Me with Barbara Heidenreich

Things are going to  be a bit out of order for the next few blog posts. Too many things have been happening for me to keep up! It is a very exciting life, being Capybara Ambassador (or Capybassador, as some say). But I wanted to tell [...]]]>  

Me with Barbara Heidenreich

Things are going to  be a bit out of order for the next few blog posts. Too many things have been happening for me to keep up! It is a very exciting life, being Capybara Ambassador (or Capybassador, as some say). But I wanted to tell you about my new friend, Barbara Heidenreich, right away. You will never believe this but Barbara is a capybara trainer!

Friends and food, can't have one without the other

Believe it or don’t, Melly met Barbara at the grocery store! Seems like something good did come from our appearance on My Crazy Obsession (humm, I never even blogged about that). Barbara saw me on TV and she wanted to tell Melly that she could help me with my harness-o-phobia. At first Melly and I were skeptical, but then we went to Barbara’s webpage, Good Bird Inc. Barb’s got the credentials to back up her claims.

Barbara and Richard from Britian's Channel 5

A last minute change of script allowed Barbara to come give me my very first training session on camera for our shoot with Channel 5 in the UK. (I don’t know yet when that will air but I’ll keep you posted.)

Luckily Barb’s good at explaining things because Melly is not the toothiest piranha in the Amazon, if you know what I mean. Basically the first task is to get me to put my nose on a ball at the end of a stick. Every time I do that, I get a treat. Barb said this is called “targeting.” Ultimately, it is supposed to teach me where to go since the theory is that the rest of my body will follow my nose. I’m pretty sure that at least my mouth and my stomach will since I’ll need them to digest the treat.

Click here to view the embedded video.

My first real training session

Like all capybaras, I am super smart. And really, how hard is it to put my nose on a ball? Only there better always be a treat! I’m not some dog where you only have to provide the treat once in a while. I expect a treat–and a good one–every single time. You can see by the video that Melly and I did okay with this training stuff right from the beginning. When I touch the ball, she gives the treat.

On my way to training session two

Click here to view the embedded video.

My second training session

If this is all there is to training, I think I am going to like it. It has provided me with a nifty way to tell Melly to fork over a treat. And I don’t have to shake or do a circle. Sometimes she makes me stand, but that is easy.

When the target is high, I have to stand up to touch it

Of course, standing up and begging is a trick I’ve known how to do for a long time. I’m not sure I look any cuter doing it to touch my nose on that target than I did when there was no target. Melly has threatened to teach me to touch the target when it is underwater though. I am not sure yet how I feel about that. I guess you’ll have to read about it on my blog on some future date.

Don’t forget to take the poll on the right side bar!

Garibaldi Rous' Dad, Capy

So much has happened in the past few weeks that I haven’t had a chance to finish off blogging about my trip to Pearland, TX to see Garibaldi’s family and the wonderful facilities at Kapi’yva Exotics. So far I have covered all [...]]]>  

Garibaldi Rous' Dad, Capy

Owner’s Blog:

So much has happened in the past few weeks that I haven’t had a chance to finish off blogging about my trip to Pearland, TX to see Garibaldi’s family and the wonderful facilities at Kapi’yva Exotics. So far I have covered all the non-capybara animals in Part I of this series. Part II focused on Gari’s Mom and baby sister. This part covers all of the other capybaras there but especially Garibaldi’s dad, Capy.

Liz Capaldi feeding Capy

It was really great to see how friendly Garibaldi’s father, Capy, is. He was Justin’s first capybara and he got him not long after I got Caplin Rous. Justin always said that Capy had a great personality and he sure proved it on our visit. But I have to admit that all of Justin’s capys seemed happy and friendly.

Liz and Capy

Capy leads a pretty good life. Most of the time he shares his large enclosure with three female capybara that form his band, including Garibaldi’s mother, Scarlet. Scarlet and one other of Capy’s mates were in separate smaller enclosures while we were there since they were taking care of babies.

Capy's enclosure

I think that is Capy sitting in front of one of the civet cages. You can see he has a big water trough to swim in toward the back of the photo. And a toy slide. It was a photo of Capy and his girls on that slide that inspired me to get one for Caplin Rous. I haven’t taught Garibaldi to use it yet.

Down the middle of the enclosure you can see a trench. They need a lot of drainage because Houston gets some serious downpours. I’ll bet that, after a rain, Capy puts that trench to good use.

Capy waiting for more food from Liz

You have to admit that Capy is pretty cute, even for a capybara. Justin told me once that he is his favorite, and no wonder.

