同学们，许多人如今喜欢把小仓鼠或天竺鼠当宠物养，它们都属于小型啮齿动物，但有对美国夫妻却喜欢养较大的啮齿动物，她养的水豚重达 100磅（约合 45公斤），堪称世界上最大的啮齿宠物。

Finding a rodent on the couch would see most people racing for the phone to dial pest control.

看到巨大的的啮齿动物出现在沙发上，大多数人都会赶快打电话给害虫防控中心吧。

But it's a daily occurrence for Melanie Typaldos, 57 and her husband Richard Loveman, 54, who share their home in Buda, Texas, with a giant capybara named Gary.

但是最近， 57岁的梅兰妮·泰普度斯和她 54岁的丈夫理查德·洛夫曼却在位于德克萨斯州小镇布达的家里养了一只巨大的水豚，他们给它取名叫加里。

Ms Typaldos adopted Gary after falling in love with the semi-aquatic mammals— the world's largest rodent— during a holiday in Venezuela, and she and her husband are so fond of their bizarre pet they even let him sleep in their bed.

泰普度斯夫人在委内瑞拉度假时第一次见到了这种半水栖的动物，立即就喜欢上了，她和丈夫非常喜欢他们这只略奇怪的宠物，甚至让它睡在床上。

" Athough some people might find it strange, it's really no different than having a dog or a cat," said Ms Typaldos, who installed a pool in her backyard for Gary to cool off in.

“虽然有人觉得它很奇怪，但其实和养狗养猫没什么区别，” 泰普度斯夫人说，为了让加里消暑，她还特意在后院建了一个游泳池。

" Gary is really very smart and he's very affectionate. He comes when he's called and he likes to sleep with me," she added.

“加里很聪明，很热情。一叫它就会过来，而且喜欢和我一起睡，”她说。

Ms Typaldos adopted the capybara from an owner who was no longer able to care for him, and said the cuddly eight-stone creature quickly became a part of the family.

加里之前的主人没法再照顾它了，泰普度斯夫人就收养了这只水豚，而且这个可爱的动物很快成为了他们家的一员。

The 57 - year-old even claims to have taught Gary to perform tricks. " He learns tricks very quickly— faster than your typical dog would," she said. " He knows how to shake, how to turn in a circle, how to stand up on his hind legs and how to jump up on things on command."

57岁的她甚至还说要训练加里表演绝活。“它学得很快——比狗狗要快多了，” 她说。“它会摇尾巴，转圈，用后腿站立还有跳到指定的东西上面。”

In their natural habitat, capybaras spend most of their time in the water— so Melanie installed a giant pool in her garden to make Gary feel at home.

水豚的自然习性是多数时间在水里生活——所以梅兰妮在花园里给它建了个大水池，让它有家的感觉。