| CHA Summary List of Standards Classes |
| How To Use This List Generally a color (or a pattern, coat length, etc.) starts in the Unstandardized Class. At this stage in the process, the color is bred by those interested in it, and the gene or gene combination is investigated. Once the color has stabilized, better understood, and there is interest in standardizing it, we move it to a Guide Standard Class. At this point, the judges and members get familiar with it and finalize the color and wording of the standard. Once it is approved, the color moves to the Standardized Class. So colors move from Unstandardized to Guide Standard to Standardized. This is the progression. So what do you do if your hamster’s color/pattern isn’t listed here? Is it automatically Unstandardized? No, not if your hamster is a combination of a color, pattern, coat type, etc. listed here. Let’s explain this. If you have a Black Dominant Spot Syrian hamster. You see that Black is Standardized and Dominant Spot is Standardized. Thus, your hamster should be entered in the Standardized category. Let’s say, though, that you had a Black Mottled Dwarf. Black is a Guide Standard color while Mottled is an Unstandardized pattern. In this case, your hamster would be Unstandardized due to the Mottled gene. Essentially, you must enter your hamster in the earliest Class in the progression listed above (Unstandardized --> Guide Standard --> Standardized). Let’s take another example. Let’s say that you have a Dove Banded Satin Syrian. Dove is a Guide Standard. Banded and Satin are Standardized. Thus you would enter him in the Guide Standard Class. Let’s say, though, that you had a Dove Satin Dwarf. Dove is Unstandardized. Satin is Standardized. Thus, this hamster would be entered in the Unstandardized Class. If you have any questions about which Class your hamster belongs in, please put a note in your entry to the Show Secretary. Remind her at Check-in to have the Class checked. This is easily done and will ensure that your hamster is entered in the appropriate class. |
| Standardized Syrian Colors/Patterns Beige Blonde Cinnamon Dark Golden Light Golden Dark Grey Light Grey Silver Grey Honey Lilac Rust Smoke Pearl Yellow Sable Copper Black-eyed Cream Red-eyed Cream |
| Black-eyed Ivory Red-eyed Ivory Dark-eared White Flesh-eared White Black Black-eyed White Chocolate Banded Dominant Spot Roan Tortoiseshell Tortoiseshell and White Dominant Spotted Banded Satin |
| Guide Standard Syrian Colors/Patterns Yellow Black Dove Unstandardized Syrian Colors/Patterns Mink Extreme Dilute Honey Black Light Gray Pearl Recessive Dappled And all other colors and patterns |
| Standardized Campbells Colors/Patterns Normal Albino Red-eyed Argente Opal Dilute Platinum (Black-eyed White) Satin Guide Standard Campbells Colors/Patterns Black Blue Black-eyed Argente Moscow Unstandardized Campbells Colors/Patterns Blue Fawn Lilac Fawn Beige Blue Beige Dove Red-eyed Lilac Black-eyed Lilac Mottled Platinum And all other colors and patterns |
| Standardized Winter White Colors/Patterns Normal Sapphire Pearl Guide Standard Winter White Colors/Patterns None Unstandardized Winter White Colors/Patterns Imperial |
| Note: Chinese Hamsters are illegal in California. Thus, they are not allowed at any CHA shows. Roborovskis are legal and are shown only in the Unstandardized Class. |