Legacy Articles of Association, Show Rules and Standards
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- Articles of Association
- Show Rules
- Standards
- Bright clear pink
- Red
- Claret Red
- Claret
- Ruby
- Garnet
- Dark Brown
- Black
- Male-12cm
- Female-10cm
Exhibition Standards
4th Edition September 2002
Allocation of points
Please note that Dwarf and Syrian point systems are now identical.
Type (25 points)The body shall be broad and cobby. The head shall be large in proportion to the body with a broad skull, short face and blunt nose. The head shall be well set into the body, the profile showing a smooth curve from nose over head, to nape of neck.
Fur (20 points)
The fur shall be soft and very dense. Special attention shall be paid to the density of the belly fur. In short-haired hamsters the fur shall be very short and even. In long-haired hamsters, allowance must be made for sex i.e. males must have longer fur than females. Matting will be heavily penalised.
Size (10 points)
The hamster shall be as large as possible but not too fat. Allowance shall be made for sex i.e. female hamsters in general are larger than males.
Condition (10 points)
The hamster shall be fit, alert when well awake and tame to handle. The flesh shall be firm with no surplus fat. The coat shall have a healthy sheen and the hamster shall be clean and show no signs of injury.
Eyes and Ears (5 points)
The eyes shall be large, prominent and widely set. The ears shall be whole, large, rounded, set well apart and carried erect and unfolded when the hamster is awake.
Colour and Markings (30 points)
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| Drawings by Nicki Palin | |
For patterned hamsters, 15 points shall be allocated for colour and markings and 15 points for pattern.
Where Undercolour is indicated this applies to the whole animal.
Eye Colour
The following sequence of eye colours shall apply in increasing order of darkness:
Syrian Standards - Agouti
| Beige (bbdgdg) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Soft pale grey with brownish tone Mid grey Ivory White Lightly and evenly ticked with dark brown Brown Brown Very dark brown (almost black) Very dark beige |
| Blonde (Lglgpp) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Creamy blonde carried approximately one-third of the way down. Light grey Ivory Ivory Absent Creamy blonde with orange tone Light grey Claret red Flesh with grey tone |
| Notes | Tends to have an orange-tinted muzzle |
| Cinnamon (pp) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Rich russet orange carried approximately one-third of the way down Slate blue Creamy ivory with blue undercolour Ivory Absent Rich russet orange Brown Bright claret red Flesh with brown tone |
| Golden, Dark | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Rich dark mahogany red carried approximately one-third of the way down Dark slate grey Ivory with grey undercolour Ivory Heavily and evenly ticked with black, face to be swarthy with black eye rings Rich dark mahogany brown Black Black Dark grey, almost black |
| Golden, Light | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Light fawny gold Slate grey Ivory Ivory Absent Light fawny gold Dark grey, almost black Black Grey |
| Grey, Dark (dgdg) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Pearly grey carried approximately one-quarter of the way down Dark slate grey Ivory with grey undercolour Ivory Heavily and evenly ticked with black - face to be swarthy with black eye rings Very dark slate grey Black Black Dark grey, almost black |
| Grey, Light (Lglg) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Buttermilk carried approximately one-third of the way down Dark slate grey Buttermilk with grey Undercolour Buttermilk Heavily and evenly ticked with dark grey, almost black Dark brown/grey Dark grey, almost black - not solid but concentrated ticking Black Dark Grey |
| Grey, Silver (SgSg) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Soft pastel grey, carried approximately one third of the way down Mid grey Dull White White Lightly and evenly ticked with brownish black Brownish black - not solid but concentrated ticking Black - not solid but concentrated ticking Black Dark Grey |
| Honey (Male ppTo/Y , Female ppToTo) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Light cinnamon orange to the roots Light cinnamon orange Ivory Ivory Absent Light cinnamon orange Cinnamon Claret red Flesh with grey tone |
| Lilac (dgdgpp) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Soft pale grey with pink tone Soft pale grey Ivory Ivory with pink tone Absent Soft pale grey with pink tone Mid grey with lilac tone Claret red Pinkish grey |
| Rust/Guinea Gold (bb) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Rich orange brown Brownish grey Ivory with pale grey undercolour Ivory Lightly and evenly ticked with brown Deep rust brown Deep rust brown Very dark brown, almost black Grey |
