Van Isle Chillas is owned and operated by Tara and her partner Dave.
"Chinchillas have been a passion for me since I first experienced them in a pet store I worked in as a youth. Since then, caring for and raising various species has proven to me that where the animals come from, and how they're raised, matters very much! I've made it a steadfast goal of mine to put the quality and health of my animals first!
Because of the importance of thoughtful breeding practices and the unspoken need to perform reputably
as a breeder, I spent hours upon hours brushing up on the many aspects of responsible chinchilla breeding practices. This included husbandry, health, conformation, coat and genetics - and that is just the surface. Through my research, I was able to narrow down the mutations I wanted to work with long term and began the search for quality breeding stock. Every single chinchilla that started my program has come from top notch North American chinchilla ranches, and all are pedigreed/certified. Most are show quality, so while I have minimal experience showing chinchillas hands on, I do look forward to bringing my own homebred stock to the show scene in the pacific northwest in the near future.
Our primary goal is to produce quality show and pet animals. We want to emphasize that our philosophy is to produce animals that are excellent, social pets as well as conformationally correct and “typey” with beautiful coats and mutations that fit to standard. We always aim to make improvements in some way with each pairing we select. We also feel very strongly that it is our responsibility to be forever learning and absorbing new information as it becomes available to us, for the betterment of the species and our breeding practices. We aim to emulate the top standard of safe, comfortable environments for our animals. They are family to us and we love every one of them, taking care to spend individual time with all of them daily, catering to their specific personalities. Chinchillas are incredible and wonderful animals and we are so glad to be able to share them with you!
Finally, though not a native to BC, we have come to love this gorgeous province with everything we have. The nature here is the most breathtaking. It truly is Super Natural British Columbia.
Thank you for joining us on this journey.
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