 Oh yes, spit happens when you spend a lot of time with llamas. I’ve been spit upon when I unknowingly walked between two llamas who are having a spat with each other. There are the "alpha" male and female in every herd and if the underlings try to walk ahead of, or eat first, the alpha llama will certainly let the underling know "get back in line or else!" When a llama gets spit on a funny thing happens, the lower jaw drops and it stays that way for about fifteen minutes. It’s so funny to watch that phenomenon happen, the jaw drops open and the lower lip hangs away from the teeth and trembles, like a child that has been scolded. After a few minutes the spit upon llama will start trying to close his mouth by rubbing it on the fence, a post or a wall. Then he or she will try to scoop up hay. That’s when they really look silly with their jaw hanging open and hay sticking out both sides of their open mouth. Poor things just have to wait until the jaw unlocks, and smell that awful smell of spit! The spit is half-digested grass, hay or grain.
I had an over protective mama llama who covered me with spit from head to toe because I had the audacity to touch her newborn cria (baby)! When a cria is born, I "imprint" on them the first 48 hours to get them use to human touch, by rubbing them all over, feeling and holding their feet, putting a halter on and off their little faces about four times a day. Mama llama is always there and doesn’t usually mind, but this one sure did! I finally had to get the water hose and give her a taste of her own medicine! She didn’t spit on me any more after that, until......her second cria was born the next year. I had a feeling she would be trouble again so I bought a super soaker water gun before the delivery day. The first time she spit on me when I got close to her cria I shot a stream of water into her face with the super soaker. Lost her jaw, no more spit! I had found the solution! Afterwards, she would want to spit on me, would get ready to, then turn around and spit on a fence post or another poor hapless llama if one happened to be within spitting distance.
People were always stopping at our farm to see the llamas. We were the first in the area to have them and most had never seen one before. The first thing most would say is "I hear llamas spit on you." I had to tell them, "only if they have been mistreated, or have spent a lot of time in a petting zoo, or in our case an over protective mother." A llama that has been raised correctly will never spit on a person.
Llamas are very intelligent, quiet, gentle, curious animals and make wonderful pets. They are fun to be around and at the same time very calming and soothing. After a hectic day it’s great to stand among the llamas, feel their soothing presence and feel your stress melting away. Llamas are awesome!
JB Moore
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