This article is from the WSSF 2012 AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

By Karen Robbins

Janine Shull, NY, Facebook
QHas there ever been an affiliated group in NY? Not too many breeders here so I was wondering that.

AAFRMA has not had any affiliated groups there. There are a lot of breeders on the East Coast but to our knowledge there is no official club there now. There is a New York City Rat Meetup Group online for pets. There is a Rodent Fest in PA 1–2 times a year put on by The Rodent Club that may have classes for rats. We have several articles online (see the section Starting A Club on our Show Info page) for more on getting a group started in your area!

Carole Merando Littlefield, Facebook
QAre there shows in Vegas? And where can I find rules, etc.

ANo shows in Vegas that we know of. It is only about a 3.5 hour drive to our shows in Riverside, CA, so we encourage you to come to our shows here!

All of the show rules and classes, etc., can be found on the Show Info page. Read the article AFRMA Shows In Other Areas for info on what is required to have AFRMA come to Vegas, Phoenix, Northern CA, or other areas and put on a show.

Mary Cora, Facebook
QBy any chance is AFRMA coming slightly more east for a show (Louisiana)? I’m still in high-school and we don’t have a big demand for these sorts of things around here—it would be hard to rally one outside of a 4-H sort of deal.

AAFRMA has gotten invites to pet expos in other states/countries, but they require an expensive booth fee plus the travel/lodging costs we would have to incur to be there makes these events prohibitive for us to participate in. We have been to northern California and Arizona (within driving distance) doing displays at fairs that gave us a free indoor booth space (with tables and chairs) and we had local members in those areas to help out and provide animals.

Fanciers are encouraged to put on displays in their areas which you can read more in the article How to Host an AFRMA Display that has information anyone can use for putting on their own displays and helping spread the word of rats and mice as pets and show animals! You can also read more on AFRMA having shows in other areas in our article online.

Actually, 4-H events are a great place to put on a rat/mouse display. There are many 4-H groups that include pocket pets in their various projects for the kids. Our October display at the 4-H Pet Symposium is one we are a part of that includes many types of animals and various 4-H groups. You can see photos of previous year’s events in our Photos section on our Facebook page.

AnnMarie Knutson, Facebook
QI am interested in entering my rattie in your Riverside show coming up that you have listed on your schedule! What do I need to to do sign up?

AThe entry process is all done online and payment is via PayPal (money order payments can only be accepted if your entries and payment are sent in at least a week or more before the show). The info for the show is posted on our web site and Facebook page about 3 weeks before a show, at which time we start accepting entries.

In the meantime, you can read the various pages in our Show Information section on the web site:

• AFRMA Generic Show Schedule – basic information for all shows
• AFRMA Entry Fees & Deadlines – entry fees & deadlines for all shows
• AFRMA Show Classes – a list of recognized show classes for rats and mice
• AFRMA Pet Show Classes – a list of recognized pet show classes
• AFRMA Show Rules – a list of official show rules for exhibitors
• AFRMA Notes & Rules – helpful notes for showing and selling
• AFRMA Show Etiquette – Rat and Mouse Show DOs and Don’ts
• How to Show Rats & Mice article which goes into everything you need to know on showing in AFRMA shows.

Along with our many show classes, we have lots of fun pet classes that you can enter your rat in, as well as Artwork and Kooky Kontainer classes to show off your creativity! Everyone in the Pet Classes goes home with a ribbon which ranges from Participant to Best in Class.

Back to top