by ann black

Created on: February 21, 2007

Rat shows are some what like dog shows but with more varieties and more
relaxed guidelines that must be met. Rats may not be something that one
would usually think of showing, considering how many non-rat owners still
believe that rats are dirty, plague-carrying vermin. Some of the many
categories for rat shows are pet, English, kitten (baby), breeders group,
brood doe, mot-matched pair (a pair of rats that look the most alike),

Progeny, stud doe, stud buck, and youth. Some of the rat varieties that
may be shown are Standard (STD), Rex, Tailless, Hairless, Satin, and
Dumbo. Dumbos have larger ears, similar to the Disney elephant movie
"Dumbo". Rex are softer with very curly hair. Standard are short-coated
with smooth glossy fur. Tailless completely lack a tail. The rat can be
in almost any color or marking. Hairless should have thin translucent skin
with as little hair as possible while satin should have a lustrous sheen
and a longer appearing coat. Some of the sections and sub sections are
Self (nearly solid colors) with the subsections being Beige, Black, Blue,
Blue-Beige, Champagne, Chocolate, Cocoa, Lilac, Mink, Platinum, Russian
Blue, Russian Dove, Sky Blue, B.E. White, P.E. White. AOC (any other
color) subsections are Agouti, Amber, Blue Agouti, Chinchilla, Cinnamon,
Cinnamon Pearl, Fawn, Lynx, Pearl. AOCP (any other color pattern)
subsections are Blue Point Siamese, Himalayan, Russian Blue Point Siamese,
Seal Point Siamese, Merle. Silvered subsections are Silver Black, Silver
Blue, Silver Chocolate, Silver Fawn, Silver Lilac, Silver Mink. Marked
subsections are English Irish, Irish, Berkshire, Essex, Variegated, Blaze,
Dalmatian, Hooded, Bareback, Capped, Masked. Odd-eyed have any color or
markings but have the distinct odd eye color as in one black eye and one
red eye. First the rats are placed in the appropriate section as mentioned
above. Then the rats are judged on how well they represent that color and
marking combination. There are a few different types of awards ranging
from cash money to ribbons trophies. Most of the time the rats will have
to be quarantined for about 3 months since they will be around so many
other people and rats that could be carrying some sort of virus that could
cause the rats to become sick or die. The American Fancy Rat and Mouse
Association rules as follows:

1. All exhibits must be shown by their owner or other responsible
person, and at that persons own risk. The American Fancy Rat and Mouse
Association will exercise reasonable care to see that all animals

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