Portrait of Capy

Okay, that’s it. I can’t make this post just about Capy so I am going to have to move on.

Capy's teeth

Alright, I couldn’t stop that abruptly. This is absolutely the last photo of Capy that I am going to post though. Capy’s teeth look a bit long in this photo but Justin says they have already chipped off a bit and are now shorter than this. This is a natural part of capybara biology.

A capybara enclosure

This is another capybara enclosure. You can’t see the whole thing in this photo. On the far left you get just a glimpse of the crested porcupine pen, the capy enclosure continues behind that. I think there are three capys in this pen, one male and two females, except that one of the females has been removed to a smaller pen since Justin expected her to give birth any day.

Capy couple

This is a pair of capybara that live in the enclosure in the previous photo. The male is in the back.

Is this my good side?

As you can see, all of Justin’s capybara look healthy, happy and friendly.

Alas, eventually we had to leave. Justin had a million things to do that day and we faced a long drive home. Pearland and Buda might look relatively close on a map of Texas but actually they are very far apart.

Squirrel god

On the drive back we stopped to take a photo of a giant squirrel statue. I refuse to purchase anything at this place because they have the world’s most annoying sign. It is huge, it is high and it is very, very bright. This place is out in the middle of nowhere and that sign can be seen for miles. It flashes in the most annoying way. I cannot imagine that it has not caused at least a few accidents. I hate them. But I like the squirrel. Coral apparently worships it.

In the car

Ever wonder how I get to all the places I go? Well, just like you (probably), I go in a car. Unlike you (again, probably), I don’t like it.

At a school playground

I don’t think I like any [...]]]>

In the car

Ever wonder how I get to all the places I go? Well, just like you (probably), I go in a car. Unlike you (again, probably), I don’t like it.

At a school playground

I don’t think I like any of the places we go in the car either. Sure, I look cute on kids’ playground equipment but do I really want to be up there? No. Only I had to follow Rick, why he went up there is beyond me.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Anyway, the above is a video showing how “good” I am at getting in a car. Hope you enjoy it more than I did.

#1) Scarlet and Scarlotta

I was going to write a nice blog about all the capybaras at Kapi’yva Exotics, showing photos of each along with us interacting with them, but when I went through all of my photos I realized there are just too many of [...]]]>  

#1) Scarlet and Scarlotta

Owner’s blog:

I was going to write a nice blog about all the capybaras at Kapi’yva Exotics, showing photos of each along with us interacting with them, but when I went through all of my photos I realized there are just too many of Garibaldi’s mom, Scarlet, and baby sister, whom I call Scarlotta, that I have to share. So I am dedicating this post to just these two capybaras. Hope y’all don’t mind.

#2) Scarlotta

I don’t really have a lot to say about each photo so instead I decided to just have a kind-of photo contest. I have numbered each shot and put a poll in the right side bar for you to vote for your favorite. (If you are reading this sometime in the distant future, I am sorry to say that the poll will be gone.)

#3) Scarlotta

She is sure a cutie.

#4) Scarlet

Maybe Garibaldi gets his good looks from his mother.

#5) What an expressive face Scarlet has!

#6) Coral feeding Scarlet through the fence

#7) Mother and baby

It seems as if Scarlotta has the fur on her neck standing up in Garibaldi’s signature mohawk!

#8) Mothers and daughters never get along

#9) This is the big girl bath

#10) I just need a few minutes of peace!

#11) Well, I guess you ARE a big girl!

#12) Lean on me

#13) Ah, that feels good

#14) Scarlotta back on dry ground

Don’t forget to watch the video!

Click here to view the embedded video.

On our way to TAMU

If you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you know that I do not like car rides. Cars go places, that’s what I don’t like about them. They go places and they take you with them. On April 14, 2012, a car [...]]]>

On our way to TAMU

If you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you know that I do not like car rides. Cars go places, that’s what I don’t like about them. They go places and they take you with them. On April 14, 2012, a car took me all the way up to College Station, to Texas A&M University’s Vet School’s open house.

Apparently Melly had been planning this horrible adventure for almost a year, since the last time I went to A&M, which was quite unpleasant. You can read about that here. Let me tell you, after that, I never wanted to go back. This time was bad too, but not nearly as bad. Melly says you have to make comparisons like that to put things in perspective. I’d like to put things in perspective! In the perspective of a high-powered telescope!

