10 Things I Like/Dislike About Mudskipper

Lazy capybara!

Melanie’s post:

There’s a lot to like about having a pet capybara named Skipper Rous. But there’s a lot to not like, too. I know, she paints a rosy picture of herself, but it’s not all balloons and unicorns. So here are 10 things I like, and 10 things I dislike, about living with Mudskipper Rous.

Let’s start with the don’t likes first because they are easier.

1. She’s a capybara
   By itself, this is not a bad thing, but in Skipper, it is.
2. She’s huge!
   Don’t tell me that I knew she was going to get big, she is huger than any capybara has a right to be. And she’s still growing. Soon she won’t fit through her pet door. Some would say she already doesn’t.
3. She’s nocturnal
   Jesh, if you’re going to have a giant pet, it seems like she could at least be awake when you are. And I don’t mean that she should keep waking me up in the middle of the night.
   

   I think I know what happened to this couch

4. She’s destructive
   You have no idea how many things she has destroyed with her sharp capybara teeth. And to top it off, she chews on the tortoises’ shells. That means that they have to be separated in the two parts of the yard, which gives each of them less room. This isn’t fair to the tortoises.
5. She won’t walk on a leash
   You know, I worked with that capybara from the day I got her on wearing her harness and walking on a leash. Finally, after 2.5 years of work, I can get the harness on her. Most of the time. Okay, some of the time. And don’t even ask me about the leash.
   

   Eating corn husk

6. Keeping her in corn is expensive
   Sure, corn is cheap, but she eats about 30 ears per week. That’s a massive amount of corn and it takes up the whole refrigerator. Since I can’t drive, it cost me about $30 to just GET to the grocery store and back. I could save some bucks if I didn’t have to go so often.
   

   One very muddy capybara

7. She tracks mud EVERYWHERE
   I know I’ve mentioned this before but it can’t be overstated. I seriously named her appropriately when I called her Mudskipper.
8. She has some issues with trust
   It’s crazy. I’ve never been anything but nice to that capybara and she still won’t walk past me in the hall in case I should jump out like a jaguar and eat her. 
9. She’s too cute
   She wastes all my time by forcing me to take photos of her. And worse, she is sleeping in just about every one! I can’t even pass by her without thinking how cute she is. Of course, that’s not in the hall where we can’t pass each other.
10. She makes me write this blog
    Since no one has probably read this far, the hypothetical “you” reading this post will know what I mean.

Looking regal

Now for the 10 things I like about Mudskipper. This is harder.

1. She’s a capybara
   Aside from all of the terrible things that entails, that’s pretty nice.
2. She’s huge
   If she’s going to be a capybara, she might as well do it right. 
3. She’s cute
   Let’s face it, that is every capybara’s main feature. It’s what endears you to them before you get to know their crazy personalities.
   

   Front paws are cute, too

4. Her feet
   Yeah, it’s part of her cuteness, but it deserves special mention. Her feet are totally cute, especially the middle toe in the back. It’s big enough to be its own capybara.
5. She sleeps under the covers
   Her fur is like straw so it’s not that comfortable, but it is a great feeling to have a capybara snuggled up against you.
6. Her voice
   I once described a capybara’s voice as sounding like a Geiger counter. That is true. But she also makes noises like a bird chirping. Also, like a squeaky wheel that needs some grease, aka food.
   

   Skipper and Driftwood

7. She loves Driftwood
   It is so sweet the way she follows Driftwood around. Actually, she does that too often, forcing Driftwood to give her a sharp tap on the nose.
8. Swimming
   Although she won’t swim in a pool so we can’t go swimming together as I did with both Caplin and Gari, she is still a hole lot of fun to watch.
9. Jumping
   Jumping is Skipper’s superpower. She mainly exercises it by jumping in and out of the pond. She’ll often come running across the hard and plung straight into the pond. I think she’d get all the way to China if she’s go the other way.
10. She loves me
    There’s nothing like having a capybara love you.

So that’s it. At least for the good points. I can think of a whole lot more bad ones. Not kidding. I’d mention them here but I said I was only going to give ten.