AFRMA

American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association

AFRMA Fancy Mice - AOCP

The following are the mouse AOCP colors as recognized by the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association. (Any Other Color Pattern; see Fancy Mouse Genes for genetics.)


To have a combination of two or more colors other than white arranged in a recognized pattern.

For complete details of these Standards including points, faults, and disqualifications, please refer to the AFRMA Show Regulations & Standards book.

Note: The pictures on this page are not meant to be true representatives of the animal’s color. Because of differences in monitors (CRT/LCD) and how the monitor is adjusted, the colors may be different. Seeing in person is always best.

Blue Point Himalayan  Blue Point Siamese  Blue Siamese Sable  Brindle
Himalayan  Merle  Reverse Siamese  Roan  Seal Point Siamese  Siamese Sable  Splashed

BLUE POINT HIMALAYAN - The Blue Point Himalayan mouse should be as nearly white as possible over the entire body, with well defined points, as for the Himalayan rabbit. The points are to be a light blue-gray. Eye color is red or ruby. Blue Point Himalayan to be shown only in AOCP class. (Karen Robbins/Karen’s Kritters)

[Standardized November 22, 2003]

Research article:
“Himalayan, A New Allele Of Albino In The Mouse” Margaret C. Green. Journal of Heredity, Volume 52, Issue 2 Pp. 73–75, 1961.
Blue Point Himi Mice
Blue Point Himi kitten mice owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©1998 Craig Robbins.

Blue Point Himi Mouse
Blue Point Himi 7-month-old male mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2004 Craig Robbins.
BLUE POINT SIAMESE - Color to be a silvery blue (bluer the better), as even as possible over the entire body. The shading to be gradual over the saddle and hindquarters and being darkest at tail root. The belly should be as near as possible in color and shading. The points (nose, ears, feet, tail, tail-root) to be a medium slate blue. There should not be a definite or distinct line of demarcation but rather a toning in or merging with the remainder of the coat. There should be no white hairs, blotches, streaks or mealiness of the color. Eye color is ruby. Blue Point Siamese to be shown only in AOCP class. (Karen Robbins/Karen’s Kritters)

[Standardized January 27, 1996; added eye color June 30, 2012]

AFRMA pages:
Research article:
“Himalayan, A New Allele Of Albino In The Mouse” Margaret C. Green. Journal of Heredity, Volume 52, Issue 2 Pp. 73–75, 1961.
Blue Point Siamese Mouse
Blue Point Siamese kitten mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©1998 Craig Robbins.

Blue Point Siamese Mouse
Blue Point Siamese 4-month-old male mouse owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken. Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.

Blue Point Siamese Mouse
Blue Point Siamese 9-month-old female mouse owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken. Photo ©2023 Karen Robbins. New!
BLUE SIAMESE SABLE - Color 30, points 20
The Blue Siamese Sable is to be a medium blue, similar to the Self Blue, over the entire body. The points, which are a dark blue, are as for the Blue Point Siamese. Eye color is black. Blue Siamese Sable to be shown only in AOCP class.
Faults – Mottled or uneven color on the body; body color too dark, so as to lose the contrast with the points; points not dark enough to contrast with the body color.
Disqualifications – White on the feet; white spot on the body; white on the tail.

Genetics: aa cchch dd (Blue Point Siamese plus Chinchilla)

[Reintroduced June 25, 2022, by Linda von Hanneken and accepted back into Unstandardized. Standardized April 30, 2023.]

Note: a.k.a. Blue Burmese

AFRMA articles:

See the Finnmouse page for additional photos or the NMC page.
Blue Siamese Sable Mouse
A 6-month-old Blue Siamese Sable Standard male owned by Kayla Flynn, bred by Linda von Hanneken. Photo ©2023 Karen Robbins.

Blue Siamese Sable Mouse
A 12-week-old Blue Siamese Sable Standard female owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken. Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.

Blue Siamese Sable Mouse
A 6-week-old Blue Siamese Sable Standard male owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken. This one has darker body color and darker points than the females the same age (color will darken with age). Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.

Blue Siamese Sable Mouse
A 6-week-old Blue Siamese Sable Standard female owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken. This one has medium body color (color will darken with age). Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.

light Blue Siamese Sable Mouse
A 6-week-old light Blue Siamese Sable Standard female owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken. This one has light body color and should develop into the best body color as an adult (color will darken with age). Selection for the lighter kittens with the darkest points later is ideal. Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.

Dark Blue Siamese Sable Mouse
A 6-month-old dark Blue Siamese Sable Standard male owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken. Body color is too dark so the points are hard to see. Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.

Blue Siamese Sable Mouse
A 7-month-old Blue Siamese Sable Standard female owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken. Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.
BRINDLE - Brindle mice will be colored like brindle dogs or tigers with dark tiger-striping from head to tail tip and to a lesser extent on the belly. Background to be a recognized color. Eye color to match. (Karen Robbins/Karen’s Kritters)

[Standardized July 6, 1996]

Read the article on “Brindle Mice”.

Research articles:
Brindle Mouse
Brindle mouse owned and bred by Nichole Royer. Photo ©1998 Craig Robbins.