| Smoke Pearl (Male dgdgTo/Y , Female dgdgToTo) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Pale greyish cream to the roots Pale greyish cream Pale ivory Pale ivory Heavily and evenly ticked with black Pale greyish cream Black - not solid but concentrated ticking Black Dark grey |
| Yellow (Male To/Y, Female ToTo) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Rich dusky yellow carried well down Creamy ivory Ivory Ivory Heavily and evenly ticked with black Rich dusky yellow Black - not solid but concentrated ticking Black Dark grey |
Syrian Standards - Self
| Black (aa) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Black Blue/black Black Absent Absent Absent Absent Black Dark grey, almost black |
| Chocolate (aabb) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Dark chocolate brown Dark chocolate brown Dark chocolate brown Absent Absent Absent Absent Very dark brown, almost black Very dark greyish brown |
| Notes | Pending final approval by Standards Panel |
| Copper (U-eebbpp) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Rich copper to the roots Rich copper Rich copper Absent Absent Absent Absent Garnet Light brownish grey |
| Cream, Black-Eyed (ee) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Deep rich sandy cream to the roots Deep rich sandy cream Deep rich sandy cream Absent Absent Absent Absent Black Dark grey, almost black |
| Cream, Red-Eyed (eepp) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Deep rich pinkish cream to the roots Deep rich pinkish cream Deep rich pinkish cream Absent Absent Absent Absent Claret red Peach grey |
| Ivory, Black-Eyed (eeLglg or eedgdg) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Pale greyish cream to the roots Soft pale greyish cream Soft pale greyish cream Absent Absent Absent Absent Black Dark grey, almost black |
| Ivory, Red-Eyed (eeLglgpp or eedgdgpp) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Soft pale greyish cream to the roots Soft pale greyish cream Soft pale greyish cream Absent Absent Absent Absent Garnet Light pinkish grey |
| Sable (U-ee) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
Black carried well down Creamy ivory Black Absent Absent Absent Absent Black - ringed with fine creamy ivory hairs Dark grey, almost black |
| White, Dark-Eared(cdcd) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
White to the roots White White Absent Absent Absent Absent Red Very dark grey, almost black |
| White, Flesh-Eared (cdcdpp) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
White to the roots White White Absent Absent Absent Absent Red Flesh |
| White, Black-Eyed (SgSgee) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat Undercolour Belly Fur Crescents Ticking Chest Band Cheekflashes Eye Colour Ear Colour |
White to the roots White White Absent Absent Absent Absent Black Dark Grey |
| Note | May be bred using Ds gene |
Syrian Standards - Patterned
| Dominant Spotted (Dsds) | |
|---|---|
| Overall appearance | The Dominant Spot shall have the appearance of a white animal with coloured spots. The spots shall be sharply defined and distributed evenly over the top surface of the animal. The belly fur shall be white |
| Pattern (white) | The white areas shall be white to the roots |
| Pattern (colour) | The coloured spots shall conform to the recognised corresponding full coloured variety |
| Eye Colour | As for the full coloured variety. Ruby/red eye or eyes permissible |
| Ear Colour | As for the full coloured variety. Flesh or partly flesh coloured permissible |
| White Banded (Ba-) | |
|---|---|
| Overall appearance | The White Banded animal shall have the appearance of a coloured animal with a superimposed white band. The white band shall encircle the body completely and be centrally placed and not skewed. The width shall be approximately one-third of the body length, completely unbroken with sharply defined and parallel margins. The belly fur shall be white. |
| Pattern (white) | The white areas shall be white to the roots |
| Pattern (colour) | The coloured spots shall conform to the recognised corresponding full coloured variety |
| Eye Colour | As for the full coloured variety. Ruby/red eye or eyes permissible |
| Ear Colour | As for the full coloured variety. Flesh or partly flesh coloured permissible |
| Tortoiseshell (Toto) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall appearance | A Tortoiseshell is a bi-coloured animal that consists of a balanced pattern of coloured and yellow patches. These patches shall be clear and distinct with no brindling. The coloured areas shall conform to the recognised full coloured variety. The yellow areas shall be a rich creamy yellow when in combination with the Golden but shall be present in a diluted form when combined with other colours e.g.
