Llama Playground Opens

LLAMA PLAYGROUND OPENS

July 6, 2012

Dalai Llama Amuses the Neighbors on His Hill

LLAMAS LOVE HILLS. They’ll stake one out and claim it for themselves—until another llama knocks them off their perch. So, of course, Mama Llama wanted her llamas to have their very own hill. But ShangriLlama's meadow is flat, and adding a hill would mar the pretty view. So Mama Llama canceled her original plan to bring in--literally--tons of dirt and then seed it with tasty grass.You can read about that crazy idea  in the blog dated November 23, 2011, called “Just A Grassy Knoll."

PLAN TWO: Instead, Mama Llama asked Papa Llama if it would be feasible to clear the thick undergrowth on the naturally hilly land at the opposite end of the llamas' meadow. More than 60 deeply rooted, poisonous plants would have to be removed in this 150-foot-long area, but the llamas would then have a mini Machu Picchu to play on!

Well, Papa Llama is a soft touch, because he approved of Mama Llama’s vision for a hilly llama playground. A mere seven months later, the project was completed. It required three landscaping crews preceded by consultations with botanists, a university toxicologist, plus use of the Smithsonian’s SnapLeaf application for I-Phone to identify which of the existing plants were poisonous to llamas. (More than 125 common plants are on the list of poisons.) Only four plant species were spared: one large Douglas Pine, one small lemon tree, two pomegranate trees, and a few bottle brush plants. Those remained to provide the llamas with shade and snacks.

The project was worth it! See the llamas perch on their new hill with ease:

Are you wondering how llamas can walk so easily on hilly land? They have magic feet! Or to be more precise, they have gripper pads on the soles of their feet that they can quickly engage and release to remain amazingly surefooted on uneven, loose and steep terrain. Mama Llama has to wear spiked golf shoes to keep from falling in the llama playground! Take a look at these magic llama toes:

The Magic Soles of Llama Feet

The Incas knew all about the magic feet of llamas. That’s why they used llamas to help create terraces for roads and irrigation on the steep hills of Machu Picchu.

Llamas Helped Terrace Machu Picchu

While on Llama Walks, Pajama Llama uses his gripper pads to create an animal adventure park ride for himself and his pack. First, he climbs a loosely packed hill, and then he rides down it as the earth crumbles beneath him. Then the next llama in line takes that ride until they've all joined in the fun. Here's what that looks like:

See pack members waiting in line,
while Pajama Llama finishes playing on a hill.

Llamas definitely love hills, and now the llamas of ShangriLlama have one in their own backyard.

Happy Trails from Mama Llama!

Cowboy Llamas

COWBOY LLAMAS

May 6, 2012

This year, the llamas received fancy summer haircuts. 

They now look like cowboys with chaps!

Dalai Llama looks like a cross between a llama and a poodle!

Look closely to find the woolly chaps on Pajama Llama's hips and shoulders.

Bahama Llama received the traditional barrel (belly) cut this year.

Como T. Llama shows off his new 'do with a-t-t-i-t-u-d-e!

Barack O'Llama looks the best in his new cowboy get-up.

Here's Drama Llama sporting a dramatic cowboy cut.

In the midst of shearing Drama Llama, we discovered his belly spots!

As a pure Argentine llama, Drama Llama will need two haircuts each year, because Argentines grow wool almost as fast as Chia Pets! This means that we’ll have plenty of fiber to give to the school children that visit ShangriLlama. We’ll also have enough for our Llama Walk customers to feel how silky-soft llama belly wool is as one of the top 20 most valuable natural fiber in the world. And this year, our groomer has offered to hand-spin Como T. Llama’s wool into skeins of yarn. Mama and Papa Llama’s daughter, Llama Girl, will knit herself a sweater from this luxurious fiber:

Can you tell which wool belongs to which llama?

In case you're wondering why llamas are shorn, check out the following two photos of Drama Llama. He's our woolliest critter, because he's half alpaca! Llamas carry, on average, six pounds of wool on their bodies. Drama Llama grows more than that! The wool MUST come off to get through hot and humid summers. Each animal experiences great relief to have that wool removed.

