RMCA Rat Standards

• General conformation
• Scoring
• Organization of the standards (includes detailed descriptions of the Varieties and Sections)
• Example score cards
• Standards Q&A

The rat should be of good size; females should be long and racy type; males should be of larger build, arched over the loin, muscular, well-toned, with long head, but not too pointed at the nose. The eyes should be large, round, clean, and full of life. The ears should be of good size, round, well formed, and widely spaced. The tail should be cylindrical, as long as the body, thick at the base, tapering to a fine point. The ears, feet, and tail should be covered with fine hair. The coat should be smooth and glossy (except Rex and Hairless). Males have a longer and coarser coat than females.

Scoring will be as follows:

The Varieties are: STANDARD, REX, HAIRLESS, and TAILLESS.

The Sections are: SELF, TICKED, SHADED, SILVERED, MARKED, and ODD-EYE.

Any color, marking, or variety not currently recognized by RMCA, or any other new feature, is considered "unstandardized." Unstandardized animals are not eligible to compete for Best Section, Best Variety, or Best in Show.

• SELF
  • Beige -- Sandy
  • Platinum -- Stomper
• MARKED
  • Black Hooded -- Batman
  • Black Masked -- Phantom McOpera
  • Blue Agouti Irish -- Eldarion
  • Blue Bareback -- China Doll
  • Blue Irish -- Screamer
  • Cinnamon Berkshire -- Jumbo Jack MacBurger
  • Fawn Bareback -- Sabo
  • Silver Hooded -- Snow Flake
• TICKED
  • Agouti -- Big Mac MacBurger
  • Blue Agouti -- Archie
• NON-STANDARD
  • Hairless -- Darwin
• Blank RMCA score card

What are the standards for the "standard" coat?

The General Conformation describes Standard rats. The coat should be smooth and glossy, and should be thick, not sparse.

What's the difference between a fault, an elimination, and a disqualification?

A fault just means that points are deducted. An elimination means that the animal cannot compete in the show that day. Basically, if you read the eliminations section, anything there can be fixed. A nursing mother will not be nursing at the next show, a tumor can be removed, an abcess can heal, etc. A disqualification means that the animal has something permanently wrong that will keep it from competing in the color classes forever. For example, a Self rat that has a white spot on its body, or a Siamese that has white feet, or any rat with a missing toe, a ripped ear, etc.