[Jack Garcia]

Originally, the term "fancy mouse" meant an animal from the mouse fancy, i.e. a mouse that is bred toward standard and meant to be shown. This is what the term "fancy" means, or at least meant. It's the same as with the cat fancy, where cats are bred to standard and shown. Alley cats, mongrels, and mix-breeds are not "fancy cats." Yet if they were mice you'd find them in a tank at Petco for $2 labeled "fancy."

Nowadays, though, with mice, I see people and pet stores using the term "fancy mouse" on mice which could never been shown, when what they should be using is "hobby mice," i.e. mice bred as a hobby only, not towards any particular standard, and not toward the goal of showing their mice.

I often see any mouse which is not a PEW called "fancy" and the PEWs called "feeders." This is inaccurate, as those mice have certainly never set foot onto a judge's table.

Those of us who do keep mice for show seem to be migrating toward the words "show mice" or "exhibition mice," since "fancy" is losing its original meaning.

Based on the international forums I belong to and the mouse friends I have in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe, I think this usage is common across borders.

Has anybody else noticed this?

 

[SarahC]

I think you are right although within our actual club they are known as fancy and people still end letters and articles to other mousers with 'yours in the fancy'.
I would be interested in whether your mouse shows are frequented by serious fanciers,hobby breeders or pet breeders.What sort of ratio.What is a usa mouse show like?
Over here they are held in places like churches and most exhibitors are in it to win it.
/

 

[Jack Garcia]

Well, we have trouble finding venues that will let us have shows in their space, whether it's a church, a town hall, or whatever. People just don't want mice in their building and they refuse to let us have shows in their space, depsite the fact that we are paying for it! The last show I know of was held in a hotel conference room. I only show with the ECMA, so I can't speak to the AFRMA, although I hear that their shows are similar.

Our shows are frequented by both serious fanciers and pet owners, although there are hardly ever more than a few breeders there showing, plus members of the public. And it's usually the same few people showing. The ECMA's President and Presiding Judge (same person) and I do LOTS of local advertising on online forums and places like Craigslist before a show so we can get as many people as possible to show up.

Since we are so low on numbers and our country is spread out over thousands of miles of territory, we include pet classes such as "most unusual marking (which I won with a chimeric brindle, hehe)," which I don't think we'd have if there were enough people entering the various standard classes with their mice. We require a three week quarantine (no new animals in) on all animals being brought to a show.

We try to have two judges so that the first judge may show her (usually her, most fanciers in the US are women except for two) mice as well.

We don't have Maxeys so we use Lee's Kritter Keepers, small size, for showing. One person is designated the Official Health Checker and does a mini physical on every mouse entering the room. I've done this, and I really enjoy it. If somebody has one mouse who is obviously sick, that person's entire colony is refused entry. No animals other than mice are allowed.

Here are some pictures from a show that I took (poor quality pictures, sorry):

 

[moustress]

The term 'fancy' means 'to like'. So to say 'The mouse(s) that we like' is more accurate. The mouse fancy does not exclude those who choose to not breed to show standards. To fancy and to show are two different things. To imply that those not concerned with breeding to show standards should not be included is elitist. There's more than enough love to go around for all of us to coexist with practicing exclusion and prejudice. To each his/her own and devil take the hindmost.

 

[WillowDragon]

In my understanding and usage of the term 'fancy' is the enthusiasm for the animal, 'exhibition type' is used for animals bred to show standard and 'pet type' are those that are not.

The NMC welcomes people of all mice keeping types into the 'fancy', whether you breed for show, hobby or are just a loving pet owner as far as I am aware?

Willow xx

 

[Jack Garcia]

Here's this, too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_fancy

The term 'fancy' means 'to like'. So to say 'The mouse(s) that we like' is more accurate. The mouse fancy does not exclude those who choose to not breed to show standards. To fancy and to show are two different things. To imply that those not concerned with breeding to show standards should not be included is elitist. There's more than enough love to go around for all of us to coexist with practicing exclusion and prejudice. To each his/her own and devil take the hindmost.

You're right that it means "to like," but it also means more in the context of the mouse fancy. The meaning is currently changing, too.

To address your "elitism" point: I don't deny that. A certain amount of elitism is actually healthy in any animal fancy. It allows for higher standards to be kept than would simply allowing any old mouse to win on the show table. Can you imagine if a backyard breeder (of dogs) tried to show a mutt at Westminster, or tried to gain any respect at all in the dog world for breeding mutts who did not conform to any standards because they "enjoyed breeding them and had fun with it" or because they "had their own personal goals?" That would never happen. In fact, such willy nilly breeding without regard to standards would be condemned, as it should be. The breed/variety standards are there for a reason, regardless of the animal in question.

With all that said, the mouse world is not the dog world. It's easier to care for 50 mice (whether poorly bred petstore mice or BIS winners) than 50 dogs, and our clubs have not yet gained the sway and prestige that the dog world has. As Tony Cooke said, "The mouse is all things to all people."

edited because I can't seem to operate quote boxes today for the life of me!

 

[contraria]

for me, fancy has and will always mien breeder.

then there are different kinds off breeders. breeders of show, breeders off pets, breeders of fun and menny morre.