Provisional Standard

Bareback

Phenotype

"The hood shall be unbroken, covering the head, throat, chest and shoulders, except in the case of light coloured bareback varieties where a pale coloured throat is permissible. The remainder of the body to be white. The edges of the hood shall be clear cut and devoid of brindling. The white area shall be pure and devoid of any yellowish tinge or staining."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

hh^s

Hooded with short hood modifier

Breeding Info

Avoid breeding to variegated rats.

Reference Photos:

Chestnut

Phenotype

Standard to be published Jan 2025

Genotype

aa + dominant gene

Black + dominant gene

Breeding Info

Carrying PED or mink can improve colour. "Cinnamons" bred from these pairings can turn out to be cinnamon chestnuts which look very fiery in adulthood and can be mistaken for cinnamons.

Reference Photos:

Cinnamon Chinchilla

Phenotype

"Top colour light brown, caused by the intermingling of brown guard hairs over a pearl white ground. The whole to give a pale speckled sandy appearance. Undercolour midgrey/brown, intermediate section pearl, tips brown. The entire underside to be white with a clear demarcation between top colour and belly. Head markings may be present or absent. Where present either a blaze or a headspot to be acceptable.

Headspot: Headspots to be centrally placed on the rat's forehead and no bigger than the rat's eye.

Blaze: This is to be a wedge shaped symmetrical blaze of white starting at the nose and extending up the face to the forehead. The blaze to cover the whisker bed and to taper to a fine point midway between the eyes and the ears. Not to extend to the cheeks or the eyes.

Forelegs to be white to half their length, backfeet to the ankle (hock or tarsal bone). Tails to be pied. Eyes ruby to black.

Faults: Drags, skewed or misshapen blazes, uneven or over large headspots, top colour too yellow."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

A- mm Cscs Fyfy

Agouti + mink + heterozygous chinchilla spotting + heterozygous fading yellow

CsCs FYFY or CsCs Fyfy - lethal, foetus absorbed or possibly born as BEWs which die very young.
Cscs FyFy - lethal or chinchilla
Cscs Fyfy - chinchilla
Cscs fyfy - half chinchilla

Breeding Info

The fading shows incomplete penetrance, so may be subject to environmental factors. While the incidence of megacolon is virtually non-existent in UK populations, they must not be crossed to many H-locus varieties, including variegated.

Reference Photos:

Copper

Phenotype

"To be a light copper colour with a soft metallic sheen delicately ticked with lilac, base coat light grey, feet and belly creamy silver. Russian coat. Eyes dark ruby to black. Faults; brassy or grey tone, velvet coat."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

A- bb rbrb mm Rr

Agouti + chocolate + russian blue + mink + carrying RED

Breeding Info

Current copper lines tend to go velvet. Colour can be ambiguous in adolescence and early adulthood. Potentially also requires the supposed tango modifier. Possibility that satin could help to produce the metallic sheen described in the standard.

Reference Photos:

Dwarf

Phenotype

"To be less than half the size of a standard fancy rat but easily distinguished from a small example of same. All varieties recognised for other rats to be accepted. Head to be shapely, similar to a standard rat but finer boned and pointed at the muzzle. Eyes big, round and bold with a good width between the ears. Ears to be large and well-shaped. Body to show good length but slightly more rounded over the loin. This may give the appearance of a chopped rump but the bones of the pelvis should not be prominent to the touch. The tail will not be as long or thick in comparison with a standard rat, but nor should it be square-shaped or excessively thin; the bones should not be visible. The tail will typically be held high during movement."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

dwdw

Dwarf

Breeding Info

Will decrease in size with successive dwarf x dwarf pairings, but this seems to stabilise after a while. If breeding a standard buck to a dwarf doe, use a younger buck so they are not full size. Kittens will be larger with a standard mother than a dwarf mother as the standard mother's milk will have more growth hormones. Can be less susceptible to tumours linked to growth hormones.