Drama Llama Before Shearing

Drama Llama After Shearing

 Mama Llama wishes to thank Eileen Ditsler, Llama Groomer Extraordinaire, 

who spent 5-1/2 hours giving all six llamas their cool and fancy summer cuts.
Maybe next year, we'll paint the llamas' toes???

Happy Trails from Mama Llama!

How Fast Can A Llama Run?

HOW FAST CAN LLAMAS RUN?

March 28, 2012

Can a llama outrun its chief predator, the coyote? 

Can it outrun the fastest human? 

Which is faster: a llama or a rabbit? 

Would a roadrunner beat a llama in a race?

Many people ask how fast a llama can run. And most people are shocked by the answer:

Llamas run 35 to 40 mph!

This means that llamas can run about as fast as coyotes, which are their main predator. They can also beat these animals:


Roadrunners - 18.6mph
Elephants - 25 mph
The Fastest Human - 27.89mph
Domestic Cats & Rabbits - 29.8mph
Giraffes - 32mph

Can you see the resemblance between camels and llamas?

Camels, however, can outrun llamas by 5mph. Have you ever seen camel races? These animal attractions take place during the winter in the United Arab Emirates and each summer at the Camel Cup in Alice Springs, Australia. 

Traditional Camel Races

Llamas have yet to be invited to camel races, because llamas like to make sharp turns, sudden stops and change directions very quickly. These skills are great for outsmarting coyotes, but they would make camel jockeys very cranky. Over the past few years, however, jockeys have been replaced by robots. Truly!  

Robots replace jockeys in camel races!

 Maybe there's hope for llamas to be invited soon to a camel race!

Happy Trails from Mama Llama!

Meet Drama Llama

MEET DRAMA LLAMA

March 11, 2012

Mama Llama realized she needed to increase the size of her llama pack following recent KTLA Morning News coverage of our private zoo encounter with llamas. So she borrowed a llama from her award-winning trainer. The visiting llama's given name is Oso, which is Spanish for bear, but it must also mean that he’s Oh-So-Cute. Take a look at this Argentine spotted llama!

Oso, the "Loaner Llama" at ShangriLlama

Today Oso joined his first Llama Walk. As the entire pack passed through a crowd that was celebrating the 100^th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts at the Nixon Library, Oso attracted more attention than the other llamas because of his dramatic coloring. So we affectionately dubbed him “Drama Llama.”

You might find it fun to compare Drama Llama to Como T. Llama, the yearling we adopted on Christmas Eve:

Two Appaloosa Llamas at ShangriLlama

Both llamas are spotted, but the differences are fascinating:

Drama Llama is a Dark Dilute Appaloosa with a Merle (mottled) face. The background color of his coat is a dark cream, and his spots are dark. Quite dramatic!

Como T. Llama is a Light Dilute Appaloosa. He has a light cream coat with light brown spots. Como T. Llama also has some curly hair, which is called Suri--like Tom Cruise’s daughter, who doesn’t have curly hair. Go figure!

And here’s the entire ShangriLlama pack greeting Drama Llama. They like him!

 This video shows that all the llamas are interested in the newcomer. However, Barack O’Llama decided that a sufficient number of llamas already live at ShangriLlama. As a result, Barack stood guard at the entrance to the stables and wouldn’t let Drama Llama in all night. So Mama Llama stayed up trying to “convince” Barack O’Llama to let down his guard. She wasn’t successful. Such llama drama!

However, today we took the whole pack on a walk, and afterward, Barack O’Llama forgot about guarding the stable entrance. It seems that he had bonded sufficiently with the newbie during the walk and now considers him—provisionally—one of the pack.

It would be great to have Drama Llama stay at ShangriLlama for several weeks...or longer? But that depends on whether Barack O’Llama minds his manners. Time will tell!

Happy Trails from Mama Llama!

UPDATE: Drama Llama became a regular member of the ShangriLlama pack just two weeks after his initial visit. Mama Llama fell in love with him, and Barack O'Llama not only accepted Drama Llama but enjoys watching over him!

Drama Llama Becomes Part of the Pack

Llamas Show Off Their Pajamas On TV

February 15, 2012

The llamas at ShangriLlama recently held a pack meeting to discuss ways to make people look as cute as a llama. Their solution? Llama Pajamas, of course!

