So how's all those Alpaca businesses doing these days?

[Crazy Dave]

And what's the next, "you can quit your day job and get rich" gimmick?

[enki23]

1. Selling gimmicks, I'm pretty sure.

But that one has a decent chance of success, I'm afraid.

[Poll_Blind]

2. My alpaca biz is doing very nicely, thank you.

We had to relocate to Nevada. Now the operation is legal.

Hunting down lingerie for an alpaca was a problem but we're partnered with a Chinese company for the new stuff and have a full-time seamstress to repair the little rips from regular use.

Instead of apologizing to customers when they get bit we can charge them $5 extra now.

No, it's not making any of us rich but a few of the alpacas are working their way through law school while working at "the ranch" so I'd say we're all benefiting.

PB

[pinboy3niner]

3. Sounds like the "Bunny Ranch" has gotten QUITE a makeover! :)

[mix]

4. My neighbor got into that, sad to say.

Cute little weirdos, those alpacas, but not very profitable.

[Crazy Dave]

7. From what I've read it was like a pyramid scheme

You would start your farm and breed a few to sell to someone starting their farm, etc.

As far as selling their hair I also heard that the buyers for it already had large and established supply chains and/or their own farms.

There were probably a lot of these animals that were abused and neglected once people found out you couldn't make a profit and once the fad died off.

[MineralMan]

5. Heck, I'm still trying to make money with chinchillas.

The chinchilla fur market is down sharply. In fact, it's always been down sharply. :rofl:

[Art_from_Ark]

9. I remember that

I also remember pitches for raising rabbits for postage stamp glue, and guinea pigs for test laboratories

[fasttense]

10. Chinchilla herd???? n/t

[galileoreloaded]

6. White House Economist???? n/t

[Bigmack]

8. Taste like chicken!....mmmmmm. nt (Just kidding)

[NickB79]

11. A local farmer here has a small herd

About 7-8 adults, with an occasional baby every spring. They farm them in addition to their dairy herd, and make products out of the wool to sell at local flea markets, fairs, open houses at the farm, etc. They seem to be doing pretty well, but it is just a side business and not their primary source of income.

[trof]

12. Any jojoba growers out there?

I remember back in the 70s when growing jojoba for the oil extracted was the next big 'GRQ' scheme.

Jojoba oil pronounced /həˈhōbə/ ( listen) is the liquid wax produced in the seed of the jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) plant, a shrub native to southern Arizona, southern California and northwestern Mexico. The oil makes up approximately 50% of the jojoba seed by weight.<1>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jojoba_oil

[northernlights]

15. actually I ran into the couple that owned a significant portion of the market

a few years back. A wealthy couple from Hahvid U., they grew and sold to the big manufacturers. Retired to the Maine village I live in about 7 years ago. I see their benz every so often (most recently pulling out of the post office), with it's "jojoba" plates.

[Warpy]

13. They always forget to tell you how much hard work it is

to raise animals of any kind for their meat, hair, skin, fur, or whatever. Farming small animals is hard enough. Farming larger animals is incredibly heavy work.

However, people who are willing to do that work do make at least a good supplement to their income.

I'm a handspinner and I'm grateful that some of them bought into the idea.

[Crazy Dave]

14. As with pets

For many the minute the animal is no longer the cute puppy or kitten, needs to be walked and fed daily or suddenly needs $500 plus veterinary care. Soon the animals end up being neglected, living in pain and/or hunger dying slowly or they're taken out somewhere to be turned loose to fend for themselves or shot in the head.