AFRMA Fancy Mice

AFRMA Fancy Mice - Self

The following are the mouse self colors as recognized by the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association. These are one solid color with no white markings. See Fancy Mouse Genes or Fancy Mouse Genes: Black-based colors for genetics.

Color is to be even over the entire body, extending to the skin and including the underparts, ears, feet and tail.

General Self Faults – Faded or rusty color; mottling, mealiness or shading of color; light underparts; stray white hairs in the coat; tan hairs around the vent or behind the ears; white toenails.

General Self Disqualifications – White spot on the body; white on the tail.
See the Standards book for additional details on each color.

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.

Beige Black Blue Champagne Chocolate Coffee Cream Dove Fawn Gold Ivory Lilac Orange Red Silver White

BEIGE - Color is a warm grayish-tan. Eye color is black. Beige mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©1999 Craig Robbins. Research article: A New Mutation in the House Mouse J. A. Detlefsen, The American Naturalist, Volume 55, Number 640, Sep.-Oct. 1921
BLACK - Color is a deep lustrous black. Eye color is black. Black mouse owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken. Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.
BLUE - Color is a medium slate blue. Eye color is black. Blue mouse owned and bred by Linda von Hanneken. Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.
CHAMPAGNE - Color is a clean warm beige, enhanced by a pinkish cast running throughout the coat, like that of sparkling champagne. Eye color is pink. Champagne mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2007 Karen Robbins. For more photos, see the AFRMA Facebook page: KK Mice (Champagne, Blue Point & Seal Point Siamese) or web site
CHOCOLATE - Color is a rich, deep chocolate brown, showing no tint of redness. Eye color is deep ruby or black. Chocolate mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2007 Karen Robbins.
COFFEE - Coffee is a very pale brown, similar to coffee with cream. Eye color is black. Coffee Fox Long Hair mouse owned by Julie Steele. Photo ©1988 Larry Ferris. Research article: A New Mutation in the House Mouse J. A. Detlefsen, The American Naturalist, Volume 55, Number 640, Sep.-Oct. 1921
CREAM - Color is a pale yellow, similar to that of rich dairy cream or vanilla ice cream. Eye color is deep ruby or black. A P.E. Cream Satin mouse from 1982 owned by Dorothy Pena. Photo ©AFRMA. See also the FinnMouse site for photos of Cream with their Unstandardized colors. AFRMA article: Cream
DOVE - Color is a perfect blend of blue and chocolate, not too dark. Eye color is black. Chocolate, Dove, and Blue mice owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2005 Craig Robbins. AFRMA article: Lilac U.S. vs. Dove U.K.
FAWN - Color is a medium orange, midway between gold and orange. Eye color may be pink or black. A P.E. Fawn mouse owned by Kelli Boka, bred by Sarah Cudbill. Photo ©2008 Karen Robbins. AFRMA article: Mouse ID: Color of Fawn Mouse Research article: “A molecular model for the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the mouse lethal yellow (A^y) mutation.” Edward J. Michaud, et al. Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA, Vol. 91, pp. 2562–2566, March 1994
GOLD - Color is a light yellowish-orange, similar to that of gold metal. Eye color may be pink or black. Gold Broken marked mouse owned and bred by Kelli Boka. Photo ©2007 Craig Robbins. AFRMA articles: Gold Mouse ID: Color of Fawn Mouse Research article: “A molecular model for the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the mouse lethal yellow (A^y) mutation.” Edward J. Michaud, et al. Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA, Vol. 91, pp. 2562–2566, March 1994
IVORY - Color is white with a pale yellow hue. Eyes black. [Standardized N.M.C. B.E. Cream as Ivory October 21, 1990; already had a standard for Cream that is different genetically] Ivory mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2009 Karen Robbins. AFRMA articles: Getting Ivory Mice from Chinchilla Cream vs. Ivory Research article: A New Mutation in the House Mouse J. A. Detlefsen, The American Naturalist, Volume 55, Number 640, Sep.-Oct. 1921
LILAC - Color is a medium dove gray, like that of the Lilac rabbit. Eye color is pink. Lilac mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2007 Karen Robbins. AFRMA article: Lilac U.S. vs. Dove U.K.
ORANGE - Color is a vivid bright orange, as rich as possible. Eye color may be pink, ruby, or black. Orange Satin mouse owned by Kris Bryant. Photo ©1993 Craig Robbins. AFRMA article: Mouse ID: Color of Fawn Mouse Research article: “A molecular model for the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the mouse lethal yellow (A^y) mutation.” Edward J. Michaud, et al. Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA, Vol. 91, pp. 2562–2566, March 1994
RED - Color to be a burnt orange red, the deeper the better, clear and without sootiness. Eyes black. [Standardized July 26, 1997] Red mouse (and Cinnamon) owned by Nichole Royer, bred by David Safe, England. Photo ©2004 Craig Robbins. AFRMA articles: The Red Mouse Mouse ID: Color of Fawn Mouse Research article: “A molecular model for the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the mouse lethal yellow (A^y) mutation.” Edward J. Michaud, et al. Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA, Vol. 91, pp. 2562–2566, March 1994
SILVER - Color is a very light gray, similar to a new coin, showing no hint of lilac. Eye color is pink. Silver can be a P.E. Black or a P.E. Blue.	Silver mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2005 Karen Robbins. L-R: Silvers vs PEW—P.E. Black (warmer shade) vs 2 P.E. Blue (cooler shade) vs PEW. Note the dark eyelids and cooler color on the 2 P.E. Blues. Mice owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2022 Karen Robbins.
WHITE - Color is a clear sparkling white, showing no yellow cast to the hair. Whites are subdivided into two classes, generally referred to as pink-eyed white (PEW) and black-eyed white (BEW). The pink-eyed white has a pink eye of medium color (not ruby); the black-eyed white has jet black eyes. Pink-eyed White mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins. Photo ©2005 Craig Robbins. Read the article on Black-Eyed White Mice

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 1, 2022