Pajama Llama led the pack’s efforts to design the pajamas. Everyone agreed to create adult-sized, one-piece hooded and footed pajamas out of cozy brown fleece. Dalai Llama made the ears to look just like his “banana ears,” while Barack O’Llama fashioned the big llama eyes, long eyelashes and bulbous lips after those adorable features on his face. Bahama Llama added lovely llama toes to the attached feet. At the last minute, Pajama Llama copied the shape of his “pom pom tail” and placed it on the pajama seat after flattening the tail for sleeping comfort. He also added a 24-inch hidden zipper to the front of the pajamas, to speed nighttime bathroom breaks. Pajama Llama is a very considerate llama!

The pack was so pleased with their design that they decided to invite Allie Mac Kay of KTLA Morning News to visit their animal attraction and wear the first pair of Llama Pajamas.™ The llamas couldn’t keep their eyes off her, because she looked just like a llama! See for yourself!

Allie Mac Kay of KTLA Morning News infiltrates the ShangriLlama pack by dressing like a llama in Llama Pajamas.™

Barack O'Llama needs to get a closer look at reporter Allie Mac Kay, who is dressed in Llama Pajamas.™

Who has better "banana ears": Allie Mac Kay or Barack O'Llama?

Now the llamas are working day and night to create Llama Pajamas™ for everyone that wants to look like a llama and stay cozy-warm and adorable while sleeping. The llamas are also decorating burlap sacks to mail the pajamas in, and they will attach a gift card that is sure to make you laugh.

UPDATE: After several years of producing Llama Pajamas, the pack decided to retire from this laborious activity. Llazy Llamas! These pajamas were very popular in Australia, where we're told people like to dress in animal Onesies and go to the zoo! Llama Pajamas also sold heavily to the east coast of the United States to wise individuals who really wanted to be as warm as a llama on a winter's night. On behalf of the llamas at ShangriLlama, thank you for supporting the llamas' first commercial product. They're working on a new llama llogo now.

Happy Trails from Mama Llama!

A Llama for Christmas

 

MEET THE NEW LLAMA AT SHANGRILLAMA!

December 25, 2011

Yearling Como T. Llama is a
Chilean and Argentine Appaloosa...with dreadlocks!

Over the past eight months, interviews have been taking place between Mama Llama and quite a variety of southern California llamas. The objective: to add two llamas to the ShangriLlama pack, particularly a spotted llama, known as an Appaloosa; and a brown llama with dreadlocks, called a suri. The day before Christmas, Mama Llama decided on one precious yearling bearing both characteristics. What a great two-fer this holiday season!

Como T. Llama is a first-generation American llama, the offspring of an Argentine-born mother and a Chilean father. This spotted llama has curly wool on his legs and ears! Como T. Llama is sweet, curious, spunky and confident. His breeder is a four-time national champion performance trainer. What a perfect addition for our small zoo!

Como T. Llama Meets His Big Brothers

Pack members really like their new baby brother. Dalai Llama is trying to win Como over as his new best friend. Barack O’Llama, the old best friend, doesn’t mind, because Barack has appointed himself Leader of the Little Ones and has been standing very tall and regal since Como’s arrival. The real pack leader, Pajama Llama, is not insulted by Barack’s posturing but is keeping a watchful eye over all three young llamas. Bahama Llama is curious about Como but prefers to spend his time guarding his feed pile.

Dalai Llama Can't Wait to Play
With Como T. Llama

Barack O'Llama and Bahama Llama
Check Out the New Kid on the Block

Pack Leader Pajama Llama
Convinces a Cousin to Help Create
Some Holiday Cheer

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from

Pajama Llama

Bahama Llama

Barack O’Llama

Dalai Llama

Como T. Llama 

Mama Llama & Family

Llamas Meet Their Congressman

LLAMAS MEET THEIR CONGRESSMAN

December 8, 2011

The ShangriLlama pack often stays up way past their bedtime to discuss politics. Conversations last a long time, because the pack consists of two Republicans (Bahama Llama and Pajama Llama), one Democrat (Barack O’Llama) and an Independent (Dalai Llama). Discussions are usually peaceful, especially when the Dalai Llama leads the group.

