10 Thing I Like/Dislike About MelT

Me and MelT

Skipper’s Post

MelT’s last post was about 10 things she likes or dislikes about me. Now I’m going to get even by posting 10 things I like or dislike about her. Only she did 10 of each, likes and dislikes. I’m only going to do 10 altogether, 5 likes and 5 dislikes. As a capybara, I have complete freedom to change the rules.

We captive capybaras have unwritten, unspoken, and pretty much unthought ideas about the capybara-human relationship. Some things really don’t take a rocket scientist to figure out, at least for us, but I suppose I will have to mention them here because most of my audience is human.

I’m not including any photos because there are few photos of me with MelT. Let’s just say MelT does not photograph well. That is being kind.

Things I like:

1. She feeds me
   A constant supply of my favorite foods, CORN, MILK, melons, grass, and other tasty treats, including Temptations, is hard to keep up, at least according to her. I think I’m going to agree with that.
2. She protects me from jaguars
   After food, this is absolutely the most important thing! Jaguars are so dangerous. And evil. And they could be lurking silently anywhere! We do have cats, but they don’t seem to be a problem. In fact, Driftwood is my best friend.
3. A warm snuggly bed in winter
   I know I am a lucky capybara because I don’t have to deal with the weather when it is cold outside. I have heard from Dobby Winnick that this is not true for all captive capybaras. Gasp!
4. I have air conditioning in the summer
   This is not as important as heat in the winter, but it is still nice. We capys can take a lot of heat as long as we have water to cool off in and some nice shady trees. Still, it’s nice to have.
5. She hugs me
   This is not always something I am particularly fond of, but sometimes it is really nice. For instance, this morning I was so afraid! I ran into he office and jumped on the window seat like I usually do when I’m afraid, but it didn’t help. Then I ran back to the bed and I was shaking so hard I almost got seasick! Then MelT came and put the covers over us and held me until I felt better. It’s good to know you’re not alone when things get scary.

I’m glad I decided only to do five.

Here are the things I dislike about MelT

1. She rations the corn
   This doesn’t take any explaining, it is just wrong.
2. Tricks
   I don’t mind doing tricks, they can be fun, and good entertainment for visitors (those that I like), but I don’t see why I have to do a trick in order to get a treat. How fair is that?
3. The harness
   You probably all know how I feel about the harness. And yet MelT has some irrational fascination with it. This is our greatest area of contention. So far, I am winning.
4. Barriers
   MelT has set up what she calls “child gates” to prevent me from moving about the house freely. And yet, and this is totally unfair, the cats can jump right over them and go wherever they want! The child gates are difficult, but not impossible, to knock down. Normally it’s not worth the effort, but sometimes…
5. The fence
   I’m conflicted about the fence. It’s a very nice fence. I feel really safe from coyotes and dogs, although it wouldn’t stop a jaguar and that makes me a bit nervous. On the other paw, the fence keeps me from going out and exploring the world. On the other paw, the world is pretty scary, maybe even has crocodiles in addition to jaguars. I think the fence can keep out crocodiles, but I’ll have to ask about that. On yet another paw, I have heard there is a creek out there which is like heaven for a capybara to swim in. Good thing I have four paws.

All in all, life is pretty good here. I have my co-pets for friends, I have MelT as a protector, I have a reliable food supply, and a nice temperature controlled home.

Hey readers, do you have anyone taking care of you? Do you get/give corn your charge enough corn? A comfy place to live? Or maybe you take them to scary places like the vet! (I forgot to mention that.) Do you hug each other? Do you think MelT is a good caregiver or should I try to trade up?