Welcome to the Fancy Rat Enthusiasts Club!

If you're an old hand at the showing malarkey, then you will of course know what this is about.  However, for some new exhibitors this experience can be a little daunting - "What do I do?", "Where do I go?", "What time do I have to be there?", "How do I enter my rats?", and so on.  Hopefully on this page you will find the information you will need, but if for any reason this page does not answer all your questions, please contact us and we will respond to your enquiry as promptly as we can (see our Contact Us page for details).  So here goes - grab a coffee, relax and take a leisurely read through the info below....

At the Fancy Rat Enthusiasts Club, you do not have to be a member to enter your rats in any of our shows.  However, as a member you would receive reduced show entry fees and tank hire, entry to our fantastic workshops (coming soon!).  So why not take advantage of this and join us in making this a great rat club we can all be proud of!

• Rat or rats.  Pretty obvious, but I do know someone who forgot their rat on the day - oh the shame of it!
  
• A specific plastic show tank.
  
• Suitable substrate to line the show tank.
  
• Moisture source for the rat/rats.

Showing in Variety Classes

Your chosen rat/rats entered into the variety classes must conform to their variety standard.  If you are 100% sure that your rats are eligible for the variety classes then great, easy peasy, as they say.  However, there may be a case where you are not certain whether your rat is of a recognised variety standard to be eligible for this class.  In this instance there are a few options open to you.  You could have someone else identify your rat before the show if you know someone able to help.  If not, mention it to the show secretary when you inform them of your entries, and they will be more than happy to help you.  They may suggest that you arrive at the show a little earlier than usual, and grab someone to help identify your rat/rats for you.  The show secretary can then enter your rat/rats into the relevant class accordingly.  This is not a problem, and it's not anything that cannot be sorted out and dealt with for you on the morning of the show.  The last thing we want is the possibility of your rat not being placed because it's not in the correct variety class.

Please don't be disheartened if your rat is not eligible for the variety class as they would no doubt make a fine addition to the pet entrants who are judged on friendliness and health/condition as opposed to markings, colour, etc.

Showing in Pet Classes

Showing in the pet classes can be quite different to showing in the variety classes.  Any rat that is friendly and healthy can be shown in the pet section, and entering your rat/rats in this section is a good place to start if you're new to showing.  Once you have entered your rat with the show secretary (please see our How To Enter section below), there are a few things you will need to do to prepare your rats.  Around 2-3 days before the show it is a good time to trim your rat's claws - this gives them time to blunt a little before the show.  If you have never clipped claws before, it may be a good idea to have someone show you how to before attempting it yourself, especially if you're a little nervous.  There is of course always someone at the show who is willing to help out and do your rats nails for you if need be.  You will also need to clean your rat's tail before the show.  There are two ways to do this - either with a soft toothbrush, or a gentle scrub with an exfoliating sponge/glove and a little small animal shampoo.  Whichever you decide, remember to be gentle and clean in the direction of the hair growth (from base to tip).  You may find that your rat will need a wash before the show, especially in some cases with adult bucks, who have a tendency to accumulate a lot of orange "buck grease" on the skin.  To wash your rat, fill the sink or bowl with warm water, never hot.  Wet your rat's hair and wash with a little small animal shampoo, rinse as necessary.  Dry your rat thoroughly with a towel.  There you have it - nearly show time!

The show tank is a specific plastic tank that your rat is exhibited in.  These tanks are used in both pet and variety classes, and all rats must remain in their tanks for the duration of the show.  Tank size is a minimum of 11 litres and a maximum of 14 litres.  If you have show tanks of your own, then fantastic - you're an old hand at this game I see,  but if you don't then these can be hired from the club at a cost of £1.50 for members and £2.00 for non-members.  Please be aware that the hire tanks are limited, so where possible we ask that regular exhibitors look into bringing their own tanks for future use.  Please feel free to ask a member of the committee for a list of where these can be obtained, if you wish to purchase these yourself.  

NB: Our hire tanks do come supplied with suitable permissable substrate. 

A suitable substrate should be placed in the bottom of the show tank.  These should be pale, natural coloured substrates such as Hemp (eg. Aubiose), Aspen, Bedmax, or pale unscented wood shavings.

Each rat will require a source of moisture for the duration of the show.  1 piece of fruit is permissable per rat.  This can be apple, carrot or cucumber - these are the most commonly used sources of moisture for the rats.  Water bottles are not allowed on the show tanks.

Your rats must be tractable - if they bite please do not enter them as they will almost certainly be disqualified.  Please be kind to the judge and trim your rat's nails - it is not very nice having to judge lovely rats just to go home with hands and arms shredded to ribbons. Castrated males are not permissable in the variety classes of the shows, but may be shown in the pet classes.

The General Show Secretary or Show Secretary is the person who should be contacted to place your show entries.  You will find their contact details on the website (see our Contact Us page), in show advertisements and in the club's E-Mags.  Some show secretaries will only accept telephone entries, while others will accept telephone and email entries - these details will be advertised beforehand.

Show entries will close at 8pm on the Wednesday evening before the scheduled show, so all entries should be received by this time.  No late entries will be accepted.  Below is what the show secretary will need to know.

Varieties Classes

• Exhibitor's name
• Exhibitor's status (adult or junior)
• Novice breeder status (this is required for all NFRS registered ratteries only)
• Variety of rat (eg. Agouti, Black, Dumbo, etc.
• Sex of rat (buck or doe)
• Age of rat (adult or kitten) - kittens 7 weeks to 13 weeks old  -  Adults 13 weeks plus
• Member or non-member
• Hire tanks - if required and how many.  These must be booked during time of entry and cannot be booked on the day of the show.  Please appreciate that there are limited tanks available for hire, so it may be first come, first served.

Pet Classes

• Exhibitor's name
• Exhibitor's status (adult or junior)
• Sex of the rat (buck or doe)
• Group in which rat is to be entered ( stated below )
• Toddlers ~ 7 weeks upto 5 months 
• Waddlers ~ 5 upto 12 months 
• Widdlers ~ 12 months plus
• Member or non-member
• Hire tanks - if required and how many.  These must be booked during time of entry and cannot be booked on the day of the show.  Please appreciate that there are limited tanks available for hire, so it may be first come, first served.

 The show secretary also needs to know if you plan to bring kittens/rats for collection/transfer or if you are collecting rats yourself.

All entries will be charged at £1 per rat entered for members, and £2 per rat entered for non-members.  In the case of non-members, £1 per rat will be deducted for exhibitors who join the club on the day of the show.

ALL rats must be benched 15 minutes before judging commences.  This allows the show stewards to put the rats in order, making for a smoothly run show and a sensible finish time.  If you have difficulties in getting your rats benched then please ask for some help, after all that's what we're there for.

In the instance where you have spoken to the show secretary about help in identifying your rat's variety, please arrive as close to door opening time as possible so we can help with the issue, and make sure your rat is entered into its relevant class in plenty of time. 

If you have any further questions about any issues on this page, please contact us and we will get back to you promptly with our reply.

Good luck with the show, and who knows, you may have something to celebrate at the end of the day.

We look forward to seeing you at the show.