Rat - Varieties

Standard Rats; should have short, straight hair of even length. The coat should appear smooth and dense. Longer guard hairs are acceptable. Foot and belly fur is slightly shorter and softer than other areas.

Faults: Hair too long, guard hairs too long, hair not lying flat against the body, dull or lacking lustre.

Hairless Rats; should be as hairless as possible; have bright translucent healthy skin, as free of scars and blemishes as possible. The skin can be any colour and marking and wrinkles are allowable. The eyes can be any colour, but should be healthy and bright as in any rat. The ears should be large and wrinkle free. Whiskers can be very short or missing.

Faults: Marks or scars on the skin that detract from appearance, or excessive amount of hair or fuzz.

Manx Rats; can be exhibited in any recognised colour or coat type ie; Standard, Rex, Double Rex, Silky and Hairless. The sole feature of the Manx is the complete absence of a tail. This is a condition of birth, not an amputation. There should be no stub or scar tissue.

Note: Body type is different to tailed animals; legs should be carried well under the body, giving a pear shaped roundness to the overall appearance with slight rise to rump carriage.

Faults: Stub and/or scar tissue in tail area; lack of roundness in rump area; any faults listed for particular coat variety; difficulty walking or skeletal problems.

Rex Rats; may be exhibited in any recognized colour or pattern. Coat should be evenly dense, but not excessively harsh, with as few guard hairs as possible. Coat should exhibit obvious wave or curl, and to a lesser extent on the belly. Slightly curled or wavy whiskers and eyebrows are normal for Rex. Where Silvered or Ticked rats are rexed, allowances should be made for the lower number of guard hairs present.

Faults: Flat or straight coat; straight whiskers; too many guard hairs as to make the coat feel harsh.

Double Rex Rats; may be exhibited in any recognized colour or pattern. The Double Rex coat shall have a harsher, more wiry feel than Rex or standard coats as the coat consists predominantly of guard hairs. The whiskers and eyebrows should be short, and very curly. The coat should be quite wavy, and may be rather sparse due to lack of undercoat. The coat and whiskers are very brittle, and may break off from time to time, leaving the rat with either ultra short or bald patches. This is preferred.

Faults: Coat too soft; flat or straight coat, straight whiskers, coat too dense/plush, excessive marks or scars on the skin that detract from appearance,

Silky Rats; may be exhibited in any recognised colour and marking. The coat should be devoid of guard hairs, giving a soft, plush , "silky" feel. (Much softer than standard coated rats) The coat should also be longer than that of standard coated rats. Note: Due to the lack of guard hairs throughout the coat ticked varieties will appear brighter in colour than standard coated ticked rats, and will be devoid of most or all of their ticking. This is accepted. Females will have the same soft texture, but it is accepted that the coat length may be shorter than in males. Whiskers may be slightly wavy.

Faults: Too many guard hairs; coat too short; rough texture to coat; excessive marks or scars on the skin that detract from appearance,

Un-Standardised Rats; any colour, marking or variety not currently recognised by NSWFRMC, or any other new feature. Un-standardised animals are not eligible to compete for Best Section, Best Variety or Best in Show. At present, Satin, and Shaded are classed as Un-standardised.