We are not a pet store. This is only a hobby. We are not “open” to the public, all appointments are by invitation and appointment only. We all have other jobs but when we are not at work, the focus of our hobby is raising pets and sharing our knowledge and experiences with others who share our interest. We prefer to focus our attention on breeding and education therefore we decided not to sell any pet supplies preferring instead to leave that to pet stores.

We are a small select group of professional breeders located in Ontario, Canada. The people devoted the hobby are mostly members of a multi-generational family or longtime friends (extended family) who together have been enjoying the hobby and exchanging ideas and knowledge with one another since 1986. Since then, our family has grown a bit and although our family all have a fondness for pets, we no longer all reside in the same city but some of us still live close enough to enjoy the hobby together.

We all have an innate passion for nature and for all living things. We have always been directly involved with animal husbandry. Our education and our careers have always focused on pets. Our combined resumes include; working with veterinarians, breeders, trainers, pet stores and zoological societies, and designing, manufacturing, distributing and marketing pet foods toys and supplies.

We have always kept small companion animals as pets. However, when we first started in the hobby, we had a hobby farm where we raised a few types of endangered heritage breeds of farm animals. Our focus was conservation and preservation and our goals were to maintain genetic diversity of the foundation heritage breeds that contributed so much to our modern-day farming industry.

In 1986, we found ourselves becoming more and more interested in raising some of the more unusual types of animals especially those that we could interact with as pets. Heritage Pets was born!

We quickly became a reliable source of information for people who wanted to learn more about caring for the small companion animals that they keep as pets. In 2005, we launched our first website (heritage-pets.com) that quickly became a go-to source for people around the world who were searching for information, hoping to educate themselves regarding keeping and caring for specialty pets of various types.

10 years later, by late 2015, we became so busy replying to people, and needed to free up some of our time and by early 2017, we expanded our site and launched www.heritagepets.ca. Like before, our site still focuses on facts rather than opinion. When sharing information about a pets’ natural behavior, we try to concentrate on the basic requirements that the pet needs to thrive. Are hope is to provide  a lot of information that everyone needs to consider first, before getting a new pet.

When raising animals as pets, every day brings about new experiences and our pets bring us a lot of joy. We are committed to our hobby and we enjoy sharing that information with other people who share our interest.

The 2 main purposes of this Website

1. The reason we decided to put together our website is to stress some of the things that everyone should consider before bringing home a new pet. We designed the site to be an easy read for people of all ages and as a starting point for anyone who is just beginning to do research, hoping to learn more about being a responsible pet owner.

Our intent is to share some of our knowledge and some of our own experiences, hoping to provide people with some insight and enough information regarding the basic needs of pets, before they decide and commit to purchasing one to keep as a pet.

There is a lot of information available elsewhere that addresses the needs of the many of the more common pet species and while all animals have similar needs, however there are some species and breed specific requirements that are absolute necessities that need to be addressed, if you want your pet to thrive and live life to it’s potential. If you are considering a specialist animal to keep as a pet, we ask everyone to read the information made available on our website before emailing us. Although our website is only a starting point to learn about caring for pets this site is full of helpful information that might help you decide if it is the right pet for you and if you are ready to make a lifelong commitment to any animal. After you have had the time to review our site, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

...Communication by phone is preferred 289-990-4738.

2. Now in an average day, [email protected] receives close to 200 emails & lots of texts. That equals approximately 1 new email every 7 minutes. We are sure you can appreciate the need to limit the amount of time that we spend replying to email & text messages. We decided that we will no longer answer text messages.

With hopes of answering as many questions as possible, we intentionally tried to include lots of information on the site that addresses most of the common questions asked by people regarding our pets. The site is updated daily and is available for viewing around the globe, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We ask everyone to please respect that do to our own personal time restrictions if you choose to send questions via email instead of calling that there may be a delay in us getting back to you. If your question is urgent please call us, if it is a general question that has already been addressed on the site, we will probably just send a form style reply asking you to refer to our website or if we feel that you have not read the information already posted then there is no reason to give you more to read so, we may simply choose to ignore your email.

If after reviewing the information on the site and still have questions or are considering purchasing one of our animals, to please contact us. 

...Again, communication by phone is preferred 289-990-4738

Selective Breeding Program

Our Commitments when planning a litter

• We shall ensure that all animals used in our breeding program will be in good health and free of any known hereditary defects.
• When selecting animals to keep for breeding, we are very picky. We have a no kill culling program which means that any animal that does not meet our standards as a breeding animal will be sold as a pet.
• A veterinarian will be on call in case of complications.
• We shall guarantee that each litter will be conscientiously planned and that all males and females will be paired for breeding after we have selected the most compatible animals with best characteristics that compliment each other (paying attention to lineage, health, personality and overall appearance).
• We will do our best to safeguard against unplanned "accidental" breeding and pay special attention to species who become able to breed before they are weaned.
• We pay special attention to animals that are line bred or inbred and avoid this practice whenever possible. In nature line breeding and inbreeding naturally occurs. It is a process of natural selection and part of natural evolution. While it certainly has a place in nature, animals raised in captivity most often originate from a very small gene pool and need to be carefully chosen and selectively bred. Line breeding or inbreeding can have disastrous results and therefore should be avoided whenever possible.
• We wean all animals at least a week before we let them go to new homes. The age of weaning varies per species and per their individual development needs. We continuously assess those needs while they are nursing and after weaning.
• We do not wholesale. We shall keep and properly care for all offspring until such time that suitable homes are found.
• We will not breed any animal that is either too young or too old and we will only allow any female to have up to three litters.
• We guarantee that all our animals that are used for breeding will be retired from breeding while they are still young enough to make good pets and we will find suitable pet homes for them.

