Conformation – The General Standard of Excellence
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| Condition | The mouse should have an overall healthy-looking appearance and be the correct weight for its size. The coat should be glossy and lie smooth and flat against the skin. The eyes should be bright, open and free from crust or mucous. There should be no scabs, sores or missing patches of fur and the whiskers should be intact. The mouse should not be showing any signs of illness, including but not limited to sneezing, wheezing, rattling or chirping, nor should the mouse be hunched over, which may indicate a serious problem. |
| Body | The body should be long and racy and give the appearance of fluidity and strength. The mouse should not be too thin nor overweight but should be muscular and pleasing to the eye. The body will have a well-arched loin and will be proportionate. When two mice are equal in all qualities, preference would be given to the larger mouse. |
| Head | The head should be long, clean and wedge-shaped. It should not be too wide or too narrow but should have a rounded shape. The lines of the face should be soft and should taper to a clean, dry nose that is not too pointy or fine. The width of the muzzle should be in proportion to the width of the head and should not be pinched or narrow. Bucks will have broader cheeks than does. |
| Ears | The ears should be as large as possible and smooth, with rounded edges and no creases. The ears should also be prominent, thin, translucent and clean. They should be expressive and erect with plenty of width between them but not set too high on the head. Rips, holes or any other natural or unnatural defect of the ears to be faulted. |
| Eyes | The eyes should be clear, bright and rounded with a bold, large size. They should have plenty of space between them and should align with the base of the ears. |
| Tail | The tail should be free from kinks and bumps and as long as possible, at least the length of the mouse. It should come out of a well-defined rump and should have a long, thick set-on that leads into the tail. The base to be thick, tapering to a fine point. |
| Temperament | The mouse should have a friendly disposition and should be alert and easily handled. The mouse should not be skittish or aggressive and should never bite. The mouse should not be lethargic, but should be inquisitive. |
Agouti
| Color should be a rich golden shade of brown, with black ticking evenly dispersed throughout the coat. Undercolor should be a dark shade of slate. Coloration should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Darker skin to be preferred over lighter. Eyes black. Common faults include uneven ticking, too-cool or too-light shade, lighter under.
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| Argente | Color should be a soft shade of Fawn, with grey ticking evenly dispersed throughout the coat. Undercolor should be a strong shade of dove. Coloration should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes pink. Common faults include uneven ticking, too-cool or too-dark shade, lighter under.
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Blue Agouti
| Color to be a grey shade of brown, with dark Blue ticking evenly dispersed throughout the coat. Undercolor should be a medium shade of slate. Coloration should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes black. Common faults include uneven ticking, too-warm or too-light color, lighter under.
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| Cinnamon | Color should be a warm shade of golden tan, with Chocolate ticking evenly dispersed throughout the coat. Undercolor should be a medium shade of slate. Coloration should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes black or ruby. Common faults include uneven ticking, too-cool or too-light color, lighter under.
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| Pearl | Color should be a light shade of Silver, with darker ticking evenly dispersed throughout the coat. Undercolor should be a cool shade of off-white. Coloration should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes black. Common faults include too-dark color, molt marks.
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Silver Agouti
| Color should be a bright shade of grey, with Black ticking evenly dispersed throughout the coat. Undercolor should be a deep shade of slate. Coloration should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes black. Common faults include uneven ticking, too-warm color, and lighter under.
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| Silvered | Color should be as with standardized self variety, with Silver ticking evenly dispersed throughout the coat. No distinct undercolor should be visible. Coloration should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Common faults include lighter undercoat, molt marks.
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| Beige | Color should be a warm shade of medium khaki. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes black. Common faults include light points, too-cool color.
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| Black | Color should be a deep shade of jet black, as dark as possible. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes black. Common faults include light or tan hairs or skin, light toes or ears, milk mouth.
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| Blue | Color should be a dark shade of blue slate without appearing black. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes black. Common faults include mealy or too-warm color, light or tan hairs or skin.
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| Champagne | Color should be a warm, pastel shade of buff. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes pink. Common faults include too-cool or too-dark color.
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| Chocolate | Color should be a dark, rich shade of warm brown. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes black. Common faults include light toes, too-light or too-cool color.
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| Coffee | Color should be a neutral shade of camel brown or light chamois. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes black. Common faults include light points, too-light or too-dark color.
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| Cream | Color should be a pale shade of cool yellow. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes pink. Common faults include too-dark or too-warm color.
