Now, if you know our family even a little, you’re thinking “Of course they have an alpaca named Merlin. They’re practically witches/wizards themselves.” Funny thing is, Merlin (or Merly, as he is sometimes called) came to us with his name, his wizened face, and his sweet nature. I guess he was just meant to be part of the family.

Merlin is our oldest alpaca. I can’t remember exactly how old, but I think he’s 12 or 13. His age shows in wrinkly face, his slightly swayed back, and his calmness. When all the other alpacas are out frolicking, Merlin likes to sit quietly in the doorway of the barn and watch. He has very little interest in their silliness.

Merlin, on the left, has a pink face. Bravado is a suri, and looks like a surfer dude.

Merlin is one of our rescue alpacas. The lady that owned him before us doted on him; Merlin was her first alpaca. His spoiled-ness shows when it’s time for the evening crumbles. Crumbles are a pellet food that we feed as a little treat and all the alpacas love them. To prevent them from choking on their food, we pour the crumbles out in a rain gutter that has a bunch of round river stones in it. They have to move the stones to get to the treat. Merlin, however, has no interest in crumbles, unless you are offering them to him by hand. Unlike the rest of the ‘pacas, who had to be won over to the idea of eating from our hands, that is the ONLY way Merlin will eat his crumbles.

What a noodle. Merlin’s fiber is snowy white, but not our softest. As alpacas age, their fiber quality tends to diminish, especially if they are intact males (as Merlin was, until this summer). I haven’t spun it yet, since it’s sorta near the bottom of our priority list. It sounds kinda like I’m talking about an ugly guy, but “we love him for his personality”. 🙂