This article is from the WSSF 2015 AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

By Karen Robbins

Paige Marie Harkema, Facebook
Q Is there a list of upcoming rat shows throughout the USA?

A For AFRMA shows here in Southern California you can see the Show Dates page for a list of upcoming shows and events.

If you are in an area other than Southern California, check out any clubs near you to see when their shows are on our links page. There are 2–4 shows in the Pacific Northwest held by the RatsPacNW group, one show a year in Michigan by the American Rat Club (ARC) that is based in Illinois, and 2 shows a year in Michigan by the Rat Fanciers of the Lakes (RFL). A new group, AFRMA South Central in Texas will be having shows in Texas and Oklahoma.

Bristle Coat rats are now standardized. Thanks to Jozzette Hagemann, Jozzy’s Rat Pack Rattery, and to the other breeders for working on this new coat type for the last 1.5 years so they could become recognized in AFRMA. Starting with the Jan. 31, 2015, show they can now be shown in the regular classes towards BIS (in a recognized color/marking).

A Sky Blue Self Bristle Coat rat owned and bred by Jozzette Hagemann. Photo ©2014 Lisa Jarosek.

Bristle Coat rats have very coarse, stiff, stand-off coats with a wire brush feel and adults don’t have much undercoat—you have to feel them to really understand how unique they are. Our genetics expert, Nichole Royer, confirmed they are unique to anything we had known previously and believed it to be a separate gene so we have given it the code of Br. Many breeders may have these thinking they are just a poor Rex, but in reality could be a Bristle Coat.