When A Pet Store Lies To You: A Manasquan Mom’s Story

Has this ever happened to someone you know?

A Manasquan mom of a second-grader decided to get her little girl a pet guinea pig.

They went to a local pet store chain to pick one out. As mom was gathering information on the pet they were about to purchase, she was told that their new pet was a female. When the mom asked if there could possibly be any mix-ups in terms of the sex of their potential guinea pig, the pet store was actually emphatic that they ONLY sold female guinea pigs. There was no mixing of the genders. Therefore there were never any unexpected surprises.

You know where this story is going, right?

She bought the cage, all the supplies, and then Mommy and her precious little girl headed home excited to play and cuddle with their new furry friend that they named Trisket.

A week later, they woke up to find THREE guinea pigs in their cage. Yep...they had been sold a pregnant guinea pig, even after having been told there was NO CHANCE that this guinea pig could possibly be pregnant because there were no males in the pet store's collection of guinea pigs.

Now, this mom is stuck with the responsibility of triple the amount of guinea pigs she wanted. And, if she's not careful and these babies multiply, she's worried she could end up living on a guinea pig farm.

So, thanks to this chain, this pet parent has the following problems to face:

1. That cage meant for a single guinea pig is now too small. Mom had to go back to the pet store and purchase a bigger cage, along with extra supplies. While there, she asked if they would take the babies back to sell to someone else, since she was duped into thinking there wasn't a chance she was sold a pregnant pet. The store refused.

2. She can't tell the gender of the new babies, which could lead to even more disastrous mating and multiplying. So they have an appointment with a vet to determine the sex of the two new additions. They have decided that they will keep one of the babies IF there is a female among them. But if one, or both, are male, it is now up to them to find new homes for their unexpected arrivals.

3. The cost of vet visits just tripled. And that ain't cheap.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this? Do you think the pet store should take some accountability for this situation? (Mom says she emailed corporate asking for child support!)  But, in all seriousness, she is now left with new lives to be responsible for; new mouths to feed.

How frustrating for this mom and animal lover...not to mention the lessons she has now had to teach her little girl. It is no small task to have to find homes for animals of any kind, especially when you didn't sign up to do so.

If it's any consolation, I guess she should consider herself lucky, since a pregnant guinea pig could have given birth to MANY more babies than just two! Eesh!