Does anyone have any experience with Camels?

Question

I'm looking for anyone who has owned or worked with camels in their lives. How are they to work with? Temperment and such. Also, if you have owned them how much were they and what kind of upkeep cost is involved? What do they eat, and how much?

Thanks everyone!

Answer 1

I don't but I can refer you to a website for a camel dairy in the San Diego county area (So.Cal). It's called www.cameldairy.com, I think. I've seen them a couple of times at county fairs and trade shows sometimes.

Although it's strictly about dairy, you can see about asking them about how to take care of camels. You can also do a google search and see if there are online materials for you to look at.

Answer 2

yes actually- I am training a female dromedary right now- she is 14 months old and I have trained/bottle fed her since she was 1 month.
camels are bottle fed until a year and a half. They grow up to 7ft not including the hump. They can start to be ridden at 2 yrs.
Temperment: stubborn and smart. I have years of experience training horses, but you can't train a camel the same way. Every day is a new fight with her testing my patience or my attention. Bucks, kicks, and rears a lot for fun (usually doesn't try to hit me). She will remember and hold a grudge forever. You can not play rough with them- one guy at the zoo was rough housing with her and now if he is even in sight- she will gurgle (like she would spit) pin her ears back and run in frantic circles if I am holding on to her, and run to flat out attack him if she is loose.
She always spooks in the same exact spot, even though what scared her was removed, but she remembers it from her first walk around the park.
Upkeep- not really that much. They can't have a rich diet and all we feed are plain oats, grass, and good quality hay. As a 14 month old, she is getting 3 liters of milk a day, 3 flakes of hay, and about 6 cups of oats a day (all spread out 3 times a day). She always finishes the oats and sometimes, though rarely, finishes all the hay. Right now, it is winter up here in WI, and she has a super thick coat and we have her in an insulated barn with no drafts- she stays warm enough.
I did quite a bit of research on them before training her- if you have other questions, email/im and I can try to answer. I can understand liking them- I want to buy my own as a companion for my horse after veterinary school.