I visited the first Capybara Cafe in Florida for an up-close and interactive encounter of pure cuteness. I am not sure when it happened but the rise of capybara popularity has been growing for some time, and this creature that is closely related to a guinea pig, has become the focus of many cuteness obsessions. Maybe it’s because these cuddly creatures look like the world’s largest hamster and they are often photographed cuddling up to other animals because of their chill and gentle demeanor. Regardless, the cause, they make fascinating and adorable creatures to spend the afternoon with.

Located at 105 S Ponce De Leon Blvd in, St Augustine, Florida, The Capybara Cafe is an unassuming white building that can be identified by a large statue of a giraffe standing tall to great visitors outside the entrance. They offer a 30 minute Capybara Encounter for $49 or a Capybara & Friends Encounter which is a 55 minute experience for $99. My girlfriends and I went with the Capybara Encounter for our visit. As we waited, we briefly waited in the lobby area where there are some small critters to interact with like guinea pigs and rabbits. Once ready, the handlers walked us back to the encounter room which is dimly lit and had seating for guests around the outer edges of the room with the capybaras featured main and center. We got to meet with three capybaras named Chickpea, Lima, and Pinto who get to live their best lives lounging in food bowls or on chairs, being adored by visitors as they explore the room to take snacks from guests in exchange for a few pets.

During the encounter, the capybara handler provided a brief lesson about the lives of these cute animals with some fun trivia. First, these are indeed the world’s largest rodents that reside in South America. They are very social and like to live in herds near water which explains an interesting feature they have regarding their feet. Capybara’s have partially webbed toes with feet that are almost hoof-like. This helps make them great swimmers and easier for them to climb along muddy banks. They are such great swimmers, they can even hold their breath for up to five minutes. My favorite feature of these chill beans were their adorable noises. Similar to guinea pigs, capybara’s chirp and squeak to communicate with the world around them. They can also bark or purr making them very vocal animals, and you will get to hear their chirps of happiness after a treat if you get to visit as well.

We had some smaller capybara’s during our encounter but they can get up to 170 lb making them some very sturdy-sized herbivores. Keeping that size takes a bit of work and they can eat up to 8-10 lbs of grass and vegetation per day. Inspired by a question from a guest who asked how one could own a capybara- our handle explained capybaras need to be raised in pairs for mental wellbeing and require at least a 20 x 20 feet area to live comfortably. These specialized areas would also require their own pool that is at least 4 feet because not only do they love to swim, they need it to poop in. Of course, some states do not even offer the license required to own one of these exotic animals so caring for one poses many challenges.

Lastly and most importantly, The Capybara Cafe offers visitors a chance to meet and learn about these gentle giants in a calm setting for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The cafe acts as an education hub with proceeds that benefits conservation through Noah’s Ark Sanctuary a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating animals in need. By creating safe ways for the public to meet and learn about these charming creatures, Noah’s Ark hopes to start conversations about what we can do to protect animals and their environments for generations to come. You can support the animals they care for by signing up for an encounter. If funds are limited or you are interested in doing more, consider signing up for one of their free Capybara Enrichment Classes to help build enrichment items for their animals.