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| Dove | Color should be a warm shade of medium pinky grey. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes pink. Common faults include too-dark or too-light or too-cool color.
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| Fawn | Color should be a bright shade of fiery red-orange. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Skin may be any shade of red, not darker than the coat. Eyes pink. Common faults include soot, too-light or too-cool color.
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| Ivory | Color should be a clear shade of antique white. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes black. Common faults include too-warm or too-light or too-dark color.
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| Lilac | Color should be a warm shade of light grey with both Blue and brown undertones. The visual effect should be reminiscent of purple. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes black. Common faults include mealiness, too-brown or too-Blue shades.
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| Red | Color should be a deep, rich shade of rufous red. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Skin may be any shade of red, not darker than the coat. Eyes black. Common faults include soot, too-dark or too-light color, heavy mice.
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| Silver | Color should be a light shade of cool pastel grey. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Not to be faulted for a darker undercoat. Eyes pink or black. Common faults include light points, mealiness, too-dark color.
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| White | Color should be a pure shade of stark white. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, top to under. Eyes pink or black. Common faults include yellow tint, colored hairs.
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Argente Cream
| Color should be a delicate silvery shade of Cream, with silver ticking evenly dispersed throughout the coat. Undercolor should be a pale shade of Blue. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, across the top. Demarcation line should be as straight and crisp as possible, with white on the belly, chest, jaws, inside of flanks, and inside of feet, but not the tail. Eyes pink. Common faults include white behind the ears, too pale top color, poor contrast with belly.
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Chinchilla
| Color should be a pearl shade of grey, with Black ticking evenly dispersed throughout the coat. Undercolor should be a slate shade of Blue. Shade should be consistent from nose to tail tip to toes, across the top. Demarcation line should be as straight and crisp as possible, with white on the belly, chest, jaws, inside of flanks, and inside of feet, but not the tail. Eyes black. Common faults include brown tinge, creamy under.
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| Fox | The ideal Fox appears from the top to be of the base color variety, with the under being a crisp, stark White. Demarcation line should be as straight and crisp as possible, with white on the belly, chest, jaws, inside of flanks, and inside of feet, but not the tail. Foxes may be shown in any standardized self or ticked color. Common faults include throat spots, creamy under, and yellow edging.
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Grizzled Fox
| The ideal Grizzled Fox appears from the top to be of the base color variety, with the under being a crisp, stark White. Demarcation line should be as straight as possible, with white on the belly, chest, jaws, inside of flanks, and inside of feet, but not the tail. Demarcation to include heavy flecks of white hairs along the demarcation and on the flanks. Grizzled foxes may be shown in any standardized self color. Common faults include creamy under, poor demarcation, insufficient white flecking.
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| Tan | The ideal Tan appears from the top to be of the base color variety, with the under being a rich golden shade of tan, as red as possible. Demarcation line should be as straight and crisp as possible, with tan on the belly, chest, jaws, inside of flanks, and inside of feet, but not the tail. Tans may be shown in any standardized self or ticked color. Common faults include throat spots, intermingling hairs, poor demarcation including wholly tan feet or tan ears.
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| Banded | The ideal Banded has a single swath of White around the entire body, centered between the ribcage and hipbones. The band should be one quarter white by length, and there should be no white on the tail. The demarcation should be completely straight and crisp, foot stops on the completely white feet. Bandeds may be shown in any color or pattern, save that there is no additional white. Common faults include patches of white in color or color in white, zips or pulls on demarcation.
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| Broken | The ideal Broken has irregularly distributed patches of color on White. Patches should have crisp smooth edges. More patches preferred over fewer, with a preference for same-sized patches. There should be a patch including one whisker bed and another on the opposite ear. Brokens may be shown in any color or pattern, save that there is no additional white. Common faults include smudged patch edges, patches weighted to one side or full rump patch, no patches under.
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| Dutch | The ideal Dutch has a specific pattern of three patches of color on White. Mice must have cheek and saddle patches to be shown as Dutch. Cheek patches should include the ears at the back and the eyes in the front, but not the whiskers, neck, or jawline. Cheeks should ideally be symmetrical and separated by an hourglass shape. The saddle patch should begin as close as possible to the middle of the mouse, the same top and under, and extend halfway down the tail. Back feet should be half white with heel colored. All patches should have crisp, smooth, straight edges. Dutch may be shown in any color or pattern, save that there is no additional white. Common faults include zips or pulls on demarcation, asymmetrical cheek patches, misplaced foot or tail stops.