|
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| Eye Colour | As for the full coloured variety | ||||||||||
| Ear Colour | As for the full coloured variety | ||||||||||
| Tortoiseshell and White (TotoBa- or TotoDsds) | |
|---|---|
| Overall appearance | A Tortoiseshell and White is a tri-coloured animal that consists of a balanced pattern of coloured, yellow and white patches. These patches shall be clear and distinct with no brindling. The belly fur shall be white. |
| Pattern (colour) | The coloured areas shall conform to the recognised full colour variety |
| Pattern (yellow) | The yellow shall be a rich creamy yellow when in combination with the Golden, but shall be present in a diluted form when combined with other recognised colours |
| Pattern (white) | The white areas shall be white to the roots. |
| Eye Colour | As for the full coloured variety. Ruby/red eye or eyes permissible |
| Ear Colour | As for the full coloured variety. Flesh or partly flesh coloured permissible |
| Dominant Spotted Banded (DsdsBa-) | |
|---|---|
| Overall appearance | The dominant spotted banded shall have a coloured head and nape of neck with a central blaze of white running from the nose to between the ears. This area shall be evenly spotted with white. Spots of colour shall be distributed along the dorsal line from the neck to the rump, with the area from the rump to the tail evenly spotted with colour and white. The white band shall cover two thirds of the body length. The spots shall be sharply defined. The belly fur shall be white. |
| Pattern (colour) | The coloured areas shall conform to the recognised full colour variety |
| Pattern (white) | The white areas shall be white to the roots. |
| Eye Colour | As for the full coloured variety. Ruby/red eye or eyes permissible |
| Ear Colour | As for the full coloured variety. Flesh or partly flesh coloured permissible |
| Roan (Whwh) | |
|---|---|
| Overall appearance | The Roan shall have the appearance of a white animal ticked with colour. The ticking shall be heavy around the head and shall give an evenly marbled appearance over the remainder of the top coat. The white areas shall be white to the roots. The coloured areas shall conform to the recognised full standard coloured variety, allowing for slight dilution. The belly fur shall be white |
| Eye Colour | As for the full coloured variety. Ruby/red eye or eyes permissible |
| Ear Colour | As for the full coloured variety. Flesh or partly flesh coloured permissible |
| Notes | In the homozygote, this mutation produces a serious genetic defect, Anophthalmic or Eyeless White - animals with absent or rudimentary eyes. |
Syrian Standards - Coat Varieties
| Long Haired | |
|---|---|
| Colour and Markings | The colour and markings shall conform to the recognised colour standard allowing for a dilution of ticking on Agouti varieties. |
| Fur | The fur shall be soft and very dense and evenly long over the top surface of the body, excluding the face where it shall be shorter. In general males shall have longer fur than females and allowance should be made for this. |
| Satin | |
|---|---|
| Colour and Markings | Colour and markings shall conform to the recognised colour standard, allowing for satinisation. |
| Fur | The fur shall be soft and dense and have a glossy sheen. |
| Rex | |
|---|---|
| Colour and Markings | The colour and markings shall conform to the recognised colour standard, allowing for the rex coat which will dilute colour slightly. |
| Fur | The coat shall be soft and dense and evenly frizzy. The whiskers shall be curly. |
Campbells
Please note that Dwarf and Syrian point systems are now identical.
Overall Type and Build (25 points)The build should be broad and cobby with the head set well into the body. The head should be broad and short with a blunt nose and the legs and tail both short and scarcely visible.
Fur (20 points)
The fur should be short and dense with a very thick Undercolour. The soles of the feet should have dense fur
Size (10 points)
Ideal adult range 10-12 cm
Condition (10 points)
The hamster should have a lively image with clear bright eyes. Overweight animals to be heavily penalised
Eyes and Ears (5 points)
Eyes should be set well apart and be rounded, but should not bulge. Ears should be small and rounded yet show above the fur, the insides to be a little hairy
Colour and Markings (30 points)
See individual standards.
Eye Colour
Refer to the corresponding Syrian point allocation section
| Campbells - Normal | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat | The tips of the hair should be ticked dark brown giving an overall appearance of buffish brown with cream, carried approximately one-third down |
| Undercolour | Dark slate grey |
| Arches | There are three prominently marked arches between the belly and top colour. Between the buffish brown and off-white there is a line of light ochre/orange. |
| Dorsal Stripe | Even dark brownish/black stripe from between the eyes, down the back to the tail |
| Belly Fur | Off-white or ivory with a heavy blue-grey undercolour |
| Feet | Off-white |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Ear Colour | Grey brown, paler at rims |
| Campbells - Albino (cc) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat | Pure white |
| Undercolour | Pure white |
| Arches | None |
| Dorsal Stripe | None |
| Belly Fur | Pure white |
| Feet | Pure white |
| Eye Colour | Bright, clear dark pink |
| Ear Colour | Flesh |
| Notes | Dirty or stained fur to be penalised heavily |
| Campbells - Argente (pp) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat | Bright orange carried one third down |
| Undercolour | Mid blue grey |
| Arches | There shall be three prominently marked arches between the belly and top colour |
| Dorsal Stripe | Mid brown with greyish tone from between the eyes, down the back to the tail |
| Belly Fur | Ivory with mid grey undercolour |
| Feet | Ivory |
| Eye Colour | Red |
| Ear Colour | Flesh |
| Campbells - Black-eyed white (didi) | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat | Pure white to the roots |
| Undercolour | White |
| Arches | Absent |
| Dorsal Stripe | Absent |
| Belly Fur | White |
| Feet | Ivory |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Ear Colour | Pale Pink |
| Notes | Notes:Given Full Standard status Feb 2004 |
| Campbells - Mottled | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat | |
| Undercolour | |
| Arches | |
| Dorsal Stripe | |
| Belly Fur | |
| Feet | |
| Eye Colour | |
| Ear Colour | |
| Notes | Provisional standard is being evaluated by Standards Officer |
| Campbells - Satin | |
|---|---|
| Colour & Markings | As for existing varieties (e.g. normal, albino) allowing for satinisation. The fur should be soft, fine and have a glossy sheen |
Winter Whites
Please note that Dwarf and Syrian point systems are now identical.
