When you start showing hamsters it can seem like you’re learning a new language. This is never more evident than when you’re looking at the judge’s comment sheets at the end of the day and are faced with lots of abbreviations. What do they all mean?

I’ve written a list of some of the most common ones. If there are any you’ve seen that aren’t on the list then do comment and let me know.

Sometimes there will also be a comment written on the hamster’s pen label. Often this is a note on how the judge distinguished between two dwarf hamsters in the same pen in order for the owner to know which score belongs to which hamster, for example, darker, larger, male. If you find there’s “see judge” on the label, then speak to the judge after judging (ask if it’s OK to talk about your hamster before launching in, in case judging hasn’t fully finished). Sometimes there’s a comment to “check…”, e.g. check eye, check tail. This could be because there’s a healing bite mark or other problem that isn’t serious enough to require the hamster to be removed from the show bench for urgent care, but does need looking at later. If you’re not sure why something needs checking then do ask the judge.

List of Abbreviations