Brindle Mouse
Brindle mouse owned by Kelli Boka, bred by Jennifer Hipsley. Photo ©2008 Karen Robbins.
HIMALAYAN - The Himalayan Mouse should be as nearly white as possible over the entire body, with well defined points, as for the Himalayan rabbit. The points are to be a light milk chocolate. Eye color is red or ruby. Himalayan to be shown only in AOCP class.

Himalayan mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2007 Karen Robbins.

AFRMA articles:

Research article:
“Himalayan, A New Allele Of Albino In The Mouse” Margaret C. Green. Journal of Heredity, Volume 52, Issue 2 Pp. 73–75, 1961.
Himalayan Mouse
MERLE - Merle mice may be shown in any recognized color or marking. The unique feature is a pattern of dark solid-colored patches which should be well defined and distributed evenly throughout the entire lighter roan background color so as to create a marbled effect and resemble a merle dog. Eye color to match base color. (Jack Ball)

[Standardized June 12, 1999]

Note: Merle Tan to be shown in Tan class rather than AOCP; June 7, 2008

AFRMA articles:
Black Merle Mouse
Black Merle mouse right side owned by Kelli Boka, bred by Jennifer Hipsley. Photo ©2008 Karen Robbins.

Black Merle Mouse
...and the left side of the Black Merle mouse. Photo ©2008 Karen Robbins.

Black Merle Mouse
Black Merle mouse owned and bred by Virginia Pochmann. Photo ©Virginia Pochmann.
REVERSE SIAMESE - Color to be a medium coffee-with-cream color with white points to give the effect of a Siamese but in a reverse Siamese pattern. Points to be as white as possible to contrast against the dark background. Points to include the nose, ears, feet, and tail. Eye color is black. Reverse Siamese to be shown only in AOCP class.

[Standardized January 15, 1994]

Note: Known as Stone in the N.M.C.

Reverse Siamese dad and his 25-day-old Reverse Siamese kids, owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2010 Karen Robbins.

AFRMA articles:
Reverse Siamese Mice
ROAN - Roan mice may be shown in any recognized color. The hair is a mixing of white and any other color evenly distributed similar to Roan horses, but not to be confused with Silvered animals. Eye color to match base color. (Jack Ball)

[Standardized June 12, 1999]

AFRMA articles:
Roan Mouse
Roan mouse owned by Kelli Boka, bred by Jennifer Hipsley. Photo ©2008 Karen Robbins.

Black Roan kitten mouse
A 5week5day-old Black Roan kitten mouse owned and bred by Kimberly Baum. Photo ©2020 Karen Robbins.
SEAL POINT SIAMESE - The Seal Point Siamese mouse is to be a warm beige, as even as possible over the entire body, shading to a deeper color on the hindquarters. The colors should blend gradually and there should be no white hairs or mealiness to the color. The points should be a rich chocolate color and should be well defined on the muzzle, being confined to the whisker area only. The ears, feet, tail, and tail-root are dark also, but are of a slightly lighter shade. Eye color may be ruby or black. Seal Point Siamese to be shown only in AOCP class.

AFRMA pages:
Research article:
“Himalayan, A New Allele Of Albino In The Mouse” Margaret C. Green. Journal of Heredity, Volume 52, Issue 2 Pp. 73–75, 1961.
Seal Point Siamese Mouse
Seal Point Siamese female mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2008 Karen Robbins.

Seal Point Siamese Mouse
A 10-week-old Seal Point Siamese female mouse owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken. Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.

Seal Point Siamese Mouse
A 3-month-old Seal Point Siamese female mouse owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken with nice dark points for age. Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.
SIAMESE SABLE - The Siamese Sable is to be a very light brown similar to the coffee, over the entire body. The points, which are a very dark brown, almost black, are as for the Siamese. Eye color is black. Siamese Sable to be shown only in AOCP class.

Note: aka Burmese

AFRMA articles:

Read the information on Siamese Sable.
Siamese Sable Mouse
Siamese Sable mouse owned and bred by Ann Quinn. Photo ©1993 Craig Robbins.

Siamese Sable kitten mouse
A 6-week-old Siamese Sable kitten mouse owned and bred by Kimberly Baum. Photo ©2020 Karen Robbins.

Siamese Sable kitten mouse
A 6-week-old Siamese Sable kitten female mouse owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins. Body color needs to be lighter to show the contrast with points better.

Siamese Sable mouse
An 11-week-old Siamese Sable female mouse owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins. Body color needs to be lighter to show the contrast with points better.
SPLASHED - There are 2 recognized patterns, namely Classic and light. The most common color (Classic) to be a light gray background with black splashes throughout the coat. Other recognized color combinations accepted. Minimal white spotting allowed. Color pattern not to be confused with Variegated, Roan, or Merle. Eye color to be ruby or black (ruby preferred); Odd-eye accepted. (Karen Robbins/Karen’s Kritters)

[Standardized December 5, 1998]

For more photos, see the AFRMA Facebook page:
AFRMA articles:
Splashed Mice
Chocolate Splashed female and Black Splashed male mice owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2013 Karen Robbins.

Splashed Mouse
Black Splashed male mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2011 Karen Robbins.

For complete details of the Standards including points, faults, eliminations, and disqualifications, please refer to the AFRMA Show Regulations & Standards book.

Purchase the AFRMA Official Color Standards Mouse book.

Updated August 26, 2023