# Different types of Berkshires??



## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

Hey everyone...my girl Scout recently had a litter, and two of the boys ended up with very neat patterns on their bellies, and one even had a blaze. I had never seen the patterns before, and when I was looking at pics of rats I stumbled upon a berkshire, and sure enough that's what they are. Or so I thought...  _Now _ I have read that there are different types of berks, like vari-berks, european berks, etc...I have tried to look it up, but like I said, the way I even found a "regular" berk was by accident...so I thought someone here might be able to tell me. I will show you some pictures of Ash, the black berkshire (the other one has a blaze and is beige/white).

His right side:










His left side:










His tummy:









Let me know what you think!


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

I would consider that rat a variberk.

Essentially a variberk is a berkshire with varied sides.

The blaze (on the face, I'd assume) is an extra marking, so blazed berkshire or blazed variberk. 

Then there's Irish Markings and Zipper Berkshire and all that other ball of wax... :lol:


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

LoL, well Forensic, you have cleared up my confusion about Ash, but now I am confused about Maggie, a female...I thought she was an Irish (there are Irish _berks_??) but now, not so sure...here is Maggie:

This is a picture of her belly (sorry about the blur; she is a female, hence, always on the go...):










And a top/side view: as you can see, she has white front and back feet, a white-tipped tail, and her stomach markings do not extend up her sides.


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## sweet_dreams91 (Oct 19, 2007)

One of my rats looks exactly like Maggie but has an even smaller white spot.


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

sweet_dreams91 said:


> One of my rats looks exactly like Maggie but has an even smaller white spot.


Cool.  LoL, actually, the rat in your avatar pic looks a lot like Maggie, with the little white feet.


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## FelineWolf (Nov 13, 2007)

They look just like my Suki!
Blurry pic:









clearer:









She also has the white tip at the end of her tail! So does that make her a "variberk"? It is JUST colouring or does some sort of breeding come into it?


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

Suki is gorgeous! Her coat is so satiny and shiny. Yes, I guess she would be a variberk, because she looks a lot like Ash...I don't know if the white tip on the tail would change that or not, lol, the whole markings/color thing can get very confusing.


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## FelineWolf (Nov 13, 2007)

Suki and I thank you for the compliment 
Tell me about it, I was so confused the first time someone referred to Asia as "that husky rat of yours" ah well, you learn it all in drips and drabs I suppose! I just pick my rats on temprement (and cuteness  )


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

I think that's a way better system.  It's kind of like dogs, some of the best are just "mutts." But that husky color is crazy, I hadn't seen it till I joined this forum and they're so cool...I've never seen one in "person."


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

I think an Irish marking is just a white spot on the chest, and berkshire is white all over the tummy. So Maggie would be a berkshire, not an Irish.

I am by no means an expert though, I haven't really looked into the differences - I didn't even know there were different types of berks other than regular berkshire and variberk XD


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Variberk's white kinda 'spills' up the sides, so I suppose we'd need a side picture of Suki to tell?

And I think Berkshire markings have to touch the legs...

All the tummy markings are so confusing to me. :lol: The issue is that unless you have a show quality rat, none of the markings conform to the ideal. So, they're all mismarked or 'vari' or whathave you.

So... call them what you'd like! :lol:


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

That's what I am thinking, too...all this time I thought she was an Irish based on a not-very-thorough description I read online, but you're right, to be an Irish, the rat has to only have a spot on the chest...lol, which leads to the next question. Here's Luna, would she be an Irish? She doesn't have a white-tipped tail, and only the tips of her feet are white...lol, I think she is just a "Luna," one and only.

her chest - she was (of course) squirming










her front feet (the back feet are exactly the same)


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## FelineWolf (Nov 13, 2007)

Suki's markings spill up the side, you can kind of see in the second picture.
Show quality? I think not; cute, loevable? **** Yeah!!!!


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## Ratty_Mama (Oct 29, 2007)

Yes I would call that a variberk to. My female is a variberk as well. Looks jut like your littler guy.


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

kinda on topic, where is the line between a really mismarked hoodie and a veriberk? I always assumed my little Brisby was a sloppy hooded, looking at some of these pics I'm not too sure any more.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Here ya go 

http://www.afrma.org/ratmkd.htm


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

lilspaz68 said:


> Here ya go
> 
> http://www.afrma.org/ratmkd.htm


That only gives show quality examples. None of my boys are even close to having show quality markings. :? 

Its not that it really matters, I was just curious


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Hehehe, those are the only standards we have. But it gives you an idea. If you check out some of the showing standards they will tell you what is considered a fault or will disqualify a rat from that marking.

Our kiddos are in the wonderful world of Mismarked, LOL


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

these are good sites for markings:
(if you can't find it on one of thise sites then the markings you are attempting to identify are simply a variation of the recognized standards)

http://www.ratspacnw.org/bicolors.htm

http://www.spoiledratten.com/varietiescontent.html

http://www.dreameyce.com/eagleseye/rattery/ratinfo/index.htm
http://www.dreameyce.com/eagleseye/rattery/ratinfo/rat_markings.htm

http://www.dapper.com.au/whatrat.htm

http://www.hawthorn.org.uk/varieties.asp


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

glindella said:


> kinda on topic, where is the line between a really mismarked hoodie and a veriberk? I always assumed my little Brisby was a sloppy hooded, looking at some of these pics I'm not too sure any more.


Um, gosh, that could be a gray area... I suppose black on the legs would lean me more towards variberk.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Forensic said:


> glindella said:
> 
> 
> > kinda on topic, where is the line between a really mismarked hoodie and a veriberk? I always assumed my little Brisby was a sloppy hooded, looking at some of these pics I'm not too sure any more.
> ...


Post a pic of Brisby from the sides and the belly? Or link us to a pic on here?


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i've always understood the difference as follows:

a proper berk will have a even belly of white. the sides of the white will be right to the edge of the tummy without coming up the sides. if the white doesn't reach all the way to the sides but is one chunk of white all the way from chest to belly the rat is a mismarked. if the white comes up the sides but the back is still mostly another color then its a veriberk. if there is more white then other color on the back then its a mismarked hooded (unless there is only a couple small spots of color- in which case the rat is a mismarked bareback). a proper hooded would have a solid and even stripe down the back but the back will still have more white then color. if there is no color on the back at all but color on the shoulders and above its a proper bareback. then you get into facial markings which i'm a little less sure on. 

there is also of course the self, which is obvious, one solid color throughout. any color on the feet, toes or tail would make the rat a mismarked self. 

the irish is ones that have markings ONLY on the chest. the ones that have markings on the belly only are called something different but i can't remember now and ones that have a mark on both the belly and chest are a mismark of either the irish or the other one. there is also the dowunder belly markings when instead of a white mark on color its a color mark on white. 

then we get into dalmations (and there's a few varieties of that), huskys and roans (both very similar except one fades and the other doesn't- not sure which is which) none of which i know a whole lot about. 

but its a fascinating thing. i love reading up in it.


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