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| Even | The ideal Even has balanced and symmetrical patches of color on White, with the Dutch pattern reserved for that variety. Patches should have crisp smooth edges. More patches preferred over fewer, with a preference for same-sized patches. Evens may be shown in any color or pattern, save that there is no additional white. Common faults include smudged patch edges, patches weighted to one side, no patches under.
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| Hereford | The ideal Hereford has a white blaze, white feet, a white marking under, and a half-white tail. The blaze should be a V-shape on the face, including the eyes and chin, but not the throat or ears, with the point just past the ears. The latter half of the tail should be white, and there should be a white line or rectangle from chest to vent under, not reaching the sides or legs. All patches should have crisp smooth edges. Hereford may be shown in any color or pattern, save that there is no additional white. Common faults include asymmetrical blaze, overly large or small blaze, marking under misplaced.
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| Pied | The ideal Pied is to consist of equal portions White and any standardized non-white color or Roan. Markings are to be crisp and clean, and well distributed across the coat, being found on both the top and under. The markings should not resemble any other standardized marked variety. Common faults include brindling of white or colored hairs, smudged patch edges, and more than two thirds either color or White.
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Pied Merle
| The ideal Pied Merle has balanced patches of a self or ticked color, patches of Roan, and patches of White. The three should represent equal portions of the coat. Patches should have crisp smooth edges and be well-distributed throughout the coat. More patches preferred over fewer, with a preference for same-sized patches, and greater contrast to be preferred over less. Common faults include weighted patches, too much or too little of one type of patch.
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| Rumpwhite | The ideal Rumpwhite has a single patch of White covering the rear third of the mouse, including the back feet and tail. The patch should be the same top and under, with a crisp smooth straight edge encircling the mouse. Rumpwhite may be shown in any color or pattern, save that there is no additional white. Common faults include zips or pulls on demarcation, patches of color on white or white on color.
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Tricolor
| The ideal Tricolor has balanced patches of two colors and White, with the Dutch pattern reserved for that variety. The three shades should represent roughly equal portions of the coat. Patches should have crisp smooth edges. More patches preferred over fewer, with a preference for same-sized patches. Tricolor may be shown in any self or pointed colors. Common faults include patches weighted to one side or color, additional colors or shades past three, smudged patch edges.
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| Variegated | The ideal Variegated has a balanced pattern of numerous small, ragged patches of color on White. Patches should be as equally-sized and evenly-distributed as possible. Head spots not to be faulted. Variegated may be shown in any self or ticked color. Common faults include white weighted to a band, overly large patches of color.
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| Brindle | The ideal Brindle has equal amounts of contrasting stripes on a self or ticked background. Stripes should have clean edges and meet at the spine, with even distribution across and under the mouse. More stripes to be preferred over fewer. Common faults include no stripes under, smudged stripes, unequal striping.
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| Merle | The ideal Merle has equal amounts of non-white self or ticked color on a lighter, evenly-Roaned background. Patches should have clean edges with even distribution across and under the mouse to create a marbled effect throughout. More patches to be preferred over fewer, with sufficient contrast between patches and roan. Common faults include white tail tips, under- or over-marked under, lighter under.
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| Roan | The ideal Roan has non-white self or ticked hairs interspersed equally and evenly with white hairs. Pattern and shade should be the same top and under, nose to tail tip to toes. Roaning should be evident across the entire mouse, and the tail should be free from darker or lighter patches. Common faults include uneven tail pigment, darker patches, lighter under.
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Splashed
| The ideal Splashed has a balanced pattern of numerous small, ragged patches of color on diluted color or White. Patches should be as equally-sized and evenly-distributed as possible. Points not to be faulted. Splashed may be shown in any self, ticked, and/or pointed color(s). Eyes black, ruby, pink, or odd-eyed. Common faults include molt marks, uneven splashing, no splashes under.
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| Burmese | Burmese may be shown in Seal, Chocolate, or Blue. Body color to be darkest Chocolate in Seal, medium Chocolate in Chocolate, or medium Blue for Blue Burmese. Points to be as dark as possible in both fur and skin pigment, Black on Seals, dark Chocolate on Chocolates, or dark Blue on Blues. Points on nose, ears, feet, and tail to shade evenly into the body color. Eyes black. Common faults include molt marks, too-light points, too-light body color.
