AFRMA Fancy Mice

AFRMA Fancy Mice - Marked

The following is a brief description of the mouse markings as recognized by the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association. See Fancy Mouse Genes: Marked for genetics.

For complete details of these Standards including points, faults, and disqualifications, please refer to the AFRMA Show Regulations & Standards book.

Note: The pictures on this page are not meant to be true representatives of the animal’s color. Because of differences in monitors (CRT/LCD) and how the monitor is adjusted, the colors may be different. Seeing in person is always best.

Banded Broken Marked Broken Merle Dutch Even Marked Hereford Rump White Spotted Tan Variegated

BANDED - Banded mice may be shown in any recognized color. The distinctive feature is the white band around the body to occupy ¼ length of body positioned at the third quarter of body length from head excluding tail. Sharpness of demarcation prime importance. Feet white. [Standardized August 29, 1998; amended June 7, 2008] Note: Mice with the neatest front feet have more white on the tail; choose breeding stock with whole colored tails and white front feet where possible Articles on Banded: Working With Banded Mice - AFRMA article Banded Mice - AFRMA article Banded by Cait Walgate, Fancy Mice, U.K. (archived page, photos missing) Research article: A new allele sash (W^sh) at the W-locus and a spontaneous recessive lethal in mice Mary F. Lyon and P. H. Glenister. Genetics Research, Volume 39, Issue 3, June 1982 , pp. 315–322.	Black Banded mouse owned and bred by Nancy Ferris. Photo ©1997 Craig Robbins. Black Banded mouse owned by Virginia Pochmann. Photo ©Virginia Pochmann.
BROKEN MARKED - Broken Marked mice may be shown in any recognized color. They have as many colored spots or patches as possible on a white background, even in size, sharply defined, and distributed irregularly over the body. A spot of some size is preferred on the head. Read the article Broken by Cait Walgate, Fancy Mice, U.K. (archived page, photos missing) Research article: Studies On Spotting Patterns I. Analysis of Quantitative Variations in the Pied Spotting of the House Mouse L. C. Dunn and D. R. Charles, Genetics. January 1, 1937, vol. 22 no. 1 14–42.	Agouti Broken Marked mouse owned by Kelli Boka, bred by Sarah Cudbill, England. Photo ©2008 Craig Robbins. Black Broken Marked mouse owned by Karen Robbins, bred by Ann Quinn. Photo ©1995 Craig Robbins.
BROKEN MERLE - Broken colored Merles are a white mouse with roan and solid patches added to give areas of pure roan, dark patches, and white patches. The different patched areas to show balance between the three different “colors.” Eye color to match base color. (Jack Ball) [Standardized June 12, 1999]	Black Broken Merle mouse owned and bred by Carissa Cosley. Photo ©1998 Craig Robbins. Black Broken Merle mouse owned and bred by Helen Pembrook. Photo ©1999 Craig Robbins.
DUTCH - Dutch marked mice may be shown in any recognized color, and will have markings like those of a Dutch rabbit. The forward half of the body will be white, with the exception of the cheek patches. These are located on either side of the head, and are to include the ears, upper jowls, and the area immediately forward of the eyes. The cheek markings should be well rounded and balanced, and clear of the whiskers. A wedge shaped blaze of white should run from muzzle to neck, running between colored ears. The saddle on the rear half of the body should be of solid color, and the dividing line between color and white should be as straight and clean-cut as possible, above and under as well. The color should extend well into the tail, and the remaining area should be flesh-colored. The white stops on the hind feet should be uniform in length, and their dividing line should be about halfway between the toes and the hocks. The white portion of the Dutch should be a clean, pure white, and all markings should be clear and sharp. Dutch mice are normally cobby and smaller in body type. Articles on Dutch: Dutch Mouse Info - AFRMA article All About Dutch - Sarah Yeomans, Blackthorn Stud, U.K. (archived page) Research article: Studies On Spotting Patterns I. Analysis of Quantitative Variations in the Pied Spotting of the House Mouse L. C. Dunn and D. R. Charles, Genetics. January 1, 1937, vol. 22 no. 1 14–42.	Blue Dutch mouse owned and bred by Troya Duncanson. Photo ©1994 Craig Robbins. Black Dutch mouse owned by Kelli Boka, bred by Phil Brookes, England. Photo ©2008 Karen Robbins. Fawn Dutch Satin mouse owned and bred by Troya Duncanson. Photo ©1993 Craig Robbins.
EVEN MARKED - Even marked mice may be shown in any recognized color. They should be of any uniform pattern other than Dutch markings, and should have as many clear-cut and balanced spots or patches as possible. Agouti Even Marked mouse owned and bred by Karen Hauser. Photo© Karen Hauser. Read the article Even by Cait Walgate, Fancy Mice, U.K. (archived page, photo missing)