But one evening, Barack O’Llama was reading the local newspaper and learned that his meadow, located in the new Congressional District 39, had been redistricted. Most of the llamas didn’t know what that meant, so 12-year-old Pajama Llama explained from experience. He said that every ten years, everyone’s counted in something called a U.S. Census. It takes place, in part, so that all 435 U.S. Representatives represent an equal amount of people. “That seems fair,” said the Dalai Llama.

Then Barack O’Llama took out his I-Phone and learned about the leading candidate for the redistricting of the meadow. “It’s Ed Royce!" Barack exclaimed. “He’s a huge animal lover and a horseman. Let’s invite him over for a 'round-stable' discussion about today’s issues!” The others agreed.

U.S. Representative Ed Royce

The pack couldn’t sleep a wink the night before they met the congressman, because they were excited about so many neighbors coming to their animal adventure park to hear him speak. So Pajama Llama, the pack’s leader, had the boys choose their favorite cookie recipes, and the llamas spent the entire evening baking and decorating.

When Congressman Royce arrived, he explained a variety of issues so clearly that even the llamas could understand them, and then he fielded questions from the “packed” house. The llamas paid special attention to the discussion of grain subsidies, grassroots organizations and watchdog groups. 

Bahama Llama and Pajama Llama
Hear Good Things From Congressman Royce

At the end of the event, the llamas asked for a group picture with Congressman Royce, who greeted them with open arms.

Congressman Royce Easily Gains Pack Approval

So even though the ShangriLlama pack is a mixed bag politically, they all fell in love with the leading candidate to represent them in Congress, and from the looks of it, the feeling was mutual.

“I never imagined that redistricting could be so much fun!” exclaimed Barack O’Llama.

Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side of the Fence?

IS THE GRASS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE?

November 23, 2011

DURING THIS SEASON OF THANKSGIVING, Mama Llama can’t help but think that thankfulness is not a characteristic of barnyard animals. In most cases, animals don’t like to share their food, and they’re prone to believe that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. This is true of llamas in two ways.

 First, llamas are sure that the other members of their pack are eating tastier morsels than the food that has been put in front of them. So instead of enjoying their food and being thankful that they no longer have to forage for it, they engage in what Mama Llama calls The GAG Dance (Grass is Greener Dance). It goes like this:

The most dominant llama will gently bump a less dominant llama from his feeder. The bumped llama will then pester another llama to move away from his feeder. And so it goes until every llama has eaten from every feeder. At the end of the dance, each llama seems satisfied that he has found “the greener grass,” even though the feeder contents are identical!

 Second, llamas are sure that the blades of grass outside their fence line are greener--thus juicier and tastier--than the blades inside the fence line. But plenty of barnyard zoo animals think the grass is greener out there, not just llamas. Take a look!

Llamas and their herbivore friends have a good reason for wanting what’s just out of reach. It turns out that the grass does appear to be greener on the other side of the fence! Here’s why: If you look straight down at grass, brown spots and patches are quite visible. But if you look across a field of grass, essentially at an angle, you will notice that the color green is much more dominant.

 But what was gained by craning the neck and contorting the body? Better grass? No. That’s because the grass is not really greener on the other side; it’s just an optical illusion.

Barnyard animals serve as a good reminder that straining for something we don’t have looks awkward, can be futile and often doesn’t make us any happier if we get it. Food for thought!

 Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving from Mama Llama and her pack of greedy critters.

Just a Grassy Knoll, Part One

JUST A GRASSY KNOLL, PART 1 OF 2

November 9, 2011

LLAMAS LOVE HIGH PLACES. After all, they hail from the Andes mountain range across South America, which averages 2-1/2 miles high. So Mama Llama was thinking it would be nice to add a mountain to her llamas’ meadow, or more realistically, a lovely grassy knoll. To accomplish this feat, Mama Llama dragged  invited Papa Llama to accompany her to Home Depot. Together, she was sure that this one-size-fits-all supply store would help them find just the right materials to enhance their animal attraction.

Future Site of ShangriLlama's Grassy Knoll

Before proceeding, dear reader, please know that Mama Llama delights in the funny looks she receives  when she “casually” mentions that she has a pack of llamas in her backyard. Saying the “L” word (Llama) makes most people’s brains misfire, resulting in this typical response: “I’m sorry. Did you say…llamas?” It really is quite amusing. So imagine Mama Llama’s excitement at the possibility of stumping and stunning a Home Depot customer service rep by requesting a grassy knoll for her la-la-la-la-llamas. What great fun!

