A Beginner's Guide to Showing

I’ve shown cattle, sheep, horses, dogs and now rats. Rat showing is my favourite. You don’t have hours of prep, the day is more relaxed, you get critique for every individual (NFRS shows) and you can chat to like-minded people. Win-win! If you’d like to give showing a go, here’s a guide to showing for someone who has never tried it before!

 

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Who goes to rat shows and why?

 

Rat shows are for ANYONE. Whether you’re a breeder, a pet home, or you don’t yet have rats, there’s something to gain for everyone. Shows are a great opportunity to have feedback on your rats, network, meet like-minded people, and appreciate the hard work that goes into producing the rats on the bench while having a great day out. There are also occasionally stalls where items such as rat accessories are sold.

 

The rats that attend shows must be fit and healthy (more details below), from a group that has had no significant issues in at least the last 2 weeks, longer if you’ve had a more severe issue such as a virus. Rats must be well-tempered and have a good confidence level so that the judge can handle them and the rat doesn’t become overwhelmed by the environment.

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When and where are rat shows held?

 

Rat shows tend to be run by the National Fancy Rat Society or area-based clubs such as London & Southern Counties Mouse and Rat Club (LSCMRC), Midlands Rat Club (MRC) and North of England Rat Society (NERS). They are on weekends at a variety of venues throughout the year. The club’s website should have a show calendar for you to see what shows are happening and when. The more stars a show has, the busier they are likely to be.

 

Venues tend to be village halls unless they are part of a larger show (for example, Tendring, Bradford or London Champs). Accessibility tends to be very good, though it’s always worth double checking with the show secretary if you have mobility concerns.

 

What do the different roles mean?

 

Show Secretary - the show secretary arranges and runs the show! They take entries and arrange them into the classes, answer queries, gather the results and write up place cards, and so much more! You will find the show sec at the table outside of the judges area.

 

Varieties Judge - the varieties judge judges rats based on the rat’s conformation and variety standard. The judge will usually be wearing a white coat and will sit at one of the judging tables.

 

Pets Judge - the pet judge judges rats based on their temperament. Different judges look for different things in a pet! The judge will be sitting at one of the judging tables and will be the one handling the rats.

 

Stewards - stewards arrange the show tanks and bring them to the judge for judging. They often scribe for the judge as well. The stewards will be the ones moving rats around the bench and writing notes down for the judges.

 

Kitchen Manager - the kitchen manager arranges the catering side of things at the show. 

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What do I do?

 

Step 1: Who do I enter?

 

There are some health considerations before deciding to make any entries. Within 2 weeks of the show:

• Have any of your rats had an infection?

• Have you had any new rats from unknown sources (rescue, pet shop or backyard breeder)?

• Have you been to any other shows?

• Have you had any unexplained deaths?

 

If you haven’t had any of these issues, you should be okay to attend the show.

 

The next things to consider:

• Is my rat friendly and happy to be handled?

• Does my rat have a good level of self-confidence or are they quite skittish? Does my rat cope well with new situations?

• Are they showing any signs of illness? Do they have mites/lice? Are they still recovering from surgery?

• Does the rat have any deformities (such as a severe tail kink)? Are they missing any body parts? (NOTE: depending on what it is, they may still be able to enter Pets - I had a doe with a scarred over eye who did very well in Pet classes).

• Is my rat in good condition (ie. not underweight or obese)?

• Is my rat too young/too old?

 

You want to bring rats that are happy, healthy and well-adjusted to shows. Any rat that fits these criteria can be entered into Pets. A rat can be entered into Varieties if you know their variety (the show sec can help you with the section and class) and they are a good example of that variety. Information on varieties and their standards can be found on the NFRS website and on the Hawthorn Rat Varieties website. Some shows allow dual entry, which is where rats can be entered into BOTH Varieties and Pets.

 

There are 8 sections that a variety will come under: Self, Marked, Russian, Shaded, AOV, Rex/Dumbo, Guide Standard and Provisional Standard. You can look at the NFRS Varieties page to see which varieties come under which section.

 

Step 2: Entries

 

Entries are usually taken for a show starting a week beforehand, with entries usually closing on the Wednesday night. Email your entries to the email address/fill in the form provided on the host’s website. You may also need to buy membership to enter shows, so check this beforehand. If you are unsure of what class to enter your rat into or have any other concerns, just ask the show sec! Also let the show sec know if you’ll need sale or hire tanks, especially if it influences how many rats you’re entering. You can hire up to 2 tanks, though they aren’t always available. For your first show, I would only enter into Pets, then show someone at the show any rats who you think could be entered into Varieties.

 

Here is a template for entries based on what I write:

“My info:

Name

Contact Number

Whether you are an club/society member or not

 

Entries:

1. Name of rat - variety, sex, age, dumbo/top ear, coat type (section). What you want to enter.

2. Name of rat - variety, sex, age, any deviations from standard coat and ear type along with any markings (section). What you want to enter.

 

Hire/sale tanks needed:

Total amount due:”

 

So, for example, if I were entering one of my martens:

 

“Kiki - adult marten doe (Shaded). Varieties.”

 

Or one of my badgers:

 

“Essa - adult russian dove agouti badger doe (Marked). Varieties and Pets.”

 

It is very important that you note whether the rat is dumbo, rex and/or marked as this influences the class that they are in. If you don’t, you will be disqualified for being in the wrong class. You also don’t need to worry about variety for Pet, but I find it helpful to include it so that those running the show know which rat is which to prevent any mix ups. Also be very clear about what rats are entered into both Varieties and Pets at dual entry shows.

 

Step 3: Show Prep

 

Once your entries have been confirmed, you’ll need to start to prepare for the show. You will need:

 

• Neutral-coloured substrate

• Neutral-coloured bedding (if the weather requires it/you’re entering kittens)

• Baby shampoo

• An old toothbrush

• A small tupperware/bowl of warm water

• Baby wipes

• Nail clippers

• A small portion of mix

• Cucumber, carrot or apple

• Small water bottle (if required by the show)

 

If you are hiring tanks, pack a small bag of substrate. I find that 10 handfuls of substrate is enough for 1 tank. Also pack a handful of bedding per tank if you’re going to need it. If you already have your tanks, fill them now and stack them after cleaning them.

 

You will want to make your rats presentable. The day before the show, have a bowl/small tupperware of warm water, baby shampoo and an old toothbrush. Use these to wash your rat’s tail. My preferred method is to dunk their tail in the tupperware, pop some baby shampoo on the old toothbrush, then brush downwards. Dunk the tail again and repeat as necessary, then dry off. If you don’t have an old tooth brush, substitute with a baby wipe. Warm wash cloths also work well for cleaning tails. If you have a pale-coloured rat that has staining, you may want to run over their coat with a baby wipe to remove as much of the staining as you can.

 

If you feel comfortable doing so, clip your rat’s nails. You want to clip the part of the nail that is completely white, avoiding the quick (marked red in the photo below). Clipping nails can be a bit faffy if you and/or the rat is not used to it. Don’t be afraid to take your time, take breaks, try different ways of holding them, or smear something like malt paste on a surface for them to lick at while you clip their nails. Even taking the very ends off of their nails can make a difference for the judge.

 

I like to pack a small portion of mix to sprinkle in the carrier on the way to the show and in the show tanks. I find that this helps them to settle as it gives them something to do. I also set aside some cucumber, carrot and/or apple to bring with me as a moisture source. If the show requires it, you may need to bring small water bottles to feed into the show tank. This will be shown on the event information.