News

Alpaca companions for families

By Jaci Hicken

Apr 3, 2026

Eden Rise Alpacas is a stud farm in Glenaroua with 50 alpacas. Photo by Contributed

Eden Rise Alpacas owner Samantha Schwebach operates what she describes as a stud farm in Glenaroua, housing 50 alpacas in total.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

“We have 28 breeding females and 22 males, but they are not all stud males; they range in age from young males, teenagers, to adults,” Samantha said.

“We started off quite small, we went larger and then we downsized again, to have more quality than quantity.

“We breed our alpacas mainly for small acreage and hobby farmers, so people are after something that is healthy and friendly as well.”

Alpacas have a long lifespan, living 20 to 25 years, depending on their health and care.

The animals are social creatures requiring companionship.

“You certainly need more than one alpaca as they are a herd animal and they are very sociable, so a minimum requirement would be two alpacas for small acreage, three would be ideal,” she said.

The farm focuses on breeding alpacas for small acreage and hobby farmers, prioritising quality over quantity. Photo by Contributed

Eden Rise Alpacas focuses heavily on socialisation and training.

“We halter train our alpacas and handle them quite frequently,” Samantha said.

“Quite often our alpacas are more approachable than normal, but we spend the time to do that.”

Baby alpacas, known as cria, begin halter training around four to six months old.

The farm caters to a range of customer needs, from families seeking friendly animals to farmers seeking herd guards.

“Quite a lot of people who have Airbnb-type properties will often seek out alpacas,” she said.

“More often than not, young families that are going into small acreage will seek out a more friendly alpaca, something that will be good around children.

“There are the alpacas we have on the other scale, when someone wants them as a herd guard.

“You don’t want them to be overly friendly because they have a job to do.

“A friendly herd guard probably won’t work, but if you are after a friendly animal that you can spend a bit of time with, then Eden Rise Alpacas is the stud for you?”