The line of people waiting to see me

But that’s not to say that some good didn’t come of it. I really advanced my standing as a professional Capybara Ambassador. About 15,000 people attend the open house and it seemed as if they all wanted to see me! I was inside that building there. I didn’t get to see everyone because I only spent half the day there. Melly said I wasn’t up to a full day but I think I probably could have done it.

I weighed in at almost 113 lbs!

No point in going to someplace like that without getting on a scale. Turns out I weigh almost 113 lbs! That is much more than Melly thought I weigh. Dr. Hoppes later complemented me on my excellent behavior on so calmly sitting on the scale. I wasn’t exactly calm, I think I was too afraid to move.

On display

This is what my setup at the vet school looked like. I had a nice pool to rest in. I spent most of my time in that. I feel safer in the water. I also had hay, as you can see on the left, grass and guinea pig food in bowls. Plus some corn that you can see on the right. Then I had a couple of my favorite beds and my poop bowl. You can’t see that stuff in this image because it is behind the camera. Behind me you can see there is a gate to keep people away. This gave me room to move around and reduced my stress level.

Elizabeth telling people about me

I guess I should mention that along with me and Melly, Stacy Winnick and Elizabeth Leight came. They helped do all the things you have to do to get through an event like this and Melly and I are so grateful for their help! In the photo above, you can see that Elizabeth is talking to the people and explaining my cuteness. I am just being my normal cute self.

Capybara Poster

Melly and Stacy spent the whole day before the event working on this great capybara poster. It has three parts, the middle is about the ROUS Foundation, the right panel is about pet capybaras and the left panel is about wild capybaras. Melly & Elizabeth used this poster a lot when they were talking about me.

You can also see that they put a bunch of stuff for sale up there. Sadly, we sold very little. This was mainly because the people were allowed to stay and admire me for only FOUR MINUTES! I felt so sorry for them! They hardly got a chance to appreciate me or to listen to all the wonderful capybara facts Melly and Elizabeth were spewing. Then they had to move on to the next animal.

Dr. Hoppes and her birds

One of the next animals was Dr. Hoppes showing off her beautiful macaw and cockatoo. There was also a young red-tailed hawk and a baby owl. The cockatoo screamed whenever Dr. Hoppes went more than a few feet away. She said parrots don’t make good pets for many people. That is the same thing Melly says about capybaras.

Echidna

Another of the near-by animals was this echidna, also called a spiny anteater. They aren’t related to South American anteaters though. They are related to platypuses and they are one of the few types of mammals that lay eggs. Pretty cool, but capys are cuter.

Binturong

Another near-by animal was this binturong or Asian bear-cat. He looks kind-of sad. The binturong is not a bear or a cat but I don’t think that’s why he is sad.

Stacy drawing me

Stacy didn’t like talking to the people. I think she was as afraid of them as I was. That’s why she hung out with me in the back. Or maybe it was just because she was artistically inspired by my plight, beauty in distress is a common theme in art. Anyway, in the photo above she is drawing me in her journal that she is going to share with a sixth grade class.

Two stalkers, Kirsten and Wendy, visited me

Along with the hundreds of new fans I saw at TAMU, I got a chance to meet two of my Facebook stalkers, Kirsten and Wendy. Melly let them come behind the barrier and spend more than four minutes. They drove up from Houston, which is not close. Actually, nothing is close to College Station. I really liked the two of them and I hope they come visit me again.

Getting a little braver

In the last hour of my four hour stint, I got a little braver and came over to the barrier. I even let a few people pet me. That is why I think I could have done the whole day. On the other hand, I was plenty happy to leave when the time came. I didn’t even mind getting back in the car for the two hour drive home.

CLOSE THE DOOR!!!!

Well, this is embarrassing. Smelly (she deserves that name!) says that people are always asking about my bathroom habits. What is up with that? I don’t ask about theirs. It is rude, that’s what. Rude, plain and simple.

But, if you must know, [...]]]>  

CLOSE THE DOOR!!!!

Well, this is embarrassing. Smelly (she deserves that name!) says that people are always asking about my bathroom habits. What is up with that? I don’t ask about theirs. It is rude, that’s what. Rude, plain and simple.

But, if you must know, yes, I am “house trained.” I can’t use the human toilet because it is too high and I couldn’t get my feet into it without falling completely in. Humans are omnivores and, believe me, you don’t want to fall into their toilets! Herbivores, like us capybaras, are so much cleaner. Anyway, I always defecate and/or urinate in my special toilet bowl in the guest bathroom. The photo above immodestly shows me doing it. If that isn’t bad enough, Smelly has posted a video of me on YouTube.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It is rude of you to watch this video.

