AFRMA Notes and Rules

All exhibitors are to assume liability and responsibility to research the many zoonotic and other diseases that rodents may carry and pass on to humans or other rodents. You are showing at your own risk.

Any new animals you bring into your rattery/mousery must go through a minimum 12-week quarantine period before being entered in a show. [Effective September 15, 2018]

Breeders should be testing new stock brought in as some diseases have no symptoms.

Animals are NOT to be handled at the shows other than by the owner, health checkers, and judges.

Exhibitor/Seller’s Form All exhibitors/sellers must submit an Exhibitor/Sellers Form prior to/with entry for each show [Amended 12-7-19]. (use as many pages/forms as needed; PDF; form interactive so you can fill in then send as an e-mail attachment in the Adobe Acrobat PDF program – pic of envelope on top Send file as email attachment, or save the PDF file after you’ve filled in all the information and go to your e-mail and attach that saved file to an e-mail and send to us; if your Internet browser does not use Acrobat to view PDFs, download Adobe Acrobat to your computer, open the form in your browser and save the form, then open the form in Acrobat on your computer and fill out and send using the above instructions) [Added October 14, 2017]

Please make sure your entries will arrive by the deadline. NO phone-in entries accepted.
Please use a separate entry blank per person.
Please use discretion when entering. It is requested to only enter 5 per marked rat category (suggested to do the same with the other classes).
If you have any questions about a certain color or class an animal should be in, make a note on your entries to have someone look at the animal the day of the show. Please fill in the name or number and what information you do know about the animal on the entry blank ahead of time or we will not be able to accept the entry.
The Rat and Mouse Show Boxes may be rented at the show by the exhibitors. Please rent enough boxes for your largest class entered, i.e. Rats - 2 Selfs, 4 AOC, 3 Marked, you will need 4 boxes since all 4 AOCs will be on the table at once; Mice - 3 Satins, 5 LHS, 1 Pet, you will need 5 boxes. Update: Rent 1 box per animal as all classes will be called at once. Note: for Pet Classes only, exhibitors may provide their own Kritter Keepers (or equivalent brand/size) (lg. for rats, medium for mice) for the show box. [Effective March 7, 2015]
If you will need to rent show boxes, please fill out entry blank and pay with your entries. Rent boxes must be rented and paid for with your entries. Plans online to make your own AFRMA Show Boxes https://www.afrma.org/pp_ratboxes.htm and https://www.afrma.org/pp_mseboxes.htm
Please label your cages with what you have inside so anyone looking can see what different colors of fancy rats and mice there are! You might want to also put your name on them. Labels will be available at the show if you need them.
Please check-in at the Show Secretary table upon arrival to the show to pick up your judging slips, get your sales stickers (one per cage of animals or one per group of items), get any questions answered about your entries, get show boxes, get your animals health checked, etc.
Health Check: ALL animals (show or otherwise) will be health checked and approved by an AFRMA representative. If any illness or problem is found that would normally take the animal off the show table, i.e. respiratory, scabs, etc., we will require that the entire cage be set aside (wire divided cages to be considered as one cage; solid partition cages to count as individual cages) and none can be shown out of that cage. Update: Animals are to be brought in individual solid-sided carriers. Cages that do not pass the health check will be put behind the AFRMA sales table until the end of the show. Colored dots will be used denoting whether the cage passed or didn’t pass. (Yellow is OK, blue not OK).
We will try and announce each class ahead of time, but it is each exhibitor’s responsibility to be aware of their exhibitor number, what is being judged, and to see that their animals get on the table when required. Any animals not to be shown, please let the steward know so you aren’t holding up the judging. Judging Order sheets posted at each show.
Please don’t take animals off the table while they are being judged unless you request to do so to the clerk or the judge asks that the animal be removed, because of temperament or show condition. You will forfeit any awards that animal would have won.

Substitutions are to be done by the exhibitor the morning of the show. Take the show box stub and put a large S on the back and write the correct name/number on the front; mark the judging card with the correct information.
The judging cards will be mailed. (If ready, they may be picked up at the end of the show.)
Toenail Clipping Service: There will be someone to clip rat toenails at this show. Price is only $1.00 per rat with the proceeds to AFRMA.
SELLING: These rules are for the health and safety of all the animals exhibited (show/sales) during our show. All animals/items for sale MUST be inside on the Sales Tables. Sales/delivery outside the building is NOT allowed. Members are the only ones allowed to advertise animals for sale at a show. Sale animals should not have anyone handle them other than people serious about buying them. The following rules are for members who sell an animal:

Animals for sale must belong to the seller.
Rats to be 6 weeks to the day minimum age/weaned as long as healthy and in good condition; mice to be 5 weeks minimum. Runts or babies from large litters will need to wait longer before being offered for sale as they will not be approved to sell at the minimum age. [Kitten Rat Weight Guidelines at 6 weeks: males to be 8 oz/approximately(~)236 g, females 6 oz/~177 g; 4 month females 11 oz/~311 g.] You must have owned and been in possession of the mice for at least 5 weeks, rats for 6 weeks. You will only be allowed a total of 15 animals per species. Must bring written proof of age (pedigree or birth certificate). Send a list of what you have for sale along with the pedigrees/birth certificates to showsec at afrma dot org with your entries. Pre-sold delivered animals must pass all requirements.
Animals must be health checked. Small, scrawny, sick animals will not be approved.
The minimum starting price for mice/hamsters will be $7 each, rats $15 each (you can charge more, but must start at the minimum price). There will no longer be “free” litters allowed. [changed minimum prices June 13, 2015]
Hand out an AFRMA brochure with your name and phone number on it with each animal sold. Brochures available from the club or at any show.
Rescue Animals: There will be a maximum of 2 animals per show, per seller allowed, except for those recognized by AFRMA as warranted rat and mouse recyclers, with a minimum of a $5 adoption fee per animal for mice/hamsters, and a minimum $10 adoption fee per animal for rats. Rescue animals must pass all above criteria.

SELLING PERMITS: Members will be responsible for selling their own animals or other items on the Sales Table at the shows and must be present to do so. You must be signed up to sell and paid for by the show deadline. You will be required to buy a Sales Permit (sticker) at a flat rate of $10 per person. We also have Yearly Sales Permits for $30 per year starting from the time of purchase. Space is provided on the Entry Blank. You will receive stickers for each cage of sale animals and for each group of other items. A permit must be purchased for pre-sold delivered animals. See the Show Secretary upon arriving at the show to pick up your permits. All other rules about selling will apply (e.g. you are the owner, health checking, minimum of 6 weeks of age rats/5 weeks mice, hand out brochure with each animal sold with your name and phone number, etc.). E-mail/bring a pedigree or birth certificate for your sales animals! [changed fees June 13, 2015; added members must be present to sell September 25, 2016; must be pre-registered to sell January 6, 2018]
BOOTH SPACE: We have non-animal commercial booth spaces for rent to members for $20, non-members $40 (i.e. if you have craft items, are a distributor for a product, etc.). You must be signed up to sell and paid for by the show deadline. You will get one 6′ or 8′ table for your booth if available. Items must not be the same as AFRMA sales items.
Everyone is invited to come to our shows even if you are not showing! We look forward to seeing you!

Updated January 5, 2020