Talk about unique and memorable life experiences: we recently got to hang with a prego capybara right here in Ohio.
Most people have never had the good fortune to spend time up close and personal with a capybara. We got to do that with not one but two capys – including one who is ready to have babies any day now!
This wasn’t our first capybara experience, either. We loved our capybara experience at Paws and Claws last summer so much that we were excited to meet a couple of new capys and see how the experiences compare.
This time, we went to Majestic Meadows Alpacas to visit with their capy couple, Coraline and Captain. We already knew we love Majestic Meadows – their motto is family fun and furry friends, so what’s not to love?!
On a cold but sunny winter day, we drove up north to Majestic Meadows for our private encounter with their capybara duo. We did not realize Coraline was pregnant until we got there!
We were not able to walk around the farm and visit with all the other animals, as we had last time, because farm tours are not available in January and February. That’s probably because the animals are hunkered down, all cozy in their barns, and wouldn’t appreciate the public tromping through!
Since this was just a quick visit focused on “Capybaras, Quills, and Artie the Armadillo,” our private encounter was priced at $45 per person. It was super fun and pretty affordable compared to other critter experiences we’ve done (and we’ve done A LOT of them!)
When we arrived at Majestic Meadows, we checked in at the boutique and were directed back to the little red barn where the capybara encounters happen. We went in and immediately met Coraline and Captain. Our human host told us that we would likely only be feeding Coraline, since she’s eating a lot more than usual due to her pregnancy.
They told us that Captain seems to know she is pregnant and takes a back seat during treat feeding time, letting her have all the extra veggies. Sure enough, that’s exactly what he did – and she ate every bite. What a good baby daddy he is!
We then got to pet and scritch Coraline and Captain to our heart’s content, while listening to our host tell us all about capybaras and these two specifically. No one knows exactly when Coraline will give birth, but signs point to soon. I’ll be watching the Majestic Meadows social media feed closely for baby capy updates!
We loved meeting and petting Coraline and Captain. Coraline liked belly scritches and butt scratches. Captain lay down next to Z and seemed to like being pet and scratched absolutely everywhere!
After a while, we got up and went into the next room to meet some more friends. There, we met Jack, Quin and Mama-mia, the three prehensile-tailed porcupines. We got to wake them up from their naps – they are nocturnal – and feed them some sweet potato slices. They were very sweet and didn’t seem to mind being woken up at all. We got to pet them all over, including on their quills, as long as we petted in the right direction so we didn’t get speared!
After meeting that adorable trio, we got to hold Artie, the three-banded armadillo. He was quite shy and sleepy, but happy to show off the amazing armored design that allows him to roll into a perfect ball and “lock” into place. Honestly, he’s one of the coolest animals we’ve ever met!
Our visit lasted a little over an hour and then we were on our way. It was great meeting some new-to-us critters and getting to visit with and love on Coraline before her big day. You’d better believe we’re already planning a spring or summer visit to Majestic Meadows to see Coraline and Captain’s babies!
If you’ve never gotten up close with a capybara, we highly recommend it at either Majestic Meadows or Paws and Claws. One of our favorite parts of both visits is that the families truly care about the animals and won’t allow anything that the animals themselves don’t want. Everything is done at the pace and in the way the animals prefer. When Coraline was finished visiting with us, she got up and went to lay down in an area that was off-limits for guests. I love that no animals are made to interact if they don’t want to!
What do you think – will you book a capybara encounter this year? I’d love to hear in the comments below or over on Facebook or Instagram!