Overall Type and Build (25 points)The build should be likened to a bullet, with the head set into the body. The head should be broad, the muzzle to be softly curved and the forehead slightly domed (Roman nose). The legs should be short.
Fur (20 points)
The fur should be short and dense with a very thick Undercolour, giving a plush and shiny appearance. The legs should be short with furry feet. The soles of the feet should have dense fur
Size (10 points)
Ideal adult range 8-10 cm
Condition (10 points)
The hamster should have a lively image with clear bright eyes.
Eyes and Ears (5 points)
The rounded eyes should be well placed about midway up the face. The eyes are bead-like but should not bulge too much. The ears should be compact and rounded, yet show above the fur. The insides should be hairy
Colour and Markings (30 points)
See individual standards.
Eye Colour
Refer to the corresponding Syrian point allocation section
| Winter Whites - Normal | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat | Grey-brown carried approximately one third down. The tips of the hairs should be evenly ticked black |
| Undercolour | Slate blue |
| Arches | There are three prominently marked arches between the belly and top colour. The white to be lightly and evenly ticked with black |
| Dorsal Stripe | Even black stripe from between the eyes, down the back to the tail |
| Belly Fur | Clean, white with blue-tinged undercolour |
| Feet | Off-white |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Ear Colour | Grey with pinkish tones |
| Notes | With winter day length, the colour moults to a complete white with the exception of the dorsal stripe. A show animal should show no signs of moult. |
| Winter Whites - Pearl | |
|---|---|
| Overall type and build, fur, size and condition as for the full standard variety | |
| The Pearl should have the appearance of a white animal lightly and evenly ticked with colour, with slight shading of the dorsal stripe from between the eyes down the back to the tail. The belly fur should be white. The white areas should be white to the roots. The ticking should conform to the recognised corresponding full coloured variety | |
| Eye Colour | As for full coloured variety |
| Ear Colour | As for full coloured variety |
| Notes | Dirty or stained fur should be heavily penalised |
| Winter Whites - Sapphire | |
|---|---|
| Overall type and build, fur, size and condition as for the full standard variety | |
| Top Coat | Soft smoky grey with a blue tinge |
| Undercolour | Soft dark grey |
| Arches | There are three prominently marked arches between the belly and top colour. The off-white to be lightly and evenly ticked with blue-grey |
| Dorsal Stripe | Even dark smoky grey stripe from between the eyes, down the back to the tail |
| Belly Fur | Off-white, may be tinged with smoky grey |
| Feet | Off-white |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Ear Colour | Soft grey. Small area of off-white fur behind the ears |
Chinese
Please note that Dwarf and Syrian point systems are now identical.
Overall Type and Build (25 points)The build should be long and slender, firm but not thin. The head set apart from the body on a very short neck and as triangular as possible. The tail should be approximately 2cm in length. The legs should be short.
Fur (20 points)
The fur should be short and dense with a sleek appearance. The feet should be finely haired
Size (10 points)
An adult should have an ideal length of approximately:
Condition (10 points)
The hamster must show a lively image with clear bright eyes
Eyes and Ears (5 points)
The round eyes should be set well apart and should not bulge too much. The ears should be small and rounded
Colour and Markings (30 points)
See individual standards.
| Chinese - Normal | |
|---|---|
| Top Coat | Mid-brown carried approximately one-third down. The tips of the hairs to be lightly ticked dark brown/black |
| Undercolour | Dark slate grey |
| Sides | Between the back and belly fur there should be a well-defined straight line from the nose, over the cheeks and along the sides |
| Dorsal Stripe | Even black stripe from between the eyes, down the back to the end of the tail. |
| Belly Fur | Creamy white with dark slate grey Undercolour |
| Feet | Creamy white with neutral nails |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Ear Colour | Blackish brown with creamy white rims |
| Chinese - Dominant Spot | |
|---|---|
| Overall colour and markings as for the full standard variety. | |
| The dominant spot should have the appearance of a white animal with coloured spots or patches. The spots/patches should be clearly defined and distributed evenly over the back of the animal (a concentration of colour around the dorsal area is permissible). The white areas to be white to the roots. | |
| Belly Fur | White |
| Markings | As for the full standard variety, but may be broken by white spots/patches |
| Eye Colour | As for the full standard variety |
| Ear Colour | As for the full standard variety, also light coloured patches permissible |
| Notes | Dirty or stained fur should be heavily penalised |