Traumatised woman claims Pets at Home sold her pregnant guinea pig saying 'do what you need to' with baby
A woman has claimed she was sold a pregnant guinea pig and then told 'do what you need to' with the baby.
Lauren May Ross decided to expand her guinea pig herd back in September and headed to her local Pets at Home, where she adopted An after spotting the animal on her own.
The 30-year-old says she spoke to staff about An for around 45 minutes before paying the £30 adoption fee and taking her home.
She introduced An to her other pets, named Guinea and Pig, and the trio appeared to bond.
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However, the High Wycombe resident received the shock of her life three weeks later when she woke up to find a newborn guinea pig in her crate.
"I was like, 'what the hell is that?' I was absolutely gobsmacked, traumatised as well because it's a whole birth," she recalled.
"There was blood and the guinea pig in the corner, and mum was chilling eating stuff. I didn't have any words."
Lauren May says there were 'no signs' that An was pregnant when she adopted her and was initially panicked by the birth as she didn't think she'd be able to keep the baby.
She was also frustrated with the response she received when she raised the matter with Pets at Home, claiming the store did not perform checks on the animal before allowing it to be adopted.
"[The staff member] got so defensive," Lauren May said. "She was like, 'I didn't bring it in, I didn't do any of the checks'.
The store has since explained that An was briefly kept alongside a male guinea pig after they were led to believe she was also male.
Once the store realised An was female, she was separated and then put up for adoption as there were 'no signs she was pregnant'.
The employee allegedly then told Lauren May that she could either neuter or give the animal away, saying, 'well, enjoy it while you can and then do what you need to do with it after', which she says left her shocked.
"She was giving me all these things that I could do as in like 'you could neuter it you could give it away'," Lauren May said. "So I'm meant to build a relationship, bond with it over the next two weeks and then just palm it off to someone."
However, she has since decided to keep the guinea pig, naming him Baby Potato, and is now seeing the lighter side of the situation, joking that the purchase was a 'buy one get one free'.
"Now I think about it, it is funny. The fact that you buy one and I've got one free like a little gift," she added.
Responding to the claims made by Lauren May, a Pets at Home spokesperson gave the following statement: "The guinea pig Ms Ross rehomed was adopted in September, and first came to the store in July.
"As with any pet adoption organisation, we only have the information provided to us about a pet's history, and we always ensure the pets in our care are monitored for signs which suggest this history may not be accurate. In this case, there were no signs the guinea pig was pregnant.
"Ms Ross discussed the circumstances around her guinea pig giving birth with a colleague who provided advice and assistance on how to care for both guinea pigs.
"We hope both guinea pigs are well and are ready to assist Ms. Ross should she require."
Brenna Cooper