What Does Cria Mean?
"cria" originates from the Spanish cría, meaning "offpring/baby." In the world of alpacas, a cria refers to a newborn alpaca. These adorable little creatures require special attention, particularly when it comes to keeping warm.
Cria sometimes wears dog coats to help regulate their body temperature, particularly in colder weather. Unlike adult alpacas, crias don’t yet have a fully developed fleece, making them more vulnerable to cold, damp conditions and temperature fluctuations.
First and foremost, we provide safe, sheltered spaces to protect the mother and her cria from wind, rain, and cold. Inside the shelter, we create a cozy environment with a straw-covered floor, a generous supply of high-quality lucerne hay for the dam, and oaten chaff for extra nourishment. We place a small battery-operated light outside the shed to ensure the cria can see its mother and continue to nurse through the night.
To keep the cria warm, we use dog jackets in various sizes, tailored to fit snugly. These jackets help maintain the cria's body temperature, and we make sure they don’t interfere with the important bonding process between mother and baby. The jackets are typically removed in the morning and put back on later in the afternoon, depending on the weather, for the next few days. This extra care helps the cria thrive in those crucial early stages of life.
Tip: Dogs' coats are not waterproof, so ensure they stay dry and undercover in a good size pen. If it's raining and you have difficulty keeping the cria undercover, grab some bubble wrap as a last resort and wrap it around the cria middle section.
We ensure that the tail and top of the cria’s head are left uncovered so the mother can smell her baby. This is important for bonding, as alpaca mothers use scent to recognise and nurture their cria.
We are located in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Autumn is the best time for cria births, while winter can be quite cold. Summers can either be wet or uncomfortably hot. To prepare for this, we always ensure that our maternity pens are ready. You may not need jackets if you are in a humid or warm location but we always recommend that you have pens and shelters available for the alpacas.
More about this will be discussed at our next alpaca workshop in the Hunter Valley.