It's not unusual to have a pet rodent, but Melanie Typaldos' pet Caplin Rous is no ordinary rodent. See, Caplin is a Capybara, the world's largest rodent:
The second part of his name, which Typaldos pronounces like "rose," stands for "Rodent of Unusual Size" (a reference to the movie "The Princess Bride"). He's also a rodent of unusual abilities. He can walk on a leash and even do some tricks, but Typaldos says it's important not to exaggerate any similarity to a dog doing tricks.
"Dogs have thousands of years of being trained to be subservient to people," she says. "A capybara will not do a trick just to make me happy. The quality of the trick is very dependent on the quality of the treat."
Link | More at Caplin's blog Capybara Madness
If you would watch the videos you would see how wonderful he is treated and loved.
In Peru, the Capybara is in danger of extinction because they are a delicacy to eat.
Leave them alone!