Our Commitment to Ourselves

• We will constantly be aware of and never overlook our own needs, the pet’s needs or our customer’s needs.
• We accept the fact that ‘Mother Nature’ has the final say and can sometimes be cruel. Breeding animals is not for the weak at heart. Things do not often go as planned. We will always be prepared for the disappointments, as tough as they are but we will share our joys with other people who share our interest.
• The needs of our animals come first, our customer’s needs come second.
• We will limit the number of animals that we keep, making sure that every animal receives the care they deserve.
• Raising pets is our hobby and it is something we enjoy. We will never have so many animals that it becomes a chore to take care of them properly. If it ever starts to feel like a chore, then we will know that some or all of them will need to be offered to pet homes.
• We will always maintain a no-nonsense approach when educating others. We will never tell anyone what they want to hear, just because it is something that they want to hear.
• We will promote caring for all pets by encouraging a common-sense methodology, combined with stressing the importance of continuous education and gaining awareness about the needs of animals to everyone involved.
• We will never be afraid to refuse a sale! Our animals all go to caring homes sooner or later, so we don’t need to be in a rush.
• We will never get caught up in breeder politics. Instead, we prefer to accept the fact that every breeder is motivated by different things. While we may not always embrace their philosophy, if their animals are treated fairly, we will respect our differences.
• If, for any reason we cannot live up to “Our Commitments” we will get a new hobby and we will find a more suitable home for the animals.

Our Commitment to Our Pets

• Without exception, all the animals in our care, will be cared for in the best possible manner, always.
• We will never acquire more animals then we can adequately care for or afford and we will not overcrowd our animals.
• We will limit the number of animals housed together in any habitat based on the needs of the species. Animals that lead a solitary lifestyle will be housed singly, animals that pair bond will be housed in pairs and herd animals will be housed together in a colony or group of three or more.
• They will be fed the best quality foods available daily. This may be in the form of premium brands of commercially prepared pet foods and home cooked, human grade fresh fruits, vegetables and animal protein (meat, eggs, or fish products).
• Fresh clean drinking water will be readily available to every animal always.
• Every animal will be housed in a safe, comfortable open-air cage that is warm, dry and spacious and the habitat will be kept clean and sanitary always.
• Every animal will be well groomed, bathed and treated with parasite prevention regularly.
• No animal shall be denied access to veterinary care or medical attention and all vaccinations, if needed, will be current.
• We will value every animal for their individuality, and we will appreciate them and respect their evolutional (natural) limitations. All animals will receive personalized, one on one interaction to help keep them social and trusting towards people. Although we will attempt to socialize them and keep them fearless of people, we will not try to humanize them or expect them to be something that they just can’t be.
• We will identify the personal needs of every pet and address these needs by constantly finding new ways to keep every animal thinking, physically active and social by enriching their environment. We will be creative when we introduce new treats, food items, toys, puzzles, etc.

• The facts and opinions that we share with you, is based on more than 25 years of hands on experience and knowledge that we have gained over these years. We respect your right to question or disagree with us and appreciate it if you need time to check the facts elsewhere. We will never pressure anyone into purchasing any pet. Please note that while we may make a few suggestions, perhaps even a different animal, we are never in hurry to sell any of our pets. We know they all will find new homes eventually.
• We believe that a customer is any person who is needing our assistance to help them learn about or caring for pets. Our customers include those who have purchased animals from us or elsewhere, those who are thinking of purchasing an animal or those who are just simply interested in learning more about pets. "If you are reading this, then it means you are our customer." We offer ongoing support and encourage open dialog with everyone.
• We take pride in and value integrity. We try to match the pet with an individual when/if we can. For us to be able to do that we urge everyone to ask a lot of questions. This helps us get a better feeling of what you are looking for in a pet. We hope that everyone understands that our belief is that the only ridiculous question is one that never gets asked. We are the first to declare that we do not know all the answers. Although we may not be able to answer every question, whatever we can answer we will be honest, always. If we do not have an answer for you, we may be able to offer suggestions or direct you to someone who can. We will not tell you something just because we feel that it is what you want to hear it and we encourage everyone to be the same way with us. We all need to accept that truth does not always result in an answer that anyone wants to hear but it still needs to be said and usually results in a better outcome for all parties involved. It helps especially when someone is trying to decide if you really want to make a commitment to and take on the responsibly of caring for a new pet.
• We value an individual right to privacy. We will never exchange contact information or any information about you or your pets with a third party, unless requested by you to do so in writing.
• We will not contact you unless it is an emergency or when you have requested us to do so.
• Most people who contact us have already done a lot of research. They have already given a lot of thought to purchasing a new pet and feel that they are ready to take on the responsibilities that come with getting a new pet. Occasionally, people who think they are ready, overlook some of the things needed to consider before they make this type of commitment. When this happens, we will try to bring this to their attention.
• Please understand that accepting responsibly of any living thing involves making a huge commitment. If we feel that you are not quite ready to purchase a pet from us or if we feel that you cannot provide the right home for one of our animals, we will tell you. It is nothing personal. We are only doing what we feel is best for our pets, for you and for ourselves. If things change, once you are better prepared, then you are welcome to approach us again later.