Llamas and Prenancy

[VeryNewToThisBeKind]

This is a bit of a random one, I know you should avoid sheep, goats and cattle, when you are pregnant especially during the breeding season.

We've been given a voucher to walk a Llama and i was wondering if there were any problems with being around Llamas whilst pregnant.

Hoping someone can help as google is not being very useful

I know you should avoid sheep, goats and cattle, when you are pregnant especially during the breeding season.

Should you??? I've never heard this!

Was the voucher a gift? Slightly bizarre. But very cool.

I know you should avoid sheep but pretty sure the others are ok

I don’t know if the sheep thing is an old wives tale but my (farming) family used to talk about sheep having ‘abortion storms’ when they all miscarry en mass, and because no one was sure what caused them, pregnant women were always told to stay away from the sheep just in case

I’m pretty sure my mother worked with the cows throughout her pregnancies but there is a probably a theoretical risk of transmitting some disease or bacteria

There will also be a risk of being knocked over, which is probably something the insurance company of the llama place will be most interested in, and therefore prevent you from going if they know you’re pregnant.

I’ve just had to google ‘llama walk’ - you take a llama for a walk around a field?! Is that a thing?!

I have to say, I think the first words in your post are the understatement of the century. Slightly random indeed

Farmers wife, sheep and cattle farm here, and about a hundred goats.

Main risk is disease at lambing time, toxoplasmosis causing miscarriage. That said the danger comes from lambing the actual sheep or touching the placenta and after birth.

I cook, check stock and live here at lambing and was pregnant last year. Never heard of issues with cows, other than physical danger. Goats will be like sheep.

So llamas, unless it has a baby llama and you deliver it, should be fine. Danger will be falling over or being knocked over. Wash hands as you should with any animal really.

I think the abortion storms referred to in sheep might be enzoo abortion. Awful disease and yes if in flock stay well away.

I live rurally in a farming village so the first thing MW and GP said was keep away from the sheep this lambing season!

I keep my horse on a yard that is also a sheep farm - the sheep are in a different area from the horses, sometimes when lambing starts I do go and cuddle/bottle feed lambs - this year I'm keeping well away but that's the only thing I am doing differently.

Friends of mine have alpacas and I'm still handling them now and again but they are all boys! So I am sure llamas are fine - just wash your hands well afterwards or wear gloves. I'd say a bigger risk is being kicked or falling over - but at an organised walk I am sure their Llamas are very obedient - the alpacas I handle are not nearly so well behaved!

I still have to handle horses, shovel horse poo daily and clean out chickens - I am careful and do wear gloves but I am sure that I will have already been exposed to toxoplasmosis over the years. I also have cats, although DH has taken over the litter tray duties.

Enjoy the Llamas!

Oh. My. God. I'm in exactly the same situation!!!
I got it for Christmas and I think it runs out in August (I'm due October) I'm going to give them a call and explain the situation and see if I can postpone it. Also their insurance may not cover people being pregnant.

Me and dh went llama trekking as a wedding gift!! Had an amazing time!!

Thanks everyone, yes it's a wedding gift and I wouldn't want it to go to waste, all your replies have been very helpful

No worries about non-pregnant livestock as others have said, it's just lambs and ewes that you need to avoid. I have avoided breeding any livestock this year (so no piglets for me either) but that's more for practicality.

Just ask them for a male llama to walk if you're unsure.