Code of Conduct for the Transfer of Camelids

This Code establishes behavioral guidelines for the offering for sale, trade or donation of any camelid.

Any breeder, seller or trader transferring a camelid to another person should undertake to commit to the following actions.

1.  To give appropriate advice and full information on the pros and cons of owning camelids to any inquirer who is interested in owning them.

2.  To offer after-sale/transfer help and advice, whenever needed, to purchasers/receivers of camelids, particularly in the areas of care and well-being of the animals.

3.  To ensure that purchasers/receivers obtain full and appropriate advice on choosing the right camelid for the purpose for which the camelid is being obtained.

4.  To declare any known faults in conformation or temperament which would hamper or obstruct the purpose for which the camelid is being obtained.

5. To not knowingly offer cross-bred or in-bred stock or related pairs without declaring them as such.

6.  To provide purchasers/receivers with a record of camelids's date of birth, full breeding history, full veterinary history and history of worming, vaccinations, etc., as far as they are known.

7. To ensure that purchasers/receivers understand that, if they have more than one intact male, the males need to be kept separately if they are within sight or smell of a female or their fighting teeth cut and inspected on a regular basis to prevent serious injury from fighting.

8.  (a) That crias will not be bottle-fed/hand reared except in circumstances of feeding difficulties which are life-threatening to the cria, in which case the fact that the animal has been reared in this way will be declared to the potential purchaser/receiver.  (b) To explain to all purchasers/receivers of camelids which are capable of breeding that, although bottle-fed/hand reared youngsters are extremely tame and friendly when small, they are likely to become extremely difficult to manage when mature.  (c) To explain that any male camelid which has been bottle-fed/hand-reared should be castrated at the appropriate age, but that castration might not prevent such problems, as it may not change the character of an animal which has been subjected to such handling.

9.  Use the following terms to describe females sold as pregnant:  (a) Confirmed pregnant: to declare females for sale/transfer as "confirmed pregnant" only when an ultrasound scan or pregnancy blood test has confirmed pregnancy and there has been no reason to suppose that a miscarriage has occurred.  (b) Believed to be pregnant:  to declare females for sale/transfer are "believed pregnant" only when a mating has been witnessed and subsequent putting of the male with the female has been witnessed and has not resulted in further mating.  (c) Possibly pregnant: to described a female as no more than "possibly pregnant" where no mating has been witnessed but a proven female has been running with a proven male.

10.  To advise purchasers/receivers of a maiden female that female camelids should not be intentionally mated until they have attained at least 60% of their adult weight or be at least eighteen months of age.

11.  To declare any doubts or known possibilities concerning cross-breeding in the history of the animals.

12.  To ensure that when declaring that an animal is handelable or halter-trained, the animal can be led and the halter be easily put in place, with minimum stress to the handler and/or the animal.

13.  To ensure that the transport provided for the camelid by either the transferor or transferee is suitable.

This code establishes that sellers/transferors of camelids should not:
(a) Transfer a camelid without ensuring that the new owners understand the long-term commitment, (b) Sell as "easy-to-keep" without making it clear that all livestock need daily observation, care and attention, and can be subject to veterinary and other problems. (c) Sell without making every effort to ensure that the new home offers adequate feeding, shelter, fencing and clean water, etc.