the side of the barrel for a clothes hanger
handle to hang the trap on. Put some liver or fish and
a pint of water inside the barrel and hang it in the
sun in an area where the flies are. Flies enter the
barrel through the holes but cannot find their way
back out. Thousands of adult flies can be trapped
per jar - and that’s thousands that do not lay eggs
and multiply! Just dispose of it when full—never
getting your hands dirty.
I also found a product available for sale called the
Big Stinky. It uses attractants and pheromone to
capture flies. You can buy one at www.planetnatural.
com.
Here are some more spray-on or wipe-on remedies
that I borrowed from http://www.equine-world.co.
uk/horses_care/fly-repel.htm and http://www.
moniteausaddleclub.com/flyspray_recipes.htm
Continued on Page 9
The Llama Rescue Review
Shoo-Fly, continued from Page 8
Eucalyptus oil (Optional: few tablespoons of
citronella oil)
#1: White wine vinegar, water and any combination of
eucalyptus, lavender, sandalwood or tea tree oils. Mix
a few drops of each essential oil into a little washingup liquid and add to the vinegar and water. Shake well
before using.
#2: Take a large lemon with a thick rind and slice
thinly. Place in a bowl with a few sprigs of rosemary
and cover both in boiling water. Allow to steep
overnight and strain the mixture the following
morning. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and
shake before applying. A similar response seems to be
had by doing the same with leaves, stems and flowers
from Elder bushes.
#3: Mix one part crushed garlic to five parts water.
Shake the mixture and leave overnight. Strain and
pour liquid into a spray bottle.
#4: WD40
#5: Mix Skin So Soft with either
6 caps to 1 cup white vinegar + a squirt of Ivory
liquid soap or
4 oz + 1 oz citronella oil + 12 oz vinegar + 12 oz
water or
1 cup + 1 cup water + 2 cups vinegar + 1 tbs.
#6: Mix 2 cups light mineral oil + 1/2 cup lemon juice
+ 2 tsp. citronella oil + 2 tsp. eucalyptus essential oil
+ 2 tsp. lemon dish soap (Do not use this spray
before a show as it attracts dust.)
Most folks would agree that keeping the area clean
of manure is probably the most effective fly control
remedy. Consider these additions – Nancy Sottosanti
uses diatomaceous earth on manure piles, while Deb
Logan applies lime to main pellet piles and/or on
places where she’s just cleaned.
Natural predators can also be beneficial in the
reduction of flying critters. Deb gets fly predators
from Spaulding Labs, although you have to be careful
with these if you have dogs. Her dogs ate
everything - including the wood chips packed in with
the predators. Barn swallows and purple martins both
eat flying insects, as do bats and lizards.
Kathy Patterson ordered some solar fly traps (let us
know how they work, Kathy) and Randall and Monty
Gooding use a fly mister that “works GREAT! Cost is
about $1,200.00 but well worth it.”
Send us your home remedies and/or things that
didn’t work. We’ll share them with the rest of the
SELR family.
Lama Photos
Send photos & lama news to
[email protected]
Left: Sisters Penny and Cloud were recently adopted by
the Pattersons of Spring Woods Farm. They are two
very happy llamas! Above: Powatan, a former SELR “bad
boy” now smiles at the farm of Julie Weir in Illinois.
9
The Llama Rescue Review
Llama Personal
sheared. She is presently in foster care near St.
Louis, MO.
Cream, born on 3-16-01, is a classic llama with
mostly white markings.
She was stricken with
meningeal worm in early spring 2008 at her original
home in MO but this feisty gal survived. Her walk
reminds one of Captain Jack Sparrow of "Pirates"
fame. She tends to lean to the right and walks to
the right. If she kushes, and leans too far to the
right, she falls over and is unable to bring herself
back to a kushed position. She just needs a little
help with lifting her head/neck and she is able to
hop right up and walk away. A home where someone
is around most of the time would be ideal for Cream.
Cream is a special case, thus the fee for adoption
may be negotiable. She is a darling girl and is looking
for a forever home with lots of TLC. She is up-todate on deworming and CDT and was recently
In This Issue...
To obtain additional information or to submit an
adoption application, contact Julie Weir at
[email protected]
The Culinary Camelid, Happy Endings, and more!
Favorite Alpaca Tunes
By Rick Horn, All American Alpacas
A lot of you are going to be driving to the
Nationals. There are probably some areas you'll
drive through with NO RADIO RECEPTION!
(Gasp)
We have a solution! Special, from
Slime Life Records: Your favorite
alpaca tunes from the 50’s, 60’s,
70’s and today! Who can forget
“It's my pasture (and I’ll poop
where I want to)”
Or how about, “Your llama don't dance (your
alpaca don't rock and roll)”
Or the ever so lovely, “Spit gets in your eyes”
Everyone will love it, it even includes that old
country favorite, “Take that poop and shovel it”
We’ve even included “Puff the magic suri”, so you
can sing with the kids!
Like the really old stuff? You’ll love “Orgle
worgle bugle boy of Company B”
Sing along with Dolly on “Pronking 9 to 5”
Boy, doesn’t that bring back mammaries!
Like the newer stuff?
How 'bout Dire Straits "Sultans of Spit" or Queen's
"Bolivian Rhapsody?"
But yes, there’s more. We’ve brought back some
10
of your favorite artists!
The Llamas and the Pacas featuring Llama Cass
Eric Burdon and the Alpacas
Conway Spitty
Huarizo Springfield
Blood, Spit and Tears
And many more!
Imagine the joy on your families’ faces as they
unwrap this gift! This is NOT available in stores!
So you don’t forget, order before midnight tonight.
All this is yours for one easy payment of $29.95
plus $12 S/H
(Cash only)
Be sure to specify LP or 8
track tape.
Please allow 6-8 years for
delivery.
Rick & Pati Horn
All American Alpacas
http://aaalpacas.com/index.
shtml