Castrating Alpaca

Hello


I’ve read that banding male alpaca as a method of castration is ineffective. I was wondering if anyone knows why?

I have never raised Alpacas. I do know someone who does. He has always mentioned risk of infection ... not effectiveness.  Like you, I have heard comments regarding the effectiveness, but I have no idea why.

I just got off the phone with my contact.  He says the main issue is that Alpacas are normally not castrated until they are older due to bone growth issues.  At an older age,  banding is not appropriate.  I would guess that would mean risks of infection.  Anyway, this info is second hand.  Hopefully someone else here can provide a more complete answer.

Thanks guys


Refining my search I found this paper ( https://www.vetfolio.com/learn/article/routine-camelid-procedures-part-1-castration-of-alpacas-and-llamas) that says “ ...early castration may cause a prolonged period of long bone growth and result in a “post-legged” conformation (joint hyperextension) which may predispose the llama to early onset osteoarthritis or patellar luxation. Thus, some authors advocate delay of castration until the male is 18 to 24 months old.”

I guess the next question is if banding an animal after it’s that old is acceptable? I have found lots of articles says it’s painful and causes heath concerns but no studies to back that claim up.

I've banded goats. I don't recall the exact age, but it was less than six months. I was up for learning and told that they weren't bothered by it. In fact the two that I did jumped up, seemingly happy, and bounded away.

A few hours later, though, I happened to walk by the pasture and noticed that both were laying on the ground, panting heavily. It wasn't hot. I'm pretty sure they were in agony. I wouldn't do it again.

Later I found this; similar experience but told better: https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_rowe_learning_from_dirty_jobs/transcript?language=en

Hi Terrie,

My vet charged me 25 to castrate 2 goats.  At that price, why band?

Hi Tom,

In general an older animal will have larger testicles and more tissues in the area. More surface area probably increases the risk of infection. Larger size could also make for a higher failure rate due to poor fit.

Pain is another concern. I think it is pain and welfare concerns that make banding illegal in some places past certain ages.
I wonder if you have a large animal vet in your area you could ask about it.

This publication has some mention of banding in general and research in other animals.
"ANIMAL WELFARE
(PAINFUL HUSBANDRY PROCEDURES)
CODE OF WELFARE 2005
REPORT"
https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/1444/direct

This publication is specifically about alpacas. It mainly recommends surgery performed by a veterinarian and covers some research on pain relief after surgery. 
"Castration methods and welfare of alpacas."   
https://www.agrifutures.com.au/wp-content/uploads/publications/17-041.pdf   

These documents are pretty big, but you should be able to search them by hitting Ctrl and F on most PCs.