Quick (but huge) rat colour cheat sheet below the read more. I’ve tried to put rats of similar colour side by side to show the differences for easier identification. For obvious reasons I can’t include absolutely everything, but at least tried to include most of the UK standardised varieties.
Black: As it says on the tin.
Chocolate:Dark brown all over.
Havana (red eyed mink): Mid brown, as US mink. Ruby eyes. Also known as Ruby eyed mocha.
Russian Dove: Pinky grey. Ultimately the same colour as Lilac, but with heathering due to russian blue being used as a base. If the coat isn’t ticked it’s probably Lilac instead.
Mink: Even grey-brown coat. UK mink is more grey than brown where US will look more brown (see havana for similar shade).
Russian Blue agouti: Blue rat with rusty-beige hair flecked throughout. typically darker and the agouti is more noticable compared to the british blue agouti.
Russian Blue: Dark, slate blue rat. Silvery white flecking (heathering) is common.
British Blue Agouti: Even mixture of cool blue hair and beige hair.
British Blue: Typical blue rat, neither too dark nor pale.
Russian Silver: Pale, icy blue coat with silver hairs flecked throughout. Should not have any brown tones.
Russian Silver agouti: Subtle icy blue tone flecked with light cream hair. Distinctly paler and more blue than british blue agouti.
Russian Dove Agouti: A paler, more blue version of Russian Dove but still retains a slight pink tone. Darkest blue tones near the topline and paler pinky tones along the sides and flanks. Eyes can be ruby or black.
Quicksilver: A pale blue rat with ruby eyes.
Platinum: Paler again than quicksilver without losing the blue tones. Ruby eyes.
Platinum Agouti: Nearly white, with a grey-cream tone. Agouti is washed out so the coat seems very even throughout. Resembles a sooty grey-ish buff. Ruby eyes.
Agouti: Distinct wild rat colour. Darkest along the top, fading to brown sides and grey-cream belly. Some are more grey, others more brown depending on the breeder.
Chocolate Agouti: Warmer, brown agouti, not as gingery as cinnamon.
Cinnamon: mid red-brown rat. Resembles the colour of the spice its named for.
Havana Agouti (red eyes): Very similar to cinnamon, may be more orange. Ruby eyes.
Silver Fawn: Typical “orange” rat. Flecked with silver guard hairs throughout and paler belly. Pink eyes.
Argente Creme: A pale, creamier silver fawn. Ticking is muted so white flecking is less obvious than on the silver fawn. Ruby eyes.
Topaz: Pale creamy gold with dark ruby, sometimes almost black eyes.
Cinnamon Pearl: Similar to Topaz, perhaps a little more dusty in colour, with unmistakable black eyes. Some blue tones are typical, particularly around the belly.
Apricot Agouti: Yellow-gold coat with a distintly blue tone underneath, probably most noticeable around the nose and eyes. Ruby eyes. May be flecked with silver like a silver fawn.
Buff: Pale cream rat with ruby eyes.
Russian Topaz: A pale cream top coat fading to a light cream, almost white belly. Ruby eyes.
Russian Buff: Very similar to buff, but with a cooler, sootier tone. Ruby eyes.
Champagne: Very pale coat with a more greyish, pinky tone than golden. Bright pink eyes.
Ivory: Almost white but not quite. Off white, slightly cream. Black eyes.
Albino and PEW: White rat, pale as possible, with ruby or pink eyes.
Black Eyed White: As white as possible with black eyes. Usually made from breeding rats with extensive white markings so odd coloured hairs are likely but heavily penalised in showing.
Himalayan or Siamese: White or cream coloured rat with darker points on the nose. Eyes can be any colour.
Golden Himalayan: Warm, golden coloured coat with darker points.
Wheaten Burmese: A variably golden brown coat, flecked throughout due to Agouti. Dark points.
Burmese: Dark to warm toffee coloured coat with darker points.
Sable Burmese: Much darker, chocolate coloured rat with darker points.
Silvermane: Silver tipped hairs all over a darker base with distinctly darker nose and eyes. Can be seen on any other colour.
Marten: Darker coat with paler nose, eyes and belly. Should always have ruby or pink eyes.
Merle: Spotted, patchy coat, like merle dogs. Only expressed on rats with Mink.
Tabby/Marble: Spotted coat, usually even moreso than Merle but able to be expressed on all coat types, not just Minks. Typically have a dorsal stripe down the back.
Roan/Husky: Typically dark coat on the top, banded with white markings up the belly, along the sides and often with a blazed face. Fades paler and eventually to white as the rat ages.
Essex: White spot on the head and makes the coat paler on the belly, legs and up the sides.
Blazed: White face marking, usually wedge shaped.
Irish: Small chest marking. Triangle shaped is the most “correct”.
Berkshire: White belly. May be small or extend quite high up the sides and to the face. Sometimes accompanied by a blaze.
Hooded: Distinct stripe down the back, colour across the head and shoulders.
Variegated: Patchy berkshire or hooded markings.
Bareback: Colour contained to just the head and shoulders with no back stripe.
Capped: Colour on just the head. Quite often accompanied with a “cap stripe”.
Masked: Colour just across the eyes or middle of the face.
Dalmatian: Blotchy spots all over. Any irregular markings that don’t fit in with above could be classed as dalmatian.
Downunder: Coloured belly marking.
