Capybaras enjoy swimming, just like many other rodents such as beavers, muskrats, nutria, and even rats. Wild capybaras, naturally, swim in or near water. But what about those living in captivity? Where do they take a dip?
If I were a capybara, living in a Japanese zoo would be ideal. In all seriousness, capybaras in such zoos have a pretty good life. But is it really swimming?
Consider this Japanese capybara—now that’s some serious swimming! The fish around them, however, look quite intimidating. If you aren’t aware of how large capybaras are, this could be very perplexing, making the capybara appear tiny. (Anyone with insights on these fish? Assuming they’re freshwater, where do such massive fish swim without scraping the bottom?)
Then there are pet capybaras. Melanie Typaldos created a custom pool for Mudskipper, featuring broad steps, a long swimming area, and the perfect depth for standing around. As you can see, Hibby indeed loved lounging in his pool.
- Skippy enjoying a stand.
- An ideal capybara pool.
Check out her video to see the action.
Like many of us, Melanie hoped her swimming pools would last long. We usually start with affordable packaged pools. Hibby had one like the one shown below. They often lean on the sides, letting the water out, which is admittedly cute. However, the issue is Garibaldi, who takes playful nips at the pool’s top edge. After a bit of swimming, watch what happens—he shreds the bottom in under three minutes. You might want to watch it twice.
Here’s little Hibby enjoying his discount-store molded plastic pool. You often need to double these up or the edges get chewed. These are easy to clean, the water heats up under the sun, and even a fully grown capybara loves lounging in them. They’re great as a hot tub in winter, though not for swimming due to their small size.
- Young capys can sort of swim in these.
- Hibby warms up in his hot tub.
I couldn’t build an in-ground pool for Hibby because our water table is so high that a concrete pool would pop right out of the ground. So, I opted for a typical above-ground pool, which didn’t survive the winter. The next one was defective, and the third was eaten. The fourth, with steel walls and a vinyl liner, lasted a week. The fifth, a galvanized stock tank, was rejected by Hibby. The sixth, with thick walls and a 16′ diameter, was expensive but outlasted him.
- A 4,000-gallon pool, suitable for capybaras who love standing around.
- Hibby would often swim straight into the wall and take a bite.
- A 5,000-gallon pool was even better and too thick to bite.
Owning a capybara is delightful, particularly watching them swim, yet quite challenging when it comes to cleaning their pools. It’s not just the occasional mishap but the mud they bring in before diving in. Hibby’s pool had a large pump and filter, but it never managed to clear the water as quickly as he muddied it. So, I added goldfish and let it be.
A friend in Arizona with Funny Foot Farm has multiple capybaras and a large in-ground pool. Although Arizona’s blazing summers mean less mud, the dusty capybaras still make the water murky.
- The Funny Foot Farm’s large pool needs a robust filter to handle the dust from multiple capybaras.
- The old filter system is visible in the background.
With her capybaras likely swimming alongside many other friends, she recently upgraded to a massive filter system.
That’s an enormous filter!
Some capybaras have all the luck, like JoeJoe swimming with his girlfriend, Sweetie. Watching them play in the water is delightful.
It’s cute, but I bet you’re curious to see more of that pool, right? Sweetie lived in Las Vegas and had a celebrity pool. Check it out in this final video.
Huge thanks to Cody Kennedy for his videos. His support and enthusiasm keep these blog posts alive. Don’t miss out on Cody’s shop, Crazy Cody’s Creatures YouTube channel, and Patreon.
Thanks also to Melanie Typaldos’s Capybara Madness website for featuring Mudskipper and Garibaldi. If you want to support capybaras, consider donating to The ROUS Fund for Capybara Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M.
Visit Funny Foot Farm and Tucson Petting Zoo if you’re in Tucson, Arizona!
The first Japanese video is from Hiro@sea, featuring some entertaining shoebill videos as well. The second comes from Nagasaki BioPark, where you’ll find hours of engaging capybara videos. Grab a snack and enjoy!
Support Stacy’s Funny Farm by shopping at Georgia Dee’s Gift Shop or by making a direct donation. Stacy’s Funny Farm is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