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Colorpoint Beige
| Colorpoint Beige may be shown in Seal, Chocolate, or Blue. Body color to be a medium Beige in Seal and Chocolate, or light Blue for Bluepoint Beige. Points to be as dark as possible in both fur and skin pigment, sepia on Seals, dark Chocolate on Chocolates, or dark Blue on Blues. Points on nose, ears, feet, and tail to shade quickly and evenly into the body color. Eyes black. Common faults include molt marks, too-light points, too-dark or too-light body color.
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| Himalayan | Himalayan may be shown in Seal, Chocolate, or Blue. Body color to be as White as possible, with no shading. Points to be as dark as possible in both fur and skin pigment, sepia on Seals, Chocolate on Chocolates, or Blue on Blues. Points on nose, ears, feet, and tail to be well-defined, but to shade quickly and evenly into the body color. Eyes pink or ruby. Common faults include molt marks, too-light points, too-dark body color.
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| Reverse Siamese | Body color to be a light brown tinted with grey. Points to be as light as possible. Points on the nose, ears, feet, and tail to shade quickly and evenly into the body color. Eyes black. Common faults include molt marks, too-dark points points, too-dark or too-cool body color.
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| Sable | Top color to be as dark as possible a rich brown, from nose to tail along the spine. The under color should be a rich, golden shade of Tan, as red as possible. From top to under, color should shade evenly and gradually from dark to red. Eyes black. Common faults include molt marks, uneven shading, too-light belly.
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| Siamese | Siamese may be shown in Seal, Chocolate, or Blue. Body color to be a warm buff in Seal or Chocolate, or a light Blue for Blue Siamese. Points should be as dark as possible in both fur and skin pigment, sepia on Seals, Chocolate on Chocolates, or Blue on Blues. Points on nose, ears, feet, and tail to shade evenly into the body color. Eyes ruby. Common faults include molt marks, too-light points, insufficient body shading.
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| Marten Sable | Top color to be as dark as possible a rich sepia, from nose to tail along the spine. The under color should be a stark White. From top to under, color should shade evenly and gradually from dark to white, ideally with white ticking along the sides. Eyes black. Common faults include molt marks, uneven shading, too-dark belly.
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| Abyssinian | The coat on an Abyssinian should be whorled, with at least one rosette on each side. Rosettes should be evenly balanced and well defined, forming a ridge between, top and under. Individual rosettes should have a discrete center point and a smooth round shape. More rosettes to be an advantage, with symmetry secondary. Abyssinian may be shown in any color or pattern. Common faults include missing ridges, softened rosette edges, comma-shaped rosette centers.
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| Angora | The coat on an Angora should be as long as possible, with an even length across the entire coat and a silky texture. The coat should be dense but voluminous, with no longer guard hairs or protruding tufts. Whiskers to be long. Angoras may be shown in any color or pattern. Common faults include ear tufts, skirts, longer guard hairs.
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| Fuzzy | The coat on a Fuzzy should be tightly curled, with an evenly close-cropped very dense texture. The coat should be wooly but velvety. Whiskers should be tightly curled. Fuzzies may be shown in any color or pattern. Common faults include thin or hairless patches, too-long fur, straight sections.
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Hairless | The skin on a Hairless should be completely naked, with as few guard hairs or stray hairs as possible. Whiskers may be short, curly, or missing, and skin may be wrinkled, but no preference is to be given regarding presence or absence of either. Skin quality to be judged in place of coat condition. Hairless may be shown in any color or pattern. Common faults include poor skin quality, excess hairs, squinty eyes.
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Rex
| The coat on a Rex should be wavy, with a tight series of curls across the body. The coat should be dense but as curly as possible, with no straight sections or untextured hairs. Whiskers to be well-curled. Rexes may be shown in any color or pattern. Common faults include straight patches or whiskers.
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Texel
| The coat on a Texel should be as long and as curly as possible, with an even length and curl across the entire coat. The coat should be ringletted but fluffy, with no straight sections or protruding tufts. Whiskers to be long and curled. Texels may be shown in any color or pattern. Common faults include straight patches, longer guard hairs, skirts. |
Smoke
| SThe ideal Smoke should have a high degree of contrast between the body color and the undercolor. Undercolor should be as stark White as possible, with no disruptions aside from points. Greater contrast to be preferred over less, with more of the hair shaft white than colored. Smoke may be shown in any non-white self or pointed color. Angora and Texel Smokes to be classed with standard Smokes, with coat quality of those varieties replacing that described in the general standard. Common faults include splashes, molt marks, and insufficient contrast.
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*These previously proposed standards were once provisional, but have lapsed. Please see ARTICLE XIV of the bylaws for more information.
