They are basically giant rodents
Finding an eight-stone rodent on the couch would see most people racing for the phone to dial pest control.
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.
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. ''It's no different to having a dog or cat.
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.'
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.
He was also introduced to the animal lover's menagerie of other pets; including a horse, rabbits tortoises, dogs and a cat.
She said: 'He gets on well with the other animals, although he likes to chase the rabbits for fun.
'He does sometimes get angry with the tortoises because he thinks they invade his space and there is nothing he can do about it.'
Despite her affection for her pet, Ms Typaldos warned that capybaras were not your standard domestic pet.
'Capybaras can be quite aggressive sometimes and their teeth are very, very sharp,' she said.
'Gary is not at all aggressive, but a capybara bite can be pretty serious.'
But she added of Gary: 'He gives you that same sort of companionship and affection that other animals do - I can't imagine life without him.'
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