Reference Photos:

Havana

Phenotype

"To be a warm rich brown. Eye colour mid ruby, to harmonise with coat colour."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

aa Bb mm Rr

Black + carrying chocolate + mink + carrying RED

Breeding Info

Can also be bred using American mink.

Reference Photos:

Havana Agouti

Phenotype

"To be a light sandy brown caused by the intermingling of light brown ticking over a light fawn ground. Belly to be pale silver, undercoat light brown grey. Foot colour to match top. Eye Colour mid to light ruby. Serious faults: Dark eye colour. Colour must not conform to the std for cinnamon."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

A- Bb mm Rr

Agouti + carrying chocolate + mink + carrying RED

Breeding Info

Can also be bred using American mink.

Reference Photos:

Merle

Phenotype

"Merle rats may be shown in pearl and cinnamon pearl. The unique feature is a pattern of dark splash-spots distributed evenly throughout the entire lighter background colour so as to resemble a merle dog. The markings should be numerous and distinct. Eye colour black. Genetics: Pearl or cinnamon pearl rats with patchy expression of the pearl gene."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

aa mm Pepe OR A- mm Pepe

Black + pearl OR agouti + mink + pearl WITH patchy expression

Breeding Info

Pearl is a lethal dominant. Pearl and cinnamon pearl don't run in a line very well - pearl is more cool-toned and cinnamon pearl is more warm in tone - but cinnamon pearl can help to correct sootiness in colour. Has a tendency towards being cobby in type. Can show incomplete penetrance.

Reference Photos:

Pink-Eyed Ivory

Phenotype

"Body colour to be very pale creamy white all over with no odd coloured hairs or patches. Ears and tail to be pink. Eyes pink."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

Unproven

Breeding Info

Reference Photos:

Powder Blue

Phenotype

"To be a pale dove blue colour, with pale silver base fur. Pale silver underbelly. Should be distinctively different to that of the slate colour of the blue rat. Colour to be as even as possible, devoid of dinginess, white hairs or patches. Foot colour to match top. Eyes Black or Ruby. Body colour to be very pale creamy white all over with no odd coloured hairs or patches. Ears and tail to be pink. Eyes pink."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

aa dd + modifier for white undercoat

Black + British blue + modifier for white undercoat.

Breeding Info

Reference Photos:

Russian Pearl

Phenotype

"To be a mid silver, with a creamish undercolour. The majority of hairs to be pearl tipped with grey, indispersed with occasional grey hairs. The top coat must be short and thick with a slight metallic sheen. Belly fur to be a pale creamy grey. Foot colour pale grey. Eyes Black."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

aa mm Pepe rbrb OR bb

Black + mink + pearl + Russian blue/British blue

Breeding Info

Reference Photos:

Satin

Phenotype

"The satin shall have a high sheen coat resulting in a satin like or metallic gloss. The colour may be that of any recognised variety. Satinization will appear to increase the intensity of any colour and this should be taken into account."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

sasa

Satin

Breeding Info

More noticeable on some varieties than others (eg. satin silver agouti kittens can look like martens but with pale bellies). Young satin kittens can look like the tips of their whiskers droop slightly. Softer than standard coats.

Reference Photos:

Variegated Downunder

Phenotype

"The head and shoulders to be of a distinct colour with a white spot or blaze on the forehead. Where a spot is present this should be centrally placed on the forehead, round or oval in shape and no bigger than the rat's eye. Blazes are a wedge shaped symmetrical blaze of white, starting at the nose and taper to a fine point midway between the eyes and ears. Markings not to extend onto the cheeks or the eyes. The rest of the upper portion (back, sides and tail) of the rat's body to be white, evenly marked with patches and flecks of distinct colour, the colour to conform to a recognised colour variety. Underside should have a broken marked centre line down the belly. Side spots desirable. Faults: rusty patches, white toes, darker points on nose, tail root and feet."
- NFRS Variety Standard

Genotype

hh^e OR h^eh^e OR similar WITH Dw-

Variegated + downunder

Breeding Info

Cannot be bred through selection for belly spots on variegated rats.

Reference Photos: