THIS is the time of year when you start racking your brains for Christmas presents. What do you give an alpaca owner that has everything?

Or an alpaca that has everything for that matter?

The well-dressed alpaca will have a head collar that is a good fit and is easy to put on and take off. There are several types available but it is essential to get one designed for alpacas.

If the upper nose band doesn't fit on the nose bone, which only projects a short way in front of the eyes, it could impair the alpaca's breathing. An incorrectly fitting head collar makes the animal feel that it is suffocating and it will panic. It will also remember the experience and could be reluctant to have the halter fitted the next time. Look for the type where both nose band and crown piece can be adjusted.

Head collars come in a variety of colours so you can mix and match, have one colour for males and another for females, or you may decide to keep with one colour that becomes your 'herd colour'.

The next suggestion is to buy a matching lead rope. This attaches to a ring at the bottom of the head collar and is essential for when animals are being halter trained.

This enables them to be led easily when necessary, particularly in the show ring. For times when a group of animals needs to be moved, a herding rope is very useful.

Owners with a breeding herd will know how important it is to keep cria warm, particularly in the early days in our very variable climate. What better way than with a cria jacket?

They are available in different sizes and colours and may just save a precious baby's life. If the adults need protection from the elements, there are coats for them too.

An owner expecting a number of cria may need to be able to identify them easily at a distance. This can be achieved with a cria collar. Different colours help to separate similar cria and the cria's name or mother's name can be written on a large tag which can be read from a distance.

Look for a cria collar that has a 'quick release' mechanism such as a Velcro strip as animals have been known to get them caught on something with disastrous results when they cannot free themselves.

These are gifts especially for the alpacas but you can also give the owners gifts which the animals will appreciate.

For the new owner, why not think about essential equipment such as a hay rack or net? These will protect the hay and make it last longer. A hay rack provides protection against the weather and a hay bag can be hung on the pen to keep the hay off the floor.

Concentrate feed needs to be kept safe so what about a covered feed bin which cannot be accessed by vermin or badgers? This is good practice for any owner but particularly so in areas of the country where TB is widespread. If the feed is in a bin, the owners will need a food scoop to get it out easily.

As far as the alpacas are concerned, they need a feed bucket or feeding trough. The trough needs to be long enough to allow all the alpacas in the herd to access it without conflict with other, more dominant, animals.

The trough can be hung from the fence and the buckets taken up after feeding to prevent vermin from scavenging and leaving their mark which could be a way to spread disease. If the herd is small, each animal could have its own (coloured) bucket.

Alpacas generally dung in the same area so it is relatively easy to keep the paddock clean and reduce the build-up of worms and parasites.

A new alpaca owner might appreciate a ‘pooper scooper’ and a rake and this makes collecting the water much easier. For those with a larger herd and paddock area, there are a number of mechanised paddock vacuums, ranging from manual models to those that are self-propelled.

Another requirement of the alpacas is a constant supply of clean water. What if there is no water supply close to the paddock? Solve the problem with an H2Go Bag. This can be filled with water, transported on a wheelbarrow and used to fill the water bucket using a tap at one end.

If an alpaca is to be registered with the British Alpaca Society, it must have a microchip. If it has an ear tag, this must be assigned to a specific animal. There are applicators for both ear tags and microchips although the new owner may prefer these to be fitted by a vet.

Microchip readers are available and would be useful for owners with larger herds.

Any alpaca owner with female animals will soon have cria to look after. While most births are trouble-free, all the essentials for the new cria are available in cria birthing kits.

These can include a digital thermometer, examination gloves, anti-bacterial hand gel, a 10 per cent iodine solution for dipping the umbilical cord, obstetric lubricant gel, alpaca colostrum, a feeding bottle and teat, a feeding tube and a cria coat. Scales are also a useful addition to check the cria's growth.

Most alpaca owners will employ a shearer or take their animals to a friend who does.

However, for the occasional time when an alpaca needs dagging, why not give a pair of hand shears?

Having thought about gifts for the alpaca (even if through its owner), maybe you would like to give something to the owner for personal enjoyment? What better than a high-quality alpaca garment?

As every owner knows, alpaca fleece is something very special which can be made into a wide range of exceptional products.

Here your mind can range as wide as your budget. You can buy alpaca socks, scarves, gloves, hats, baby clothes, hot water bottle covers and slippers.

Jumpers come in all weights and designs from the chunky outdoor sweater to the delicate, patterned cardigan. For that romantic evening out, what about an alpaca stole or shawl?

For the home-loving, there are cushion covers and rugs and for the crafty, what about alpaca yarn or a complete knitting kit?

A present that a new owner would find particularly useful would be membership of the British Alpaca Society (BAS).

This not only gives them access to the pedigree registry if they want to purchase animals or check the pedigree of a potential stud male, but they receive the quarterly magazine full of alpaca information and news of Society activities and have access to the members’ area of the website (www.bas-uk.com).

Members are welcome at regional group meetings which cover a wide variety of useful topics and provide useful contacts who can help with problems, particularly in the early days.

I hope that this has given you some suggestions to fire your imagination for a very special gift for your friend and their alpacas.

Shop around. There are several equipment suppliers offering specialised alpaca kit and many breeders are promoting products made from the fibre of their own alpacas.

This is a good time to buy British as the UK alpaca industry is expanding to support a high quality market.