AFRMA

American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association

This article is from the WSSF 2011 AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

Breeding & Stuff


Type Question: Head Shape On Mouse & Tail Set
(including coat)

by Karen Robbins


Q I saw a description on the Internet about a mouse’s head being wedge shaped and have also seen the terms rounded, broad, wide, long, and clean. What exactly is a mouse’s head supposed to look like? Also, I’m confused on what the “tail set” is and what it should look like. I’ve also noticed in the photos of the “show mice” that their coats don’t look like what the pet shop mice have.

A A mouse’s head should be wedge shaped (like a slice of pie) with the broadest part at the ears tapering down to the nose. You don’t want it pointed at the nose though but rather blunt or squared off with good muzzle/whisker bed area. You also want the lines to be smooth blending with no dipping into the head right behind the whisker bed/muzzle making it a pinched muzzle. You also don’t want rounded cheeks as that would make it “cheeky” (round wide cheeks) like some hamster heads (not smooth blending, wedge shaped, or tapering). Bucks need to have a more masculine head so they look like a buck but not to have a totally different shape. They also need more bone and bulk to their body. You should never look at a mouse (or rat) and confuse it with being the opposite sex, then pick it up to find out what it really is. On another note for a head that is too narrow/straight, with a narrow head, the body will follow it back and be too narrow.

Male mouse with cheeky head
This Black male has a bit of a cheeky head, pinched muzzle, and small ears. Mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins.
Male mouse with good head
A Black male showing the masculine but nicely shaped head. Mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins.

Female mouse with good head
A Champagne female showing a more feminine but nicely shaped head. Mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins.
Female mouse with pinched muzzle
A Himi female with long head, pinched muzzle, and small ears. Mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins.

In regards to the coat, the English show mice will have a shorter, sleeker coat to where it shows off the body well, where the small pet shop type mice will have a coat that stands up more (looks fluffier almost). The shorter, sleeker coat is from years of selective breeding.

To learn more you can read the articles “Mouse Keeping: The Ideal Type”, “Ear Set on Mice”, and “Mouse Keeping: Choosing Mice for Exhibit at a Show” on our web site. Also, the “How to Show” article goes into what to look for when choosing your exhibits.

There is also the General Standards page that shows photos of the different parts of a mouse, including both male and female heads. Our Color Standards Book also has some conformation photos for each part of the mouse.

Female mouse with square butt
This Silver Chocolate female has a very square butt (a.k.a. “pinched/chopped butt/tail set” or “stick on tail” where the tail looks like it was plugged into the body). It should taper smoothly from the hips into the tail. Mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins.
Female mouse with good tail set/butt
A Reverse Siamese female (cece a.k.a. Stone in England) with good tail set showing the taper/smooth blending from the hips into the tail. Mouse owned and bred by Karen Robbins.

The tail set is how the tail is joined into the body. A square/pinched/chopped butt is one that is not tapering from the hips down into the tail junction but rather is “squared off” with the tail looking like it was “plugged” into the body (they need more muscle/flesh to fill in right behind the back legs to taper smoothly to where the tail joins in). The fur at the tail base should look like part of the body and not as a furry top of the tail.

Back to top

Updated February 18, 2015