Celebrate World Rat Day Every April 4

• By NSC
• 2 Comments.

 

 

On April 4 we celebrate the much-maligned rat with World Rat Day.

The purpose of the day is to recognize rats make good pets.

Now don’t give me that look! Rats are not nasty, disease-ridden vermin.

Well, ok, wild rats living in sewers and garbage bins might be (probably are).

But pet rats are quite sweet and cuddly. Yes, you read that right: sweet and cuddly!

They’re smart and loyal too. Anyone with pet rats will tell you so.

And rats were recently exonerated as the cause of the bubonic plague (Black Death) outbreak in Europe starting in the mid-14th century. Apparently that was actually gerbils. You know, those cute, cuddly little furballs lots of people love and keep as pets.

So if you’re going to be keeping plague-spreading gerbils as pets, don’t hate on innocent little rats! (Just kidding. Domesticated pet gerbils are not likely to make you sick. … And neither will the rats!)

 

World Rat Day’s Beginning

According to the day’s website, the April 4 date for World Rat Day honors the beginning of the ratlist mailing list. This list began back in 1999, and it’s still online and active.

There’s also a World Rat Day mailing list, but it looks like the most recent post was in 2015. And the last actually active year was 2009.

We’re not sure the World Rat Day website is being actively maintained, either. The last celebration mentioned is for 2012. But that’s no reason rat lovers can’t still celebrate.

It’s not about others keeping the day alive. It’s about you enjoying the day … With your rat, if you have one.

Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this cuddly unofficial holiday.

 

Ideas For Celebrating World Rat Day

Obviously, if you have a rat, you’ll want to treat him or her to an extra special day. Give him his most favorite foods. Some extra loving. And maybe even a gift:

• Kaytee Perfect Chews for Rats
• Cargo Net Boredom Breaker (A climbing toy made from cotton rope)
• Living World Teach N Treat Toy

 

You might also like The Complete Guide to Rat Training. This book claims to teach you “how to have fun and enhance the relationship you share with your pet rat.” It uses a step-by-step teaching format.

If you know other people with rats, throw a party, complete with games and prizes.

Don’t have a rat but considering getting one?

Learn more about rats and keeping them as pets. This FAQ page on The Wererat’s Lair has lots of good information.

Check out rodent-related publications too:

• There’s the Rodent Reader Quarterly.
• Also It’s a Rat’s World magazine. It’s devoted to stories (fiction and non-fiction) and information about rat health and care. And a lot of it comes from readers of the magazine. There’s a Facebook page, too.

 

Get links to more rat-related pages on (bclee’s) RATS! page. The page is old & looks like it’s no longer updated. But there’s still some good information there.

Want to be a little silly? There’s a book a poems about World Rat Day and other unusual holidays. It’s called World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of , and it has poems about 22 different holidays through out the year. But World Rat Day is one of them! Yes, it’s for children (written by a Children’s Poet Laureate). But c’mon! Poems about obscure holidays are great fun for kids of all ages.

Speaking of kids, have them color a rat. You could even join them!

Finally, treat your pet rat to some yummy homemade treats. Watch how they’re made:

 

 

How are you celebrating World Rat Day this year?

 

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