2026_028
First Place. Maple, pied nutmeg, male, 10 months, shown by
I love this man. He’s a heckin’ chonker, although he’s not actually fat, just thick. Excellent body type for a mature male. His head and facial structure are fairly plain, but correct. Regarding color, he has an excellent pied pattern, with only a few stray white hairs on his topline. His blaze and collar are clean and beautiful, with a nice white tip to the tail. The nutmeg color does not show off the contrast quite as well as some other bases, but he is still a lovely and appealing animal. Another unfortunate effect of the nutmeg color is a tendency towards highly visible molt lines, and he has a small one, but we can’t hold that too hard against him. If I’m being overly critical, his tail may be a bit short. Otherwise, it’s hard to fault this guy.
I love this man. He’s a heckin’ chonker, although he’s not actually fat, just thick. Excellent body type for a mature male. His head and facial structure are fairly plain, but correct. Regarding color, he has an excellent pied pattern, with only a few stray white hairs on his topline. His blaze and collar are clean and beautiful, with a nice white tip to the tail. The nutmeg color does not show off the contrast quite as well as some other bases, but he is still a lovely and appealing animal. Another unfortunate effect of the nutmeg color is a tendency towards highly visible molt lines, and he has a small one, but we can’t hold that too hard against him. If I’m being overly critical, his tail may be a bit short. Otherwise, it’s hard to fault this guy.
2026_025
Best Opposite. Symetry, mottled black, female, 6 months, shown by
Attractive little girl. Appears fairly mature for her age, although she is still a bit refined, lean, and dainty. Her color is nice, especially the dark black on her rump that is not broken by white hairs. However, her pattern still trends a bit towards pied with a prominent collar rather than being more evenly mottled throughout (though the white splash over her hips breaks this up). Her head and face are very attractive, with a sweet expression and average ears. Good, clean coat. Decent tail with a very minor kink in its mid length.
Attractive little girl. Appears fairly mature for her age, although she is still a bit refined, lean, and dainty. Her color is nice, especially the dark black on her rump that is not broken by white hairs. However, her pattern still trends a bit towards pied with a prominent collar rather than being more evenly mottled throughout (though the white splash over her hips breaks this up). Her head and face are very attractive, with a sweet expression and average ears. Good, clean coat. Decent tail with a very minor kink in its mid length.
2026_043
Second Place. Cortado, pied nlack, male, adult - age unavailable, shown by . wish I knew how old this boy is to better assess his size and build, but I’ll assume he’s a fully mature adult given his bulk. He’s a very good looking fellow with great contrast between his black and white patches. The stray white hairs across the hindquarters and the broken blaze are not faults, but do slightly detract from his otherwise quite lovely appeal. He has a very nice tail, but his ears are a bit large and his eyes rounder than the standard. He looks lively and athletic.
2026_041
Athena. pied black, female, 10 months, shown by.
This is a cute little girl, although she is rather lean and petite with a pinched midsection. She has a very pleasant expression and a lovely profile. Regarding color, she lacks a full collar but has a nicely tipped tail, though it tapers a bit. Altogether, she is an attractive and pleasing animal, but she doesn’t have the wow factor of some of the others.
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2026_044
Latte, pied agouti, male, adult - age unavailable, shown by .
It would be nice to know this gerbil’s age, because he looks a bit smaller and daintier than the male standard, but he may be young. His fur is a little greasy and separated, but some sand would likely correct this quickly. His white pattern is less than ideal, with a muddy collar and very little white on the face, but a very nice white tail tip (and a nice tail overall). His face is a little narrow with large, round eyes, but a very sweet expression.
It would be nice to know this gerbil’s age, because he looks a bit smaller and daintier than the male standard, but he may be young. His fur is a little greasy and separated, but some sand would likely correct this quickly. His white pattern is less than ideal, with a muddy collar and very little white on the face, but a very nice white tail tip (and a nice tail overall). His face is a little narrow with large, round eyes, but a very sweet expression.
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2026_045
Lily, spotted dove, female, adult - age unavailable, shown by .
Unfortunately for this girl, the lighter bases like dove and sapphire have very little contrast against white markings. It becomes even more difficult to assess from photos when there is no ability to move the gerbil around in different lighting to get a better look at the colors. That said, she appears to be marked correctly, though it is difficult to make out her shoulder spot. She is also not posed in the most flattering manner, making it hard to judge her build while she’s apparently quite interested in sniffing the ground in front of her. She has an inquisitive, feminine face and looks like a sweet pet, but she’s just not very competitive in this class.
Unfortunately for this girl, the lighter bases like dove and sapphire have very little contrast against white markings. It becomes even more difficult to assess from photos when there is no ability to move the gerbil around in different lighting to get a better look at the colors. That said, she appears to be marked correctly, though it is difficult to make out her shoulder spot. She is also not posed in the most flattering manner, making it hard to judge her build while she’s apparently quite interested in sniffing the ground in front of her. She has an inquisitive, feminine face and looks like a sweet pet, but she’s just not very competitive in this class.