                              

When Mama and Papa Llama arrived at the Home Depot customer service desk, Mama Llama smiled big. Then she “innocently” asked:

Mama Llama

“Hi! How has your day been so far?”

Home Depot Rep #1

“Not bad. A little dull. It’s been slow this afternoon. Do you have a great project on your mind?”

Mama Llama (thrilled by the perceptive question)

“Well, as a matter of fact, we do. We’d like to build a grassy knoll in our meadow. What kind of fill material might we use?”

Home Depot Rep #1

“A grassy knoll, huh?” We don’t get a lot of requests for that. What do you want to use your knoll for?”

Mama Llama (amused by the rep’s deeply furrowed brow)

“We’d like to give our llamas a hill to play on.”

Home Depot Rep #1

“Your what? Did you say llamas?”

Mama Llama (going in for the kill, because the rep’s mind had short-circuited)

“Yes, we have a small zoo for llamas, and they like to play King of the Hill. So we need a grassy knoll for them to climb and push each other off.”

Home Depot Rep #1

At first, the poor guy was stunned silent. Then he bit his lower lip to hold back a laugh. Finally, his eyes twinkled, which meant that his brain was coming back online, and he was ready to play along!

Home Depot Rep #1

“Well, you could use clean fill soil, but the llamas would crush that down over time. You might want to consider pea gravel, which packs more tightly. But we only sell those items in bags, and you would need a dump truck full. You might also want to consider crushed granite, which won’t decompose.”

Mama Llama (prolonging her amusement at the rep, who was barely hanging on to his composure)

“Would you please show us the options that you have in stock? We’ll also need a lot of grass seed to make the knoll grassy, of course.”

Home Depot Rep #1(eager for a reality check from another employee)

“Sure! Follow me.”

Moments later, our rep came across a group of three men who were stocking shelves. He asked them the following, "simple" question:

Home Depot Rep #1

“Hey, guys. What are the best materials to create a grassy knoll for a pack of llamas?”

Time seemed to stop as the three men stood dumbfounded. Finally, one man blurted out the following:

home depot Rep #2

“You have llamas? How cool. Why do you have llamas? Where do you keep them? They like to climb? You want to build a grassy what?”

Mama Llama then explained the project to everyone and chuckled at the frequent interjections from Rep #1, who was now in full command of his senses and enjoying twisting the minds of his fellow employees.

Then Rep #1—who had grown quite fond of Mama and Papa Llama for making his day so amusing—whisked us away for a tour of all the options for creating the grassy part of our knoll. We looked at grass seeds, various types of Astroturf and even burlap. Then we thanked him and said that we’d return with our decision about the grass but wanted to create the knoll first. One must be logical about such things! So we went to the car to phone companies that sell dump trucks full of clean dirt and crushed granite. But it was too late in the day to reach any of them, because we had overindulged in fun at Home Depot!

So as soon as Mama and Papa Llama can go shopping for dirt and gravel, we’ll post Part Two of “Just a Grassy Knoll.” And eventually, we’ll have video to show you of our pack of llamas playing King of the Hill.

Until then…Happy Trails!

Llama Car Wash

LLAMA CAR WASH

October 8, 2011

HERE'S HOW TO WASH A LLAMA 
IN ONLY THREE HOURS

STEP ONE: Find or make a Llama Car Wash, which looks like this:

Pajama Llama Stands in a Llama Car Wash

STEP TWO: Wet the llama using an ordinary garden hose.
Pajama Llama volunteered to drench his own coat for this blog story.

Pajama Llama loves sprinklers! When this animal encounters water, he's interested! He likes to put both his feet in water buckets, stand in a child’s wading pool on hot days, and drink seven gallons of water each day during the summer months. But Pajama Llama and his pack members are not fond of soap on their coats! That’s because they know that llama wool becomes dried out if washed frequently with soap. You see, unlike sheep wool with its oily (and itchy) lanolin, llamas have little to no oils in their coats, which makes them hypoallergenic! It’s best to wash a llama two times a year maximum to keep the wool looking silky and the skin healthy. Of course there are expensive llama shampoos and cream rinses for more frequent shampoos. But if you wash a llama only twice a year, Tide Detergent works quite nicely. Truly!