Not all capybaras are as fastidious as I am. Caplin Rous always went to the bathroom in the water but he would use any water he found including bowls outside and even, sometimes, the swimming pool! (Finally there is one way I am better than Caplin. It’s been a long time coming.) Dobby (aka Dobbye) Winnick poops all over the place. Stacy says he is making statements when he poops in his milk bowl or on her shoe or whatever. (Actually, that last was my guinea pig friend, Alfalfa. He has his own blog here. But you get the idea.)

So now you know, but I’d prefer you keep it to yourselves.

Don’t forget to take the poll on the right side bar!

Clean is for losers

I have had a very exciting weekend! Parts have been really fun and parts have been very stressful. There is just too much to cover in one blog post. Or two. Hopefully I can fit it all in three but it may stretch out [...]]]>

Clean is for losers

I have had a very exciting weekend! Parts have been really fun and parts have been very stressful. There is just too much to cover in one blog post. Or two. Hopefully I can fit it all in three but it may stretch out to four. We’ll see. This is the first installment and it is all about mud.

Me and my mud

In the two photos above you can see how much I love mud. But I don’t only get muddy when I have my harness on.

Post-walk cleansing

The annoying thing about mud and my harness is that Melly makes me take a bath in my little green pool before I can go in the house or into the big pool. Melly won’t take my harness off until I get in there and rinse off. Sometimes that little pool isn’t even very clean, as you can see in the photo above, and yet it still manages to get all of the mud off me.

The capybara from the black lagoon

However, there are occasions when I get muddy when I don’t have the harness on. Typically this is by rolling in my pond. My pond isn’t always muddy, as it apparently wasn’t in the above photo, but when it is! Oh! When it is, how wonderful the mud is! How black and gooey! The very best mud in the world! And this can provide an opportunity. If no one is watching, I can come in the house and do a little redecorating.

Normally I am not a sneaky capybara, but when I heard Stacy Winnick was coming to visit me, I just had to fix up the house for her. She was scheduled to arrive on Thursday evening, so Wednesday, I did some serious mud rolling, waited for the opportune time and voilâ! (Hint: One should always speak a little French when talking about artistic endeavors such as interior decorating.)

I call this "Modern Mud"

One of my favorite touches was coating my bed in mud. This is like an artist’s signature saying, “this is my work, your admiration and envy are accepted.”

My pawprints lead the way

The hallway is the most under-appreciated room in the house. I took care of that by putting my special pawprint design all over it. And then a little coda when you get into the master bedroom, the more private part of the house. (Not that Melly didn’t let everyone see us in her bed on national television!) I was especially proud of my artistry in this area. Just the right amount of mud in just the right places.

My bathroom, with mud

It is important not to forget the small things. You cannot stop with muddy carpets and tile floors. How odd would that look if all of the walls and doors were clean? Here is an example of how to extend the theme upward. To do this kind of work, you have to make sure you have a very muddy nose. I forgot to get a photo of it but I also shook myself in various places around the house, next to the stone fireplace and in the hallway for example. A good shake of a muddy body sends an impressively expressive mud splatter that adheres well to vertical surfaces.

By this time I can imagine that all of my readers are in awe of my talent. But, like most great artists, I am unappreciated. When Melly got home from work on Wednesday, she was not at all proud of me! Instead she seemed a little angry. (Oddly, her anger was directed at Rick and not at me. This may be because Rick’s artistic sensibilities run more in line with mine than with Melly’s.) Then she took Thursday off and spent the whole day erasing my work! She cleaned the walls, she vacuumed and she shampooed the carpets! She has absolutely no respect for art! By the time Stacy arrived, you could hardly even tell that I had done anything at all.

Want to kiss my nose?

Anyone out there want to meet me? I am going to be at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in College Station, TX on Saturday April 14, 2012!

I outgrew this cape before I was even born!

Don’t panic! [...]]]>  

Want to kiss my nose?

Anyone out there want to meet me? I am going to be at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in College Station, TX on Saturday April 14, 2012!

I outgrew this cape before I was even born!

Don’t panic! I am not sick!

I am going as part of my duties as Capybara Ambassador. It is part of the Vet School’s annual open house. I will be there from around 11:00 – 3:00, or maybe 12:00 to 4:00, depending on how hard it is to get my harness on that day. I hope I am in a good mood because it is going to be a long drive.

There will other animals there too, like kangaroos and birds and dogs and cats and whatnot. The real Super Capy will be there too and Melly will even have some for sale, along with her book, Celeste and the Giant Hamster.

