Silver fawn

Another one of the old rat varieties, historically known as Argenté, and one of the most easily recognisable. The main word you’ll find when trying to describe a Silver Fawn is orange. In the ideal Silver Fawn, the pink eyed gene dilutes the black pigment to a bright, clear champagne, and the yellow pigment remains as a bright rich colour.

The silver in the name comes from the guard hairs, which are silvery white. Some Silver Fawns are a softer orange, quite often these have Mink in them as well which pales the colour – this is the preferred shade in the US, where the colour is standardised as amber.

It’s also possible to make a colour similar to Silver Fawn by combining red eye dilute with American Mink. The colour can look quite similar, albeit less bright, but the eyes are often a darker red then you’d see in a true silver fawn.

In the US, this variety is known as Amber, though it tends to be bred as a paler variety rather than the bright shade preferred in the UK.

Genetics: Usually A-pp – a pink eyed Agouti. Occasionally mock Silver Fawns have been bred, which are genetically American Mink combined with red eye dilute and Agouti. These tend not to be as bright in colour as true pink eyed rats.

NFRS standard: To be a rich orange fawn, evenly ticked with silver guard hairs. Belly fur to be white, the demarcation between the top colour and the white belly to be sharp and clear cut, devoid of irregularities and brindling. Eyes red.