Is one breed more friendly than the other?

We have found that attitude and temperament run in families of alpaca, and that applies to both breeds. Suris can become very nervous if they can't see and it can be advantageous to trim their fringe. Likewise some of the Peruvian type Huacayas can become woolblind as youngsters creating the same nervous effect. 

Do Suris feel the cold as the fleece is open along the back?

Our experience would suggest that the Suri has evolved to compensate for the lack of fibre on the back by depositing more meat or fat cover in that area. Many of our Suri cria are born heavier and more robust than their Huacaya counterparts. This is probably the result of natural selection in the high Andes.

Are there differences in fleece preparation for showing?

Prior to showing, the Suri is able to be washed without chemicals, whereas we do not recommend you wash the Huacaya as you will alter the structure of their fleece.
Cleaning debris from the Suri can be achieved by running your fingers through the fleece in a downward motion. The Huacaya fleece, on the other hand, can be gently beatern to bring out any vegetable matter to the surface.

Show Suris quite often have an overgrown fleece that once shorn is difficult to process. They willl grow a longer fleece than the Huacaya over the same timespan. We shear both breeds of cria at 6 to 10 months and annually thereafter.

Will my shearer have trouble shearing the Suri fleece?

In our experience, provided the shearer holds the comb on the handpiece flat on the skin surface, so as to avoid second cuts of fibre, the shearing method is the same as that for the Huacaya. The Suri fleece is slippery and, therefore, very difficult to shear using a lifter. We advise shearing off all the fleece.

What are the differences in sorting the shorn fleeces?

Because the Suri has less medullated fibre (guard hair) that the Huacaya, and grows faster, more of the Suri fleece, including most of the neck and some of the leg fibre, can be classed as first grade along with the more valuable blanket. In our experience more sorting is required for the Huacaya fleece. This does not mean that the total fleece is less valuable, but rather has greater variation. When grading fleeces into mircon categories for hte market, Huacaya has more grades (narrower bands) than Suri. 

Do breeders crossbreed Suri with Huacaya?

Some breeders, particularly in the USA, advocate that the breeds should not be cross mated so both breeds are retained pure. However, in Australia and New Zealand we are crossbreeding to increase the number of Suri females, especially the coloureds. Then there are other breeders who are crossbreeding for the specific purpose of producing a Huacaya fleece with less medullation but more lustre. This can result in a straigher fibre with less crimp.

What are "F1's"?

An F1 Suri is the progeny resulting from mating a Huacaya female to a Suri male. The resulting cria does not always display the lustre, staple length or lock architecture of a true Suri.