

Photos at right released by Melanie Typaldos show Typaldos and Caplin her pet capybara wearing his Halloween custome and Caplin and her daughter’s pet guinea pig, Neptune. The capybara, Hydrochoerus Hydrochaeris, is a semi-aquatic rodent of South America. It weighs about a hundred pounds, and is about 2 feet tall at the shoulder.
(AP Photos/Courtesy Melanie Typaldpos)
Sandy, a coworker of mine, called me to her computer recently to view one of several photos of a pet capybara.
Intrigued, I started doing some research.
A capybara, the largest rodent in the world, is indigenous to South America. They can get up to four feet tall and weigh well over 100 pounds. They have webbed feet because they spend a lot of time in the water. They also hate cold.
The young are ready to go and can swim as soon as they pop out and are grazing within a matter of days. There can be anywhere from three to seven “yungins” to a litter. Capys usually breed once a year, but can breed twice a year if they are of a mind and the conditions are right. They’re weaned after 16 weeks.
While I was on the Internet trying to learn more, I came across a person blogging about their experience living with a two-year-old male capybara. They wrote that he is quite affectionate and “dog like” in personality. They seemed quite happy with him.
This same individual, however, did a great job pointing out the downside of owning a capy. For instance, there is no pre-made capy chow, so you’re stuck fixing their grub and making sure they get the right nutritional needs. You might have a hard time finding a vet that will treat them or even know how to. You have to have plenty of yard (like an acre or two?) and a pool or a pond where, from what I gather, they “do their business.” (But you’d never have to mow your lawn.)
What the person didn’t blog about was (thank goodness for the San Diego Zoo) that they sometimes eat their own poop. Apparently, they do it for the beneficial bacteria that help break down fiber in their diet. (At least in the wild.) Uck. And like cows or some goats, they’ll regurgitate their food. Uck again.
Still, I’d like to spend some time with someone that has one just to see for myself.
All I can say is wait until PETA gets wind of this.







