RatsPacNW
Rat Fanciers Club

English Irish:  Uniform triangle of white between front legs reaching from armpit to armpit that points down but not extending down belly.
Usually seen with two front white feet, ok to have white on back feet feet/toes and small white tail tip.

Mark pictured is unsymmetrical

American Irish:  Symmetrical white spot on belly of uniform size.  Four white feet to ankles and white tip tail to no more than 1/4 its length. 

American Berkshire:  White symmetrical belly marking extending down legs and neck (no color on the underside)  white feet and white tail to no more than 1/2 its length.  Head spot or blaze is preferred but not required.

Classic Berkshire:  Full symmetrical white belly not extending down legs.  White feet stops, and white tail tip to no more than 1/2 its length.  Head spot or blaze is preferred but not required.

Hooded:  Colored hood that covers the head, neck, chest, and shoulders with white front feet.  The body to be white with  a spine mark that extends from the hood to the tail.  The stripe should be symmetrical and unbroken.  Color should extend partially down tail. 
 (drawn picture should show white front feet)

Bareback: Similar to hooded but NO stripe, no spotting on back.

Variegated:  Colored hood (head and shoulders) with  numerous small color spots or splashes on shoulders, sides and tail.  Has a white belly, head spot or blaze.  May have white lips and line extending from chin to belly.

Dalmatian: Numerous non-symmetrical color spots on a white body.  May not have full colored head but may have spots on head.  

Capped:  Cap on head not to go past the ears or throat.  Should have notch between ears.  Pure white body, no blaze or head spot.

Down Under:  Body marking to follow any standardized pattern but with belly stripe or spots.
Shown - DU Berkshire.

Banded possum

Dalmatian possum

Possum - Wide, white blaze that appears reaches mid-way between ears and eyes. Marking should reach from jaw line to jaw line in a round, even pattern (prefer no point at crown). Color mark extends beyond the ears and there should  be no clear splits in the colored cap. No color marks allowed on the face. The overall affect should be of a possum like face.  Any body marking that is recognized within the club can be present on the body of the rat.  Usually seen on Dalmatian, Bareback, Variegated and banded.

faults: color touches eye, split cap

 Banded:  color covering head, down shoulders in a wide spine/body mark down through tail.  Mark should be at least as wide as the shoulders.  The underside of the rat, including the head will be white.  Blazes are accepted and preferred.

Collared:  H(ro)/h(i?) To have a hood extending over shoulder blades.  Front legs to be white.  Back marking to start at the tail, extending down hindquarters but not down leg.  Mark will taper over back up towards shoulders forming a “triangle.”  Back mark may touch hood but with mottling or have a full white collar.  Back mark will be mottled along the edges.  Has a head spot or sometimes a blaze.  May have white lips.  Coloring may not be intense due to Essex type genetics.

Faults –No mottling or separation between hood and back mark.  Color extends down legs.  No head spot.

American Essex:   H(ro)/H Color gradually shades down from the top of the rat to the belly; the darkest area is along the spine and the color becomes less intense down the sides of the animal.  The belly should be white, with no spotting.  The fade down the sides should be even and symmetrical with no dark spotting.  Silvering should be even throughout the fur, with less at the top and more at the bottom of the rat.  A symmetrical head spot is required and a white muzzle is preferred.  Any color may be shown but shows best in darker colors.  Tail may be mottled with color or absent of color.
Undercoat may appear light and is not faulted.

Faults:  Lack of head spot, no fading or silvering.