Harold, nutmeg, male, adult, standard coat, shown by Shanna Nelson of Khulan Gerbils in Pacific, Missouri
2024_001 Slim for show male, with a high back arch and neck dip in the side photo on all fours. I think the pose is exaggerating things there, but other photos do show he’s lacking bulk in the shoulders. Well-shaped head with a very nice almond eye. Lovely whisker fan, though some of the lower ones are white. Coat looks sleek and well prepared. Fairly minimal molt lines, for a Nutmeg – only the one obvious line across the rear. Nice strong black ticking overall, though the incomplete molt has left his tail ticking noticeably paler, and body distribution is a little uneven, with some areas lighter than others. Good depth of gold coloring beneath the ticking. Some white on the upper lip and chin, but none on the paws. Tail not held fully straight, with so-so tuft, but has good length and thickness.
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Parisian Jewel, Light Red-Eyed Schimmel female, adult, standard coat, shown by Tresa Hendrix of Rosebush Gerbils in Fairbanks, Alaska
2024_033 Excellent conformation! Strong but athletic feminine body type, short broad head with well-placed ears and almond eye, what I can see of the whiskers looks good, thick straight tail of good length. Her only major conformation flaw is the lack of tuft. Unfortunately, her color leaves a lot to be desired. She still has peach coloring on the main body, marking her as relatively young, but her points are very pale. There’s light orange in her whisker beds, but only the faintest of masks. She has some good color out at the end of her tail, but most of it is littered with white hairs, which is a fault. I think there’s at least a little color on her ears, but it’s hard to make out. She would be great for breeding pups with super conformation, but not so much for showing herself. A close call, but she scrapes a second today.
ABC's Tangerine, Schimmel female, adult, standard coat, shown by Donna Anastasi of ABC gerbils in Portland, Maine
2024_075 Very nice athletic feminine body type. Head seems a bit narrow, but it may be a result of the ears being positioned a little too high. Or the awkward angle may be making both look off. Eyes a touch round. Good whiskers. Tail is thick and straight, but not much tuft. Coat is quite greasy and separated. Some peach color still on the body. I’d like to see the mask color a little stronger, but nice rich orange on the tail. She takes first today.
ABC's Marmalade, RE Schimmel female, adult, standard coat, shown by Donna Anastasi of ABC Gerbils in Portland, Maine
2024_076 Rather thick, masculine female – looks like she might even be starting to develop a fat pad on the shoulders. Big, heavy-looking head; more a function of fat deposits than underlying structure, I think. Eye is slightly narrow in the side view, looks like it may not be fully open? Whiskers not visible. Thick straight tail with what looks like a good tuft, just not displayed well. Coat is a little separated. Body fur is fairly white. Mask is lacking: there’s orange in the whisker beds, but it doesn’t fan out over the face. Very nice orange color on the tail, though there’s a hint of white flecking on the underside. Third place.