As a special added bonus, Stacy Winnick, my best capy-friend Dobby Winnick’s owner, will be there. Special people may be allowed to kiss my nose…or Stacy’s if they’d rather.

If you come to visit with me, Melly & Stacy, make sure you let us know that you read the blog! And everyone who visits with us gets one of my new fancy-schmancy business cards. Each card has 1 of 50 photos of me so make sure you pick out one you really like.

Leave a comment if you’re coming! In any case, take the poll on the right sidebar.

Liz feeding me while Marc mans the camera

I am happy to say that I have two of the best capybara stalkers in the world! Nay, dare I say, I have the two very best capy stalkers? I do not see how it can be otherwise. Liz and [...]]]>  

Liz feeding me while Marc mans the camera

I am happy to say that I have two of the best capybara stalkers in the world! Nay, dare I say, I have the two very best capy stalkers? I do not see how it can be otherwise. Liz and Marc Capaldi are so obsessed with me that even I can hardly believe it.

Marc and Liz visited me both days this weekend. They have come before and are even thinking of moving to Austin just to be near me! (And maybe some family or something but I’m sure that’s just to make them seem less crazy.)

Is this the nose you love?

Saturday Liz forgot her “swimming costume” (Britishisms are so cute!) so she couldn’t get in the water with me. To make it up to her, I did a bunch of cute behaviors and maneuvers that can be appreciated from above water.

Look at me now! Can you stand the cute?

My underwater rolling gets them every time. No one can resist it. Just a little hint of a smile and a couple of bubbles and people fall completely in love with me. I kind of wasted it on the Capaldi’s though because they already love me, especially Liz.

Admiring me from a-near

I am pretty sure I am just as cute from behind as I am from the front. Still, maybe this is the reason the day went bad. How badly did the day go? Just look at the next photo.

Let's go already

That is me at the Vietnamese restaurant in Kyle, Texas. Those who know me, know that I do not like to go places. This was not my idea and there wasn’t even any food there for me. Okay, I got a couple of cobs of corn but Melly and Rick brought those with us. I could have more easily eaten them at home.

A pet does not cover this, Liz.

Of course, Liz tried to pet me to calm me down but that really doesn’t cut it, does it? If she really loved me, would she allow me to be tortured like this? On the other hand, I am pretty sure the whole thing was Melly & Rick’s idea. I think they love me, so why did they do this?

That was all on Saturday. Sunday was a brand new day. This time Liz remembered her swim costume.

Spin me!

From inside the pool I am a lot more fun. In case you didn’t know, I like to roll. Rolling is my superpower. I practice it all the time. And I appreciate a little help perfecting my form, as Liz is demonstrating in the photo above. This is fun, but it is also serious business. Someday the world is going to rely on my rolling ability so I need to keep it at it’s highest level of perfection.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Still photos do not do my rolling justice so you’re going to have to watch the video. This should be a pleasure, but it is also a duty. When the time comes, you may be the one who has to make the decision to call on me to save the world. It is best if you know exactly how amazing my superpower is.

Mid-roll!

Okay, you can get some idea of my rolling powers from still photos like the one above. This photo demonstrates the super nature of my ability. Did you notice I am just as cute upside-down? That is it! Most things are not even cute at all when they are upside-down. They just make you nervous and confused. Everything except me.

Most of me

Melly says I am like an iceberg, 90% of me is underwater when I swim. That is except when 100% of me is underwater!

Trick for treat

Liz tried to get me to do tricks for a few bites of corn-on-the-cob. Usually I am pretty good about this but Liz’s British accent confused me a bit.

If you want me to stand, why did you signal circle?

Do accents extend to hand signals? I guess they must because I know people who speak sign language in England can’t even understand American sign language. At any rate, I kept misinterpreting Liz’s signals. At first it was frustrating but later I did it on purpose because it was funny.

Give me your paw? But where's yours?

I had no idea what Liz wanted me to do in this photo but I was getting dizzy from the circles so I decided to try “gimme your paw.”

I am a big, beautiful capybara

Eventually I figured out that Liz wanted me to sit up on my hind legs. Humans think this is cute because it reminds them of themselves.

There was one more thing we did. We got in the car and went to a local school.

You lead, I'll follow

Melly and Rick are always pushing me outside my comfort zone. That makes me…uncomfortable. They say I have to do it if I’m going to be a good Capybara Ambassador. It almost makes me want to quit. But I did it. I went in the car. I climbed on the playground toys. It is so hard to live up to Caplin Rous’ legacy.