Welcome to our Alpacas of Montana meet and greet! Since we cannot currently host farm tours because of COVID-19, we will be introducing a different alpaca from our farm and telling their story on the blog every other week in effort to connect you all with our herd until we can be in person again.
Without further ado, meet Mercedes! 
This lovely lady is 15 years old and has been with us through everything. Her demeanor is unlike any other alpaca we’ve ever raised. Because alpacas are flight not fight animals and they don’t have any ways to protect themselves, most alpacas are really shy and skittish, but not Mercedes. She often mimics a cat more than an alpaca in the ways that she shows affection. When she was little she would rub against our legs and loved to be picked up. Usually alpacas need to build some trust with the people that’re handling them, but Mercedes is friendly and sweet toward both people she knows and those that she’s never met before.
Alpaca gestation is usually around 11 months (yikes!), so they often only have a few weeks between giving birth and getting pregnant again (double yikes!). After one year and one day, Mercedes’s was born to Anabelle Onyx, a beautiful solid black alpaca. Our intern from Germany was with us during the birth and helped deliver Mercedes.
We were all quite surprised when Mercedes showed up at a mere 11 pounds--nearly half the weight of most babies--and with fawn coloring (both of her parents were solid black in coloring). No matter our efforts, Mercedes never wanted to breed and therefore never had any cria of her own, but will always be a farm favorite.
Join the alpaca revolution! Alpaca is a sustainable alternative that is not only good for the earth, but for all of us. Alpaca wool is stronger, softer, more eco-friendly, and offers 85% greater wicking capability than merino wool. It is also hypoallergenic! Learn more about the benefits of alpaca in our Alpaca vs. Wool blog posts, shop our collections and follow us on social media!
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