AFRMA - You be the Judge - Rat

American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association

AFRMA - You be the Judge - Rat

Characteristics of a Fancy Rat

Judges Look For . . .

A long and somewhat racy body with strong bone and a well-arched loin.
Smooth, glossy coat which densely covers the body and shows a natural shine.
Large eyes and rounded ears.
Tractable and inquisitive temperament.
Color and markings which match those stipulated by the AFRMA Official Standard.

On The Judging Table . . .

A good exhibitor is polite and courteous to other exhibitors and the judge.
Each rat is brought to the table in a show box and is examined by the judge.
Rats are grouped into 7 Varieties or coat types (Standard, Rex, Tailless, Hairless, Satin, Dumbo, and Bristle Coat) and 6 Sections or patterns (Self, AOC, AOCP, Silvered, Marked, Odd-Eye) for judging purposes.
Section winners compete for Best of Variety, Variety winners compete for Best in Show.

In Pet Classes, Just For Fun . . .

Rats are judged on condition and temperament only.
In the Best Pet Rat class, the winner is the rat the judge thinks makes the best pet.
The rat that gives the most kisses wins the Most Affectionate class.
The Most Laid Back class is won by the calmest rat.

TERMS:
Rex:	Curly Coat.
Tailless:	Rats born without a tail.
Hairless:	Rats that naturally have no hair.
Satin:	Shiny-coated rats.
Dumbo:	Large low-set ears.
Bristle Coat:	Stiff, coarse coat.

Self:	Coat is all one color (i.e. Beige, Black, Blue, Blue-Beige, Champagne, Chocolate, Lilac, Mink, P.E. Platinum, Platinum, Powder Blue, Russian Blue, Russian Dove, Sky Blue, Black-eyed White, Pink-eyed White).
AOC:	(Any Other Color) - The entire body is of the same color, but the coat has more than one color on each hair (i.e. Agouti, Blue Agouti, Chinchilla, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Pearl, Fawn, Lynx, Pearl, Russian Blue Agouti).
AOCP:	(Any Other Color Pattern) - To have a combination of two ore more colors other than white arranged in a recognized pattern (i.e. B.E. Siamese, Blue Point Siamese, Burmese, Himalayan, Russian Blue Agouti Burmese, Russian Blue Point Siamese, Seal Point Siamese, Merle).
Silvered:	The coat is evenly interspersed with white hairs. (i.e. Amber, Silver Black, Silver Blue, Silver Chocolate, Silver Fawn, Silver Lilac, Silver Mink)
Marked:	These are marked with specific white and colored markings (i.e. English Irish, Irish, Down Under, Berkshire, Essex, Variegated, Blaze, Dalmatian, Hooded, Bareback, Capped, Masked).
Odd-Eye:	Rat with one pink eye and one dark eye.

Updated December 10, 2018