Blue Rock Station,
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-740-674-4300 (phone)
+1-740-674-6303 (fax)
Or contact us by e-mail.
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-
Or contact us by e-
Copyright 2008 Blue Rock Station, All Rights Reserved
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Baby Llama Born at Blue Rock Station
18 April 2007
Rita Mae is the mother of the new baby llama, called a “cria”. Rita, a rather scrawny brown and white llama came here after being rescued by Jane Evans of Vallahala Farm near Flint Ridge Ohio from a horrible life. When Rita first arrived at Blue Rock Station she was a very nervous llama – she seemed very afraid. She was adopted, along with her daughter Michelle Belle, by Jay and Annie after they had worked with her at the Evans’ farm during shearing time.
Last year, exactly 372 days ago Rita was loaded up in the horse trailer and transported to the Evans’ farm to meet up with Temuco de Chile, a beautiful blue grey-colored heavy wool male. The minute the trailer pulled up in the lane Temuco took one look at Rita Mae and he was weak in the knees – prancing around and calling out to her. I guess he didn’t realize that Rita wasn’t a very good-looking llama – to humans anyway.
During the summer of 2006 Temuco came down with a terrible sinus infection. This, combined with an unusually hot spell proved too much. Llamas don’t like hot weather. They prefer the spring and fall when it is cool and windy. One morning Temuco just dropped dead.
But Rita kept going. She got bigger and bigger and bigger with the cria inside of her. Jay spent a lot of time helping Rita to feel calmer. Sometimes he or Annie would use something that looks like a fishing pole and rub her legs and back with it when she was eating. This helped Rita to get used to being touched. After a very long time Rita didn’t seem so nervous and she didn’t even mind when Jay would pet her back.
Most llamas are pregnant about 350 days so when the end of March came and Rita didn’t deliver a cria Jay and Annie were afraid the vet had made a mistake when he did a blood test to see if she actually was pregnant. Maybe she was just getting fat!
Michelle Belle spent a lot of time the past few weeks resting on the ground in the field with Rita. All of the llamas, Baxter, Jojo and Michelle seemed to be very protective of Rita. Each morning when Jay went to the llama barn to give the llamas grain and hay he would check Rita for any signs that she might be about to deliver the cria. Each morning everything seemed normal.
On April 18, 2007 Jay checked on Rita. She was happily eating her grain along with the other llamas. That was about 7:45 AM. At around 11 AM he went outside to do some chores and he noticed a tiny llama head with a big white spot on its forehead sitting in the field. He came racing back to the house to tell Annie, “Get the camera, we have a cria!”
Annie went racing up the hill to see the baby they had all waited so long to see. There in the middle of the llama pasture sat a tiny version of the other llamas. It struggled to stand up for the first time – long wobbly legs shaking with excitement and weakness – down it fell. Baxter was eager to play the part of protector, as were Jojo and Michelle. They all gathered around the minature llama to nudge it to try to stand up again.
After awhile the cria stood up and started smelling the wool on the side of Rita. It was obviously looking for a place to get a drink. Rita stood still and waited while the baby poked its head into her side until it found the spot where it could nurse the first milk. The other llamas gathered around again to nudge the cria and make sure everything was working fine.
Within an hour the cria was clean, standing up without wobbling and eagerly nursing from Rita. It was clear that the cria’s coat is going to be the beautiful copper color of its father, Tomiko. The left front leg is white all the way up to her chest, and the right leg has a white sock. Its long neck is also white.
Annie and Jay are going to try to not touch the cria for a while. It is best that they take good care of the adult llamas, and the llamas will take good care of the cria. That’s the way to help Rita’s baby to grow up to be a good pack animal. If humans interfere by paying too much attention and handling the cria humans will interrupt the process of the herd.
The only thing left to do now is to figure out a name for this adorable little creature. Since no one but the other llamas know whether it is a boy or a girl Annie and Jay are going to have to wait to actually name it.
In the meantime they could use a little help. Please vote for your favorite girl or boy name. When they figure out whether it is a girl or a boy they will give it the name that receives the most votes.
