Capybaras have always seemed like the most chill and friendly of animals to me.
I am constantly seeing videos and pictures of capybaras in my Instagram feed. I shared one capy video and now the algorithm sends me ALL capys, all the time. But I certainly don’t mind!
Basically giant guinea pigs (which I also love), Capybaras appear to make friends with all manner of species, from fellow furry critters to birds and even crocodiles.
Since my other family members also appreciate how chill and friendly capys seem to be, Z and I decided to get E a “capybara experience” for his birthday.
There are several places in Ohio where one can have a capybara experience. I went with Paws & Claws Animal Encounters in Bremen, Ohio since we’ve had such good experiences there with other critters (most recently their adorable otters).
Sure enough, our capybara experience was a very fun time!
During our experience, we got to feed, pet, hang out with and befriend two young capybaras named Midge and Smidge. Their genders are not known yet as they are still babies. During our time together, we learned a lot about our new capybara friends.
For one, we learned that as cute as they are, capybaras are not easy to keep as pets. After hearing about all the care involved and their special needs as aquatic creatures, we crossed “pet capybara” off our wishlist. We’ll just keep enjoying them at reputable, licensed places like Paws & Claws.
My favorite thing we learned about capys is that when they are feeling really good, they puff up their hair. It’s adorable! Unlike dogs and cats who will “puff up” their hair when they are stressed or scared, capybaras do it when they’re happy!
As soon as we found out that little fact, we immediately set out to get these capys as fluffy as humanly possible. We started with head and neck scritchies, which they liked a lot. Then Z started using her long nails to scratch their spines: instant puffballs.
We all took turns scratching those adorable little capys until they closed their eyes, raised their little noses to the sky and fluffed out their fur. But that’s when Z took it to the next level: she began to tickle and touch the adorable little webbed, black front feet of the capy standing next to her. The capy clearly liked it and raised its foot so she could even tickle and gently massage its little sole.
THAT’S WHEN THE CAPYBARA LITERALLY FLUFFED OUT TO MAXIMUM PUFFBALL STATUS, FELL OVER AND BEGAN TO BEG FOR TUMMY RUBS!!!!
Yes folks, our daughter and her magic nails have done it again. Not only does she charm every dog and cat within a mile radius, now she’s also a capybara whisperer. Our Paws & Claws hosts were laughing and amazed – they said they had never seen a capy do this before in all their years of owning and handling them!
We all began to offer gentle foot massages to the capys, and they melted like putty in our hands. Who knew that capybaras love foot massages as much as some people?!
I’m happy to have learned this vital piece of knowledge and now you too have been entrusted with the sacred key to unlock the heart – and ensure fluffball status – of every capybara you meet. The key to their hearts is in their sweet, black, webbed and leathery little feet.
Be sure to use this power only for good!
