Where to Pet a Capybara in Texas

The short answer: you can pet a capybara in Texas at Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo in New Braunfels, the Austin Zoo, and Busy B Ranch Wildlife Park in Jefferson. The San Antonio Zoo and Dallas Zoo offer up-close feeding experiences too. Every one of these is a paid, staff-led encounter you book ahead, and prices and schedules change, so treat the details below (checked November 3, 2026) as a starting point and confirm on each venue’s official page.

Quick list

• Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo (New Braunfels): feed and pet, $50 for the first person and $25 for each extra person, plus admission.
• Austin Zoo (Austin): private feed-and-pet encounter, $60 per person, two or three people, phone booking only.
• Busy B Ranch Wildlife Park (Jefferson): 15-minute feed-and-pet encounter, $30 per person plus admission.
• San Antonio Zoo (San Antonio): behind-the-scenes capybara feeding, $49.99 per person plus admission.
• Dallas Zoo (Dallas): a 90-minute backstage safari that includes feeding capybaras, from about $165 per person.

You can see all of these on our Texas capybara map.

Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo, New Braunfels

This roadside zoo off I-35 between San Antonio and Austin is the most straightforward place in Texas to actually put your hands on a capybara. Its capybara encounter lets you feed and pet the zoo’s capybaras, and photos are encouraged. It costs $50 for the first person and $25 for each additional person, and zoo admission is separate. Participants should be 13 or older; younger kids can join with a paying adult.

The zoo’s capybaras have names (Kiwi, Enzo and Katie), and the zoo has run limited-time promotions that bundle a free camel encounter with an online capybara booking, so check the booking page before you pay. Details: Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo on CapyFinder.

Austin Zoo

The Austin Zoo is a rescue zoo in southwest Austin, and its private Capybara Encounter is small and personal. It is $60 per person for groups of two or three, everyone must be 10 or older, and it runs once a day at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Plan on 25 to 30 minutes. Gloves are required, and staff will take photos for you on your own phone.

The catch is booking: it is by phone only at (512) 695-3021, and because there is just one slot a day, reservations can fill months ahead. Check in at the gift shop 10 minutes early to sign a release. If you can’t get a slot, the zoo also lists keeper chats that include capybara feeding on its daily schedule. Details: Austin Zoo on CapyFinder.

Busy B Ranch Wildlife Park, Jefferson

Up in East Texas near Caddo Lake, Busy B Ranch is a 125-acre drive-through wildlife park with more than 50 species. Its capybara encounter is 15 minutes of feeding and petting with photos, for ages 7 and up, at $30 per person on top of general admission. Check in at the gift shop 10 minutes before your time. Friends who don’t want to join in can watch with a regular admission ticket.

Mind the calendar: the park lists hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays and Friday through Sunday, and it’s closed Tuesday through Thursday. Details: Busy B Ranch Wildlife Park on CapyFinder.

San Antonio Zoo

San Antonio Zoo’s capybaras got famous online when a baby named Tupi was born in late 2024. The zoo’s Behind-the-Scenes: Capybara experience is a feeding session of 20 to 30 minutes for up to four people. It runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:15 p.m. and costs $49.99 per person for ages 3 and up (under 3 is free), plus zoo admission. Kids 15 and younger need a paying adult with them.

Wear closed-toe shoes and check in 30 minutes early at the Animal Connections counter across from the carousel. The fee is non-refundable, so lock in your date first. The zoo describes this one as a feeding experience, so don’t assume petting is included. Details: San Antonio Zoo on CapyFinder.

Dallas Zoo

The Dallas Zoo’s Hippo, Capybara & Otter Backstage Safari is the splurge option: 90 minutes behind the scenes that include feeding capybaras, plus admission, parking, a photo and a giraffe feeding. Public prices vary by date, roughly $180 to $200 for adults and $165 to $190 for youth, and guests must be 6 or older. When we checked, the page said new dates were coming soon, so watch it if you have your heart set on this one.

If you just want to see them, the zoo’s daily schedule lists a Capybara Keeper Chat in the early afternoon. Details: Dallas Zoo on CapyFinder.

Two more spots worth knowing

These aren’t in our directory yet, but both list capybara encounters on their official sites:

• The Learning Zoo in Conroe, north of Houston, offers a capybara encounter to pet, feed and take photos with its capybaras Honey and Westley. It’s $40 per person, up to four people, 15 to 20 minutes, Thursday through Sunday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., for ages 6 and up. Admission is separate.
• North Texas Safari Park in Bonham, northeast of Dallas, has a capybara encounter inside the exhibit where you feed and pet them. It’s $24.99, about 20 minutes, up to six people, for ages 5 and up, and you need a general admission ticket.

Tips before you book

• Book early. Most of these sessions have a handful of slots a week and small group caps.
• Read the age rules. They range from 3 and up at San Antonio to 13 and up (or with an adult) at New Braunfels.
• Budget for admission. Only the Dallas safari includes it.
• Dress for it. Closed-toe shoes are a common rule, and the Austin Zoo requires gloves.
• Follow the keeper. Capybaras are calm but they’re still animals with big front teeth. Let staff show you where and how to touch.
• Check the weather and hours. Small parks keep limited days, and outdoor encounters can be rescheduled in heat or storms.

What about having one at home?

Petting one is a lot easier than keeping one. If a great encounter has you thinking bigger, read Can You Own a Capybara in Texas? first, and our capybara ownership laws by state guide for the rest of the country.

Know a Texas spot we missed? Every venue on CapyFinder is listed by state on our Texas page, and we add new ones as we confirm them.