[Gpdd] MISC:Capybaras

[Willowstorm25 at aol.com]

Capybaras are also known as chiwiri in South America.  They are  awesome 
rodents.
 
>From everything I've read, capys make wonderful pets, who have intelligence  
that rivals that of hogs (very intelligent animals indeed) and who bond deeply 
 with human caretakers.  They can and often are taught elaborate tricks  and 
are used for handicapped assistance in several countries in South  America 
(most commonly in the capacity of seeing-eye "dogs", and retreivers  for the 
wheelchair-bound).  They are easily housebroken and trained to  scratch the door 
to go out when they need to do their business.
 
A few years back, I tried to convince Craig to let us bring one into our  
home. But because capys are so large (some exceed 200 lbs) and have  unique 
needs, such as their insistence upon evacuating in water, which  would necessitate 
keeping a raunchy wading pool in the house or yard, and being  rodents can be 
quite destructive with their teeth, Craig got me to concede  .  I still dream 
of bringing one home, but realize that unless I lived on a  farm, it would not 
be practical for me nor fair for the animal itself.  Who  knows?  Maybe 
someday.  Just not now.
 
Nicholle, Slave to Ryvvir & Chuqui (my  mini-capybaras!)



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