If you would like to visit Blue Rock Station click here to find out how.
18 April 2007
Rita Mae is the mother of the new baby llama, called a “cria”. Rita, a rather scrawny brown and white llama came here after being rescued by Jane Evans of Vallahala Farm near Flint Ridge Ohio from a horrible life. When Rita first arrived at Blue Rock Station she was a very nervous llama – she seemed very afraid. She was adopted, along with her daughter Michelle Belle, by Jay and Annie after they had worked with her at the Evans’ farm during shearing time.
Last year, exactly 372 days ago Rita was loaded up in the horse trailer and transported to the Evans’ farm to meet up with Temuco de Chile, a beautiful blue grey-
During the summer of 2006 Temuco came down with a terrible sinus infection. This, combined with an unusually hot spell proved too much. Llamas don’t like hot weather. They prefer the spring and fall when it is cool and windy. One morning Temuco just dropped dead.
But Rita kept going. She got bigger and bigger and bigger with the cria inside of her. Jay spent a lot of time helping Rita to feel calmer. Sometimes he or Annie would use something that looks like a fishing pole and rub her legs and back with it when she was eating. This helped Rita to get used to being touched. After a very long time Rita didn’t seem so nervous and she didn’t even mind when Jay would pet her back.
Most llamas are pregnant about 350 days so when the end of March came and Rita didn’t deliver a cria Jay and Annie were afraid the vet had made a mistake when he did a blood test to see if she actually was pregnant. Maybe she was just getting fat!
Michelle Belle spent a lot of time the past few weeks resting on the ground in the field with Rita. All of the llamas, Baxter, Jojo and Michelle seemed to be very protective of Rita. Each morning when Jay went to the llama barn to give the llamas grain and hay he would check Rita for any signs that she might be about to deliver the cria. Each morning everything seemed normal.
On April 18, 2007 Jay checked on Rita. She was happily eating her grain along with the other llamas. That was about 7:45 AM. At around 11 AM he went outside to do some chores and he noticed a tiny llama head with a big white spot on its forehead sitting in the field. He came racing back to the house to tell Annie, “Get the camera, we have a cria!”
Annie went racing up the hill to see the baby they had all waited so long to see. There in the middle of the llama pasture sat a tiny version of the other llamas. It struggled to stand up for the first time – long wobbly legs shaking with excitement and weakness – down it fell. Baxter was eager to play the part of protector, as were Jojo and Michelle. They all gathered around the minature llama to nudge it to try to stand up again.
After awhile the cria stood up and started smelling the wool on the side of Rita. It was obviously looking for a place to get a drink. Rita stood still and waited while the baby poked its head into her side until it found the spot where it could nurse the first milk. The other llamas gathered around again to nudge the cria and make sure everything was working fine.
Within an hour the cria was clean, standing up without wobbling and eagerly nursing from Rita. It was clear that the cria’s coat is going to be the beautiful copper color of its father, Tomiko. The left front leg is white all the way up to her chest, and the right leg has a white sock. Its long neck is also white.
Annie and Jay are going to try to not touch the cria for a while. It is best that they take good care of the adult llamas, and the llamas will take good care of the cria. That’s the way to help Rita’s baby to grow up to be a good pack animal. If humans interfere by paying too much attention and handling the cria humans will interrupt the process of the herd.
The only thing left to do now is to figure out a name for this adorable little creature. Since no one but the other llamas know whether it is a boy or a girl Annie and Jay are going to have to wait to actually name it.
In the meantime they could use a little help. Please vote for your favorite girl or boy name. When they figure out whether it is a girl or a boy they will give it the name that receives the most votes.
If you would like to visit Blue Rock Station click here to find out how.
Baxter (white) with Rita (mother) and the baby cria about 15 minutes after it was born
Giving birth is a community activity with llamas. Jojo and Baxter check out the newborn as big sister Michelle (left) and Rita look on.
First steps, Rita helps the baby cria up as Michelle stands guard.
Baxter nuzzles the newborn, as everyone in the herd comes to say hello.
Name the baby llama:
Favorite Male Name: