Standard-coat Mouse

Coat and looks how to spot one

Standard: short, smooth and sleek

The classic fancy mouse coat: short, straight hair lying flat and close to the body, soft to the hand and naturally shiny. A good show coat is thick all over, right down to the belly, the groin, around the front legs and behind the ears. It sits on a slim, long body with large ears, bold eyes and a long tapering tail; show mice measure about 20-23 cm from nose to tail tip.415

Personality what they are like

Coat type has no effect on character, so these are typical fancy mice: lively, curious and happiest with mouse company. With calm, gentle handling close to the ground they settle well and seldom nip, and the AFRMA expects every show mouse to be easy to handle.135

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Busy and quick, most active at night and around dusk and dawn. Offer a solid-surface wheel, ropes, branches, tubes and tunnels, and scatter part of the food so they can forage.367

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

The short coat needs no brushing because mice groom themselves. Spot-clean daily, clean the cage fully every one to two weeks and check the water every day.67

Home where they are happiest

A roomy, escape-proof cage with bar gaps under 5 mm, at least 2 cm of dust-free bedding plus paper or hay for nesting, hides with more than one exit, a solid wheel and climbing items. Keep it well ventilated, out of draughts and away from heat.6

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Complete mouse nuggets as the main food, with small portions of vegetables and fruit counted into the daily amount. Scatter some of the ration for foraging and provide fresh water from a bottle, checked daily.7

Company who they like around

Sociable animals that do best in stable, same-sex groups. Females usually live together easily; males are best kept with brothers they grew up with. Avoid swapping members in a settled group.81

The story where it all began

Mice have been kept for their looks for millennia, with the earliest written mention in an ancient Chinese dictionary. The standard coat is the original one, and in 1895 Walter Maxey's National Mouse Club held its first show in Lincoln, England. Most fancy mice shown today still wear this coat.1

Recognised by the official bits

American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association (AFRMA)

Recognised coat variety 'Standard': a smooth, glossy coat, fine to the touch, with a natural high shine and dense cover over the whole body.4

National Mouse Club (UK)

Founded in 1895; most of the colour and marking varieties it shows are standard-coated.1