Pet Store Fail: Mom Buys Pregnant Guinea Pig

LAKE FOREST, CA — It's not every day you have to call PetSmart and ask for child support for the guinea pig you purchased. That's what Kristin Boyd, an Aliso Viejo mother of four, was forced to do after bringing home their new pet, Daisy.

"The PetSmart manager laughed, she was horrified, and of course they offered to take the babies back," Boyd told Patch. With spring in the air, and four new baby guinea pigs in the pen, now this Orange County family is happily finding homes for the new little ones just in time for Easter.

Kristin decided that the guinea pig would be a great first pet for her daughter, 8-year-old Jaimie, the oldest of four siblings. In late January, she and her daughter made the trek to Petsmart in Lake Forest and found just the right fit for their family. Daisy, as the sweet female guinea pig became known, was filled with a little sass and a lot of personality and what they quickly discovered was more than a healthy appetite.

"Daisy was a normal size and seemed very mellow, which was great," Kristin Boyd told Patch. But one week after she made the purchase, her daughter noticed that Daisy was eating an awful lot, even for a Guinea Pig. The furry little guinea just kept getting bigger," Kristin said.

After some study into the critter's health, little Jaimie decided that Daisy was pregnant, and shared her suspicions with her mom.

"I thought my daughter was being crazy or having wishful thinking," Kristin said. "As far as we knew, Daisy had never been around a male. I didn't worry about it at that time."

Two weeks later, while changing the Guinea Pig's water, Kristin realized, this animal was huge.

"It actually worried me," she said. "Then, I picked her up and felt the babies moving around inside her. From that point forward, I started watching closely."

Upon calling Petsmart Lake Forest, a store set up to be a female only guinea pig location, store manager Linda offered support and assistance.

"We're an all girl guinea pig store. It's a mystery how Daisy became in the family way," Linda told Patch, explaining that guinea pigs can become pregnant as early as four weeks old. "I have a feeling Daisy didn't get separated from the males in time."

The store's policy is to take the animal back or to re-home the babies. At least, to help them find homes for the little ones, but by this time, the Boyd family was fully invested in their new pet and preparing for parenthood.

Three days later after she confirmed the pregnancy, Kristin heard crying sounds from the cage, and the first pup was born!

Kristin researched on Youtube and Google, to learn how to keep the little things alive, now that they had arrived. As Daisy tended her first born, the second came, and then the third, and then the fourth.

"We thought we were getting one Guinea Pig, and now we have five!" she laughed.

Weeks later, Boyd and Jaimie have learned what they needed to know to keep the pups safe, as well as to know how long to keep them with mama before they are re-homed and, how to separate the boys from the girls.

There is no need to make a request, as there's a waiting list for the adorable little puff balls, who are heading to their new homes the day before Easter. Daisy will stay with Jaimie.

"Jaimie has been great with them, she wanted to keep them all!" Boyd said. "It's been an experience for all of us."

Photos: Kristin Boyd