HEREFORD - Eye color to be as in standard variety. The body color shall be that of any standardized color. The face shall be white, extending to a V shape that terminates just beyond the line of the ears, the white going under the chin and be clean cut, but not extending down the throat. The ears and tail shall be of standardized color with the latter half of the tail being white. The belly shall have a uniform white marking, starting between the front legs and ending at the vent with the white not to extend up the sides of the body or down the legs. The feet shall be white. Any other markings on the top shall be considered a fault. The white areas shall be pure and devoid of any color or staining. This is more in line with the breed of cattle and less like the self colored mouse with a white face and feet. The belly mark is generally thought to be best as a rectangle shaped bar or line starting between the front legs and ending at the vent. Originator E. Jukes 2003. (English, N.M.C.; accepted June 7, 2008) Chocolate Hereford mouse owned by Kelli Boka, bred by Phil Arnold, England. Photo ©2008 Craig Robbins. Articles on Hereford: Hereford Mouse Question - AFRMA article Hereford - Cait Walgate, Fancy Mice, U.K. (archived page, photos missing)
RUMP WHITE - Rump White is any standard color having a white rump. The line of demarcation should be straight and encircle the body so that the lower third of the mouse, including the hind feet and tail, is completely white. The remaining color must be without any white markings at all and should conform to the standard laid down for that variety. (English, N.M.C.; accepted June 7, 2008) Chocolate Tan Rump White mouse owned by Kelli Boka, bred by David Safe, England. Photo ©2008 Karen Robbins. Read the article Rumpwhite by Cait Walgate, Fancy Mice, U.K. (archived page, photos missing) Research articles: “Mouse rump-white mutation associated with an inversion of chromosome 5” D. A. Stephenson, et al. Mammalian Genome, June 1994, Volume 5, Issue 6, pp 342–348. Molecular genetic analysis of the rump white mutation in the mouse Richard Barratt Hough, University of Pennsylvania, dissertation (1998). “Rump white inversion in the mouse disrupts dipeptidyl aminopeptidase-like protein 6 and causes dysregulation of Kit expression.” R. Barry Hough, et al. PNAS, November 10, 1998 95 (23) 13800–13805
SPOTTED TANS - Spotted tans may be shown in any recognized color, and may include Banded, Even Marked, Broken Marked, Dutch, Variegated, Broken Merle, Hereford, and Rump White. Where the spotting pattern runs into the stomach, the color should be a rich golden-red tan. Color patches should be clear-cut, showing no brindling or intermingling or white hairs. Preferable, several colored spots should be low on the body, to show as much contrast as possible with the top color and the tanning. Note: These mice are mistakenly called “Tri-Color” because of the three colors AFRMA articles: Tri-Colored Mouse?; Making Two-Colored Mice Black & White + Brown = Spotted Tan Mouse	Spotted Tan (Broken Merle) owned by Virginia Pochmann. Photo © Virginia Pochmann. Note the orange by the back leg. This is where the top color “ran” onto the bottom and because of the Tan gene, was changed from the Black to the orange of the Tan. A Chocolate Spotted Tan (Broken Marked) mouse from 1980 owned and bred by Karen Hauser. Photo ©1980 Debbie Hauser. Note the orange by the back leg and under the cheek. This is where the top color “ran” onto the bottom and because of the Tan gene, was changed from the Chocolate to the orange of the Tan.
VARIEGATED - Variegated mice may be shown in any recognized color, splashed on a white background, and free from any solid, clear-cut markings. The splashes should be small and numerous, ragged in outline but approximately equal in size, and well distributed over the entire body. Read the article Variegated by Cait Walgate, Fancy Mice, U.K. (archived page, photos missing) Research articles: Studies On Spotting Patterns II. Genetic Analysis of Variegated Spotting In The House Mouse L. C. Dunn, Genetics. January 1, 1937, vol. 22 no. 1 43–64. “Analysis of Pleiotropism at the Dominant White-Spotting (W) Locus of the House Mouse: A Description of Ten New W Alleles.” Edwin N. Geissler, Eleanor C. McFarland and Elizabeth S. Russell, Genetics 97: 337–361 February, 1981.	Agouti Variegated mouse owned by Nichole Royer. Photo ©1998 Nichole Royer. Black Variegated mouse owned by Denise Deen. Photo ©1988 Geri Hauser.

For complete details of the Standards including points, faults, eliminations, and disqualifications, please refer to the AFRMA Show Regulations & Standards book.

Purchase the AFRMA Official Color Standards Mouse book.

Updated December 12, 2024