The Alpaca Scale is part of the Arlyn Scales 3200 Platform Series. This particular platform comes in the size 22 x 44, which is specially designed for alpacas. They are comfortable on this scale because they fit nicely on the platform. The Alpaca Scale comes with a free rubber mat for increased comfort to the animal and easier maintenance for the caretakers. The scale platform is a very low profile, only 1 7/8 inches high, which makes it easy for alpacas to step onto the scale. It is important that alpacas feel comfortable being weighed because scales provide necessary weight information to the caretakers regarding appropriate dosages of medicine, vitamins and food supplements for each individual alpaca. All of the special features mentioned above help make the Alpaca Scales more comfortable for the animal and a better measuring tool for alpaca caretakers. This is necessary for a variety of reasons. When baby alpacas, crias, are weighed, it is vital that the measurement is very accurate in order to ensure that the crias are flourishing. The Arlyn ScalesÕ Alpaca Scale is so accurate that it weighs to 1/10 pound. By having a scale that weighs their animals with this accuracy, it guarantees that each baby is gaining weight appropriately. In addition, it is important for the scale to weigh to 1/10 of a pound in order to accurately weigh the wool that is shorn from the alpacas. The wool is sold by weight, so it is necessary to have exact measures of the material. As mentioned above, another extremely important reason to determine accurate weight of any alpaca is to determine correct dosages of medicine, vitamins, and food supplements. In humans, dosages of medicine and vitamins are often determined by age. Mature alpacas can weigh between 110 and 170 pounds and crias take several years to get to that weight. Therefore it is imperative to weigh the animals before determining a particular dose to provide. Arlyn Scales Alpaca Scales offer caretakers a special platform scale that is comfortable for all sizes of these animals. Furthermore, it has a special weight average and hold option, which allows for exceedingly accurate weight, measured even when an animal is moving around on the platform. The ease offered by this type of measuring helps to ensure that all medicines, vitamins, and food supplements can be given without error. Additionally, the Alpaca Scales manufactured by Arlyn Scales are very rugged and durable. These platform scales are often used outdoors or in barns, where there are temperature extremes and the scales are exposed to the elements. Furthermore, crias as well as mature alpacas do not necessarily keep the scales clean, so the scales also need to be able to withstand abuse from the animals. For these reasons, Arlyn Scales has created their platform scales to be water resistant and accurate in all temperatures. It is necessary to determine alpaca weight for medicines, vitamins, and food supplements no matter what the weather is, so Arlyn Scales has provided caretakers with a scale that is capable of doing just that. Moreover, the graphic display housing and the load sensors are sealed to maintain water resistance. There are four stainless steel load cells embedded in the welded frame for maximum shock and abuse resistance. Despite the comfort that Arlyn Scales has provided in the special platform size for the alpacas, the animals are sometimes not happy to be weighed and may jump or startle on the scale. Stainless steel is a strong alloy that allows the load cells to hold up to abuse by the animals. Fortunately, this provides caretakers with the ability to take accurate measurements of their animals weights so that they can guarantee the correct dosages of any supplements, medicines, or vitamins that are appropriate to each animal. In addition to all of the special features of the Alpaca Scales, Arlyn Scales also provides a large display and stainless steel swivel mount on each scale. This allows for easy viewing from any angle, which provides caretakers with the ability to care for their animals while weighing them as well as being able to easily view the display.