HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE. This is a long story.
They received, as a rescue, a Peruvian Guinea Pig. They are pretty hard to get. I was there two days after they got her. I told them I wanted her but they told me they were trying to breed her. I gave them my number and told them to call me. I wanted her.
I went back every couple of weeks for the next few months asking about her. They told me they were still trying to breed her. Finally, after three months, I went in to get pellets for our other guinea pigs and she was on the sales floor. I bought her and took her home that day. They tried to charge me extra because they had her for four months and she was a 'rare' guinea pig. I said I was there two days after she arrived and willing to take her home at that time. If they were that worried about her, they should have given her to me that day. So they sold her to me for the regular price.
Three weeks later, she was lethargic. I called the vet and got an appointment for the next day. She died on the way to the vet. As it turns out, guinea pigs should not get pregnant if they are over six months old. After that, their pelvic bones fuse and there is no way that the guinea pig can deliver naturally. A C-section is all but guaranteed and the vet told me that the mom piggie only has a 25% chance of surviving.
They had this poor guinea pig for over three months trying to get her pregnant. And she was full grown when they got her. You do the math.
They were completely irresponsible for trying to breed an adult size guinea pig. It was a death sentence. Then they sold her after they thought she couldn't have babies.
Try bringing a pet home to your children only to have it die three weeks later. My children are devastated. Then try to process the fact that the animal was pregnant, well past her child bearing age. And died with three fetuses in her belly. And there was nothing you could have done about it.
The worst part about this was, after I went in to tell them what happened, they gave me a store credit for a new guinea pig. And the manager tried to explain it away by saying that after six months, a guinea pig can't carry babies. Duh. I know that now. In fact, a quick google search will attest to that. So why were they trying to get her pregnant?
From start to finish, this was just wrong. On so many levels.
If you are thinking about getting a new pet, please consider adopting. From mice to hamsters to ferrets and chinchillas and cats and dogs, there are so many animals that need homes. All over Long Island. There is no need to buy one and support breeding.
There is a great animal rescue on Long Island for small animals. Google it. And please think about adopting. And frequent pet stores that don't sell animals from breeders. There are too many rescues who need homes.
This entire situation was the most unethical, greedy and uncaring cluster you-know-what from start to finish.
Cons: No respect for animals
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