People with the Strangest Pets!

There is a couple in rural Buda, Texas who keeps a 100-pound rodent in their home. They live on hundreds of acres of open spaces sporting an outdoor pool that even has an inner tube stuffed with aqua noodles (so he doesn't puncture it with his very sharp teeth!) for the enjoyment of the rodent. C'mon folks - this is a RAT we're talking about!

I understand the Rodent named Caplin Rous snuggles in bed, does tricks like "Sit" and "Shake" and he even goes on short car trips to the store. He follows his owners around the house making "eep" noises whenever they are not in his sight. Yick! is more like it! This is creepy.

He's actually a capybara, otherwise known as the largest rodent species on earth. His owners claim him to be clean, neat and the perfect pet although they strongly admit that having one of these is not for everyone. "He's very needy but I love him to death," says Melanie Typaldos the owner. "He's very affectionate. He loves to lick my face and forehead and just follow me around everywhere, but he tends to be territorial and can attack if he feels threatened." Like I said before, "Yick!" I am not going to let an oversized RAT slobber all over me!

It was her daughter who convinced her to purchase the rodent several years ago from a Texas breeder. Typaldos bought him when he was just 11 days old and spent three months house training him to use an oversized water bowl in the bathroom when the urge arises. Yick! again. I'm not cleaning a Rat's toilet!

I have a dog and we have a country vet. The vet inherited a pot-bellied pig from a family when the cute little piglet grew into a 200-pound pig! The vet tells me she doesn't have the heart to get rid of him and it's impossible to find him a new home. So, the end result is that Oscar the Pig lives inside the vet's office and is often seen roaming the halls when we visit the doggie vet. He's quite a conversation piece. I doubt even our vet would take in a RAT! I'll have to ask her...