Parturition in Alpacas (“Unpacking”)

The birthing process is divided into three stages:

First Stage - Involuntary contractions of the uterus which align the cria and push it towards the cervix. This is controlled by a complicated hormonal mechanism. One of the other effects of the hormones is to soften the cervix so that it can dilate. So as the uterus contracts, the cria starts to be pushed through the cervix into the birth canal. In alpacas the first stage of labour lasts several hours. During this period the alpaca may look a bit restless and uncomfortable, and often separates herself from the rest of the herd. Some animals however show little sign that the first stage has started and the first sign you may see is:

Second stage starts when the cria enters the pelvic canal and the mother starts to push. It then usually takes about 30 minutes to 2 hours for the cria to be born. The first thing you should see is the cria ’s nose and both front feet. Then, after some more straining there should be steady progress until the cria is delivered.Third Stage This is when the afterbirth is passed. It usually takes anything from a few minutes up to a couple of hours.

Birthing Difficulties (Dystocia)

A Suri birthing

Fortunately, the vast majority of births occur without any problems. In most cases, all we need to do is sit and watch and make sure everything is going OK. The most important thing is to recognise when something is not right so that you can do something about it before it is too late. Some of the problems which can occur are:

Malposition or malpresentation of the cria – The cria gets stuck in the birth canal because it is not correctly aligned, for example its head may be bent back or a leg may be caught.

 

Uterine inertia – Contractions of the uterus are not strong enough to deliver the cria. This can occur either during first or second stage labour. It can be either primary or secondary. In primary uterine inertia the uterus never develops strong contractions and in secondary uterine inertia contractions become weaker over time, as the muscle of the uterus gets tired. This can occur in older females or as a result of some sort of obstruction to normal delivery of the cria.

Relative foetal oversize – either because the mother is too small or the cria too large. This tends not to be very common in alpacas because maturity until they are big enough and the size of the cria seems to be pretty closely related to the size of the mother. However, on occasion a young female will be mated too early and she can have problems because of the diameter of her birth canal.

In all of the above cases, the birthing process does not progress normally. Either first stage labour does not progress to second stage i.e. the alpaca looks restless and uncomfortable for hours and hours but does not start to push; or, once second stage labour commences, you do not see the cria after about 30 minutes to an hour at the most; or after it does appear, it gets stuck on the way through. In any case, if things do not seem to be proceeding normally, call your vet and get some advice straight away.

Once the cria is on the ground, it should be making breathing movements straight away and will start to move its head and legs fairly quickly. It is a good idea to check that the nostrils are clearand not blocked by a bit of membrane. Then stand back and let the mum bond with the cria. She should start to take an interest in it as soon as it is on the ground and starting to move. The cria should be up on its feet and feeding within an hour or two.