What toenail trimmers should I buy for my llama or alpaca?

Toenail trimming is one of the general care items that most llama owners can take care of themselves. We have tried several kinds of toenail trimmers over time. In this post we will provide a comparison of cost and quality for three of them, including what we hope is the last pair of trimmer we ever buy. 

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The first thing to get straight is that the toenail trimmers you're looking for will be of the sheep/goat variety, not of the horse or cat/dog variety. 
It is sometimes said that handheld garden pruning shears can be used. This is mostly true, (depending on your climate) but it is best to avoid the curved blade if possible. And cheaply made flimsy shears are a waste of time and energy. 
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The Top of the Line Option
The Felco 51 trimmers came to us highly recommended from a breeder in the dry climate of Colorado who is always battling rock hard toenails. These trimmers are sharp, powerful, and ergonomically designed. The blades are larger than some varieties of trimmer, but the handle has been designed to make them very easy to hold. If you trim more than a couple of llama toes a year, they warrant strong consideration despite their higher price tag. 
If you live in a dry climate where you find yourself putting two hands on your old pair of trimmers to try to cut through an overgrown nail, I would stop reading here and purchase the Felco 51s. 
We purchased these this fall, and have hopes that they will be the last trimmers we ever buy, at least for a good long while. 
At the time of writing the price is slightly lower purchasing directly from the manufacturer, but the cost savings is erased by shipping costs (which is free from Amazon). 

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The Middle of the Pack Option
These trimmers work quite well out of the box. They are sharp and easy to hold. My biggest concern with these trimmers has been durability, but if you are only trimming toes for a couple of llamas I think these are a good economical option. 

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 The Cheap and Easy Option
I have also on occasion purchased whatever cheap pair of trimmers has been placed in front of me at a feedstore or show. If you look through the reviews on Amazon you will find a mixed bag, where some customers had a great experience and others had the latch break or experienced dullness quite quickly. This pair from Zenport bears a striking resemblance to my preferred Saboten shears, and might end up being just as serviceable.  If they quit working how you'd like you can stick them next to the hay stack and use them for cutting baling twine, as I've done with my worn out toe trimmers. 

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*The links provided above are affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please consider purchasing through one of the links to continue to support our work promoting llamas and llama information.