STEP THREE: Soap up the llama. Mama Llama decided not to coax Pajama Llama back into the chute. Instead, she put Dalai Llama in and let the groomer work her magic on this white llama. Here's what a wet, sudsy llama looks like:

Dalai Llama Gets a Shampoo

Which is more pathetic: a wet cat or a wet llama?

STEP FOUR: Remove the soap. With llamas, that’s not easy. Sudsy soaps are difficult to rinse out, but they do a fine job of cleaning dirty llama wool. Life’s a trade-off, isn’t it? The solution in this case is, of course, a drip hose! That is nothing more than a hose with holes in it every few inches. Just run this hose down the llama’s coat over and over…and over and over…and over and over again. You’ll get all the soap out in about...an hour. No kidding.

STEP FIVE: Dry the llama immediately, or he will roll his clean, wet coat in the dirt. How do you dry a llama? Easy. Use a leaf blower--those obnoxiously loud devices that gardeners choose to turn on during the wee hours of Saturday mornings. Leaf blowers are ideal for drying heavily drenched llama wool, although it takes about an hour, because silky llamas have an undercoat and an overcoat of wool.

STEP SIX: Brush the llama's coat. Brushing feels great to some llamas, while others really don’t like it. Bahama Llama loves to be brushed. In fact, he uses a street sweeper's brush to groom himself in between shampoos, like this:

Bahama Llama Fluffs His Coat With a Street Sweeper's Brush

If the llama won't brush himself, then groom him with a dog's brush to remove tangles and to fluff the wool. This step can take an hour!

Here's what Dalai Llama looked like after washing and drying him. His mane is still a little wet.

The Freshly Washed Dalai Llama

STEP SEVEN: As soon as the llama is mostly dry, let him out of the Llama Car Wash. He’ll run at top speed back to his pack of friends, who will sniff him as though he’s a visitor. To fix this social problem, the newly cleaned llama will roll in the dirt and look like one of his unwashed buddies. What's Mama Llama to do but laugh and wait six months to wash the llama again!

Happy Trails from Mama Llama!

P.S. ShangriLlama would like to add a second street sweeper brush, 

so the llamas can walk between them and self-groom. 

Please send an e-mail to llama@ShangriLlama.com 

if you know where we can buy a second brush. The first one came with our ranch.

Much appreciated!

Living With Llamas

LIVING WITH LLAMAS

July 25, 2011

What do llamas do all day? That’s what Mama Llama and her family were dying to know but couldn’t find out. You see, until six weeks ago, the ShangriLlama llamas lived in stables at a horse facility. We would visit them daily—sometimes twice a day—to walk them in an arena, or to take them on a trail or to the park. But that just wasn’t enough “quality time” for us.

That’s why we searched far and wide for the ideal horse property. We wanted to live with the llamas! Finding this property took more than a year. You see, it had to be zoned for four or more horses, have enough room for the llamas to roam freely, be safe from coyotes, be located close to a fenced walking trail, and be livable for the humans in our family, too! Only one property fit this description, and we found it through a horse club leader who is also a realtor.

The ShangriLlama Meadow

 

When we first moved in, we expected to see the llamas playing day and night in their meadow, jogging up and down the property for exercise, and sticking their long necks over the gates to greet the neighbors. That’s not what happened.

Instead, they fill their days by eating meals, chewing their cud in between meals, and lying in the sun. Llamas are l-a-z-y!

Bahama Llama & Pajama Llama Like to Sunbathe!

 

Without a doubt, the best way to enjoy llamas is by walking them. Then they become quite beguiling as they venture very close to greet you, when they request a treat, and when they roll around in the sand to scratch their backs—all the while making virtually everyone they meet smile about their unusual animal encounter. A well-trained llama puts on quite a show when he’s led by his harness and leash!

Even though llama life is not as exciting as we thought it would be, we’re still mesmerized by their beauty as they graze in their very own meadow, and we’re so happy that the pack has the freedom to roam safely. Our neighbors seem to be amused by our “funny looking horses,” as many have called them. Life with llamas is peaceful, and in today’s world, that truly is a good thing!

Happy Trails from Mama Llama!