When confirming a pregnancy in alpacas there are options.
The best external sign of pregnancy is the female rejecting the male. This is usually demonstrated as the female “spits off” the male. The pair are brought together, usually in a small area, and if the female is pregnant – she will run, scream, growl, lay her ears back, and/or spit at the male. When a female is presented to a male 7 days after breeding and she “spits off” you can be fairly certain that she has ovulated and is probably pregnant, but you need to keep testing her, at 14 and 28 days. Periodic testing is also recommended during the pregnancy to make sure she hasn’t dropped it.
Then, there is progesterone testing. Progesterone assays are, at best, only an indication of ovulation and pregnancy. The vet draws blood and the blood is sent off to a lab for a progesterone test. Progesterone concentration of 2 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) is considered indicative of normal pregnancy.
Another way to confirm a pregnancy is to have the female ultrasounded. Depending on the stage of pregnancy, the ultrasound probe may either be used trans-abdominally on the flank near the mammary glands or transrectally. Diagnosis by ultrasound creates a picture of the fetus. This has a great benefit as it leaves no doubt that there is a pregnancy. Most ultrasound testing is done rectally.
We have used all three methods when testing our girls for pregnancy. Some girls know themselves so well and let you know without a doubt that they are pregnant by posturing and spitting at the male as he is brought into the pen with her. But, there are others who just don’t really have a clue.
For girls that come in from another ranch, called an ’outside breeding’ we always confirm the pregnancy with either a progesterone test or an ultrasound.
We have three girls who will be tested the week of the 23rd – they have been spitting and things are looking good, but in order for us to ‘earn’ the breeding fee, we provide proof of pregnancy by either a progesterone test or an ultrasound.
