Outdoor Pets

I had a customer call the store like midway through my shift, asking what time our department closed for animal sales. 
Which I said we weren't closing the department today (though found out later that the plan was to close it half an hour before the main store closed) 

And like...fifteen minutes before closing time. 
We had a customer and her hoard of children come into the store.

Not quite sure if this was the customer who called earlier asking what time we stopped animal sales, but I wouldn't put it past the phone customer to be this customer.

Which is really irritating if it was.
Because like who comes in right before closing time wanting an animal? Why not come in earlier in the day? Like I get that people have work and such. But there's a good chunk of time where the sun is still up where this customer and her hoard of kids could have come in. 

And the reason why they came in was because the customer was looking to buy a couple of guinea pigs for her daughter who really wanted them. 

The problem was that the two remaining guinea pigs I had left weren't good to be placed together in a cage. 
I knew this for a fact because I'd tried it earlier in the day because I was doing the bedding change and wanted to see if the two would get along. They didn't I separated them again. 
And the customer was so incredulous that guinea pigs couldn't get along.

Like yes. Most will. Most do. But you do end up with that grumpy face bully of a guinea pig that just wants to dominate all the others and start fights and you have to separate them.

I had to tell the customer that the older guinea pigs can be more aggressive to newcomers. But babies would be fine together and that I may be getting more of them in on Sunday or Mondya. 

However.
The customer then dropped the bombshell that they were looking for OUTDOOR pets and wanted to know if the guinea pigs would be okay living in the main rabbit hutch thing outside while their rabbits were down below in their own cage thing.

Uhm. No. I told them that guinea pigs wouldn't do well outside. 
-Because they're sensitive to extreme temperature changes-

The customer didn't like hearing that.
Wanted to know which of the pets we sold could be outdoor pets.

Which like....if you're looking for an OUTDOOR pet just go buy a bird feeder or something and have the wild birds drop by your yard. 

I honestly don't understand the customers who "want a pet" but at the same time "don't want the pet."

Like get a pet that's only for outdoors. Like...pets are kinda meant to be indoor creatures??? 
Like I get there are farm cats, and outdoor dogs, and rabbits and chickens and such.....

but for the most part....you have to do your research on which animals can live outdoors.

Guinea Pigs aren't one of those. 
And even the animals who can be outdoors like tortoises and turtles really can only be outside for the warmer months and need to be brought inside during the winter. 

Overall it was just a frustrating conversation with the customer. 
And I was glad to have them leave. 

-Sarnic Dirchi