Who we are
Animals have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember: my mom had a Pekingese when I was young, and we always had a goldfish tank. From there, we had another dog, then rats, a hamster, a rabbit, more dogs, ferrets, soft shell turtles, still more fish…
Now? Chinchillas. Plus a handful of degus, and two sassy pigeons.
My oldest child wanted a pet of their own, and that is how the chinchillas found a foothold in our home. The initial request was for a tarantula, which I was fine with, but we would have needed several state issued permits to own one at the time, and I was not wanting to deal with red tape, plus it was a “Nope” from the other adult in the house. Side note, I almost named my brand “Taran Chillas”, but there were more than a few “No, please no” for that one.
After reading through approved mammals, a chinchilla was decided on, and we wound up doing a lot of pre-reading, then a lot of learning from the Maine Chinchilla Shelter after we applied to adopt. The day we went to the shelter, we wound up adopting Muffin and Donut, and things snowballed from there.
I am now Cygnus Chinchilla, and the Maine Chinchilla Shelter, where I am the adoption coordinator, I provide educational outreach plus chinchilla owner education. Additionally, I am a National At-Large Board Member for Empress Chinchilla (ECBC), President of the Southeast Atlantic Branch of ECBC, a member of the Mutation Chinchilla Breeders Association (though I have yet to show with them), and the Global Chinchilla Alliance.
Award Winning, Ethical Breeder
What does it mean to be an “award winning ethical breeder”?
This means that I don’t breed any chinchilla that I do not have a pedigree for, that has not been shown, and that will not improve the species.
When I choose chinchilla pairs, it is done deliberately, with pedigrees in hand, judges feedback, and an eye to complimentary breeding. I don’t ever think: “oh, these two are cute, I’m just going to see what happens.”
I never breed chinchillas with known genetic issues (malocclusion), and will not breed chinchillas from genetic lines known for any issues.
I do not allow any female to have more than two litters in a 12-month period.
I leave kits with their mom until a minimum of 10 weeks for males, females can stay with mom until they go to a new home, they fight, mom is going to go back into breeding, or mom is retired and goes to a new home.
That covers ethics, now why do I claim “Award Winning”?
I drive over most of the eastern half of the United States, sometimes farther, to have any chinchilla I am even thinking about breeding evaluated by experts at regional and national shows. Those experts are individuals who have spent years learning about the chinchilla, and are tested to be certified as judges. Right now it is possible to be certified through Empress Chinchilla Breeders Cooperative and/or Mutation Chinchilla Breeders Association.
In the shows I have attended, I win awards for my chinchillas; their awards are given based on an aggregate of traits such as fur color, density, body shape and size, etc. I have brought home awards for class champions, reserve class champions, firsts, seconds, and on.
Unless there is a specific trait I am trying to preserve, I do not breed anything from third place down.
My first time ever showing my own animals, I walked away with a third best in show and class champion. This set the benchmark for me, the quality I wanted to chase and maintain, and the continued striving towards excellence in my animals.
