Welfare


ABOVE: Whether specifi c dietary factors infl uence tooth health is not known yet in alpacas. The author suspects the chewing of forage to be important for normal tooth wear, and the saliva production it stimulates ensures a natural buffer in the mouth.


Alpaca dentition


Karin Mueller MRCVS, Consultant Camelid Medicine, gives a summary of her presentation to the World Alpaca Conference.


The make-up of alpaca teeth Like most mammals, alpacas have front teeth (incisors) and back or cheek teeth (premolars and molars). The majority of these teeth are initially present as deciduous or ‘baby’ teeth, which are replaced at various stages by a permanent set of teeth (see Tables 1 and 2). The incisors are chisel-like and are used to cut and pick


up feed. Alpacas do not use their tongue for tearing off feed. They do mirror ruminants, though, in that incisors are only present in the lower jaw. Incisors continue to grow well into adulthood in alpacas and vicunas. The cheek teeth have sharp ridges and points, and act


as blades, shearing feed apart when the jaw is moved. This is important to remember should the need ever arise to fl oat (rasp) any of the cheek teeth: cheek teeth are not meant to be fl at and smooth and are not used as grinding stones. The shearing action of the cheek teeth is aided by the lower jaw being slightly narrower than the upper jaw. Cheek teeth do not continue to grow once they are fully erupted. The gap along the jaw line between the incisors and


cheek teeth is called the diastema. So-called ‘fi ghting’ teeth erupt in this gap: two in the upper jaw (one incisor


38 Alpaca Summer 2012


and one canine), and one canine tooth in the lower jaw. ‘Baby’ fi ghting teeth erupt in about 5% of males, but never in females. The permanent fi ghting teeth erupt in all entire males, but not always in females and castrated males. Incisor Canine Pre-Molar Molar


Deciduous Upper jaw Lower jaw


Permanent Upper jaw Lower jaw


1 3


1 3


Table 1: Tooth formula of alpacas. Tooth


Incisor


1 2 3


Fighting teeth Premolars Molar


3-3¼ 3-6


2½-3½ (can take up to 7) 3½-5


1 2 3


6-9 months old 1½-2


2¾-3¾ Table 2: Age periods when permanent teeth appear.


1 1


1 1


2-3 1-2


1-2 1-2


0 0


3 3


Age (in years, unless shown otherwise) 2-2½


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