I have 5 of them. 4 are mature geldings and experienced and the other is a yearling stud in training. He went on his 1st overnighter earlier this week.
To get them in shape, I try to take mine on twice weekly 5 mile hikes in the hills with sandbags in the panniers. Over all, I love them for packing. They're the easiest pack animals I know of to train and very reliable on the trail. They'll eat almost anything and during the summer, I never have to haul feed for them. I usually don't have time to get them in really good shape so I limit their loads to 60 to 70lb. We hunt cows a lot and 3 can handle a big cow boned out.
On the trail, allow for picture taking time. About every hiker you pass will want to take pictures of them, pet them, and ask questions. It can add considerably to the length of a trip.
Around here, good llamas are almost impossible to find. There just aren't any. There are plenty of pasture potatoes out there but not for sale and most aren't worth hauling home at any price. It's worth the money to buy one from a breeder who actually knows how to pack. I went through a number of them before I acquired a good string. Of my 5, I only bought 1. 1 was born here and the other 3 were freebies. I got very lucky in getting some good ones free but I also got some free ones that didn't turn out at all. It takes some experience to know what to look for and I learned the hard way. I bought the yearling I'm training. I saw both of his parents so I know what he'll likely look like in a few years. His sire is huge. He's one of those 500 lbers you read about. His legs are like small trees. I paid $200 for him and I think he'll be worth it.
LLamas aren't good pets. They don't like to be touched, especially their heads and feet. Foot trimming can be a rodeo as they hate having those feet messed with. I have 1 in particular that I have to hog tie to trim his feet. Walt Disney shows them as cuddly pets but they're not at all.
2 potential problems to be aware of:
Learn all about front feet. They tend to break down in the pasterns and can't carry the weight. There are varying opinions on what causes it. Some say it's genetics, others say that in males it comes from castrating males before they're 2 years old. I don't know the cause but I've had to retire 2 before their time because of it. Normally, the front pasterns are very upright. If they start to break down, they will flex downward. In extreme cases, the top of the pastern will flex down low enough to touch the ground. It causes them a lot of foot pain.
Be very wary of young males or geldings that love to be petted, will come right up to you and nuzzle you. That's not normal behavior. It might be a sign of oncoming Berserk Llama Syndrome. You can find lots of info on it on the web. I have a gelding with it that was given to me as a 2 year old by some people who'd had it foisted off on them as a pet. He was way too aggressive for someone who doesn't know how to handle them. I took him with the understanding that if he didn't pan out as a packer we'd eat him. He did pan out and while he has his problems, he's a pretty good packer but I'm always wary of him. I never fully trust him unless I have him haltered and even then he can be pushy sometimes. I use him as my lead llama so he's always right where I can deal with him if needed.
It's a man-caused issue and once a male has it, castrating and training won't fix it. It's a dominance issue that can be avoided by proper handling as a baby. I know a guy right now who has a 2 year old that came out of a petting zoo. He's going to be a bad one and is only good for the dinner table. He's getting very aggressive already and when he gets a couple more years on him, he will be dangerous.
