November 12th is a day that many people are going to want to mark on their calendars. Why? Well, because it just so happens to be Fancy Rat & Mouse Day. Although the name of this holiday might suggest that this day celebrates rodents that are owned by the super-rich or rodents that are all dressed up, the fact of the matter is that this holiday celebrates a rodent known as a fancy rat.

The Fancy Rat is the domesticated form of Rattus Norvegicus or the brown rat. They’re called “fancy rats” because people fancy (feel a strong liking for) them. It’s also used to describe a hobby known as Rat Fancying. Now that we’ve solved that mystery, let’s find out where this holiday came from and how to celebrate it.

The History Of Fancy Rat & Mouse Day

To understand this holiday better, you first have to go back to around the turn of the 20th century. This is when Mary Douglas begins the hobby “Rat Fancy” as a formal, organized way for people to enjoy their pet rats.

In 1901, she would take her pet rats to an exhibition of the National Mouse Club in the Aylesbury Town Show in Great Britain. The Rat Fancy hobby would enjoy a brief period of popularity before it fell out of fashion in 1921 when Mary Douglas died.

Of course, the Rat Fancy hobby would stay dead for too long. In 1976, it was revived when the English National Fancy Rat Society (NFRS) revives this hobby. Seven years later, an American version of the NFRS would come into existence when the American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association (AFRMA) was founded. That same year, they would create the Fancy Rat & Mouse Day to celebrate this holiday. It’s been observed by Rat Fanciers ever since.

Some Quick Facts About Rats And Mice

Let’s go over some quick rat and mouse facts that we think people might find interesting. It’s definitely a topic that some people are going to want to talk about with their peers while they’re enjoying Fancy Rat & Mouse Day, so let’s share some trivia.

• Rats and mice are mostly nocturnal.
• Rats can jump up to 3.5 feet.
• Rodents have a bite force of 7,000 pounds per square inch. That’s more than a crocodile.

Observing Fancy Rat & Mouse Day

One of the main ways that people observe this holiday is by taking the time to attend rat and mouse shows. It’s also a good day to watch fancy mouse and rate competitions. And, of course, people can buy their own mouse or rat and begin their journey into the hobby of Rat Fancying. We also encourage people to spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #FancyRat&MouseDay online.