Squirrel Appreciation Day (Jan 21): A Rat Shop's Gracious Tribute to Our Rivals
Every January 21, America celebrates Squirrel Appreciation Day — a genuine observance founded in 2001 by a North Carolina wildlife rehabilitator who wanted people to spare a thought (and maybe a peanut) for the backyard acrobats getting through the hardest stretch of winter.
We run a rat t-shirt shop. You might expect bitterness. And look — are we thrilled that the squirrel, a rodent whose entire brand is "rat with a marketing budget," gets an official day while our rats hustle in obscurity? We're working through it. But in the spirit of rodent solidarity, this post is our gracious, only-slightly-competitive tribute to Squirrel Day, squirrel people, and the great American love affair with small chaotic mammals.
Squirrels: Credit Where It's Due
Let's be adults about this. The squirrel résumé is legitimately impressive:
They're winter preppers of legend. A single squirrel buries thousands of nuts each fall across hundreds of hiding spots — and remembers most of them using spatial memory that researchers genuinely study. (The forgotten ones become trees. Squirrels are accidentally reforesting America. Annoyingly noble.)
They're elite athletes. Squirrels can leap several times their body length, rotate their ankles 180 degrees to descend trees headfirst, and have humiliated every "squirrel-proof" bird feeder ever engineered. There are entire viral obstacle-course sagas documenting suburban humans losing this arms race. The squirrels always win.
They're beloved. College campuses have unofficial celebrity squirrels with their own social accounts. Whole towns celebrate albino and white squirrel populations — Olney, Illinois protects theirs by ordinance. The squirrel PR machine is undefeated.
Fine. Happy Appreciation Day, squirrels. You've earned it.
Now Then: A Word From the Rat Department
Here's what we'd gently note, as the loyal opposition: everything America loves about squirrels — the cleverness, the hustle, the food-motivated athleticism, the tiny hands — rats have in equal or greater measure. Rats solve puzzles, learn their names, laugh when tickled (real science), and famously carried an entire slice of pizza down subway stairs while a nation cheered.
The only real difference? The tail floof and the daylight schedule. Squirrels are rats who understood daytime television.
Which is precisely why Squirrel Appreciation Day is secretly a holiday for all rodent lovers — the gateway observance. Anyone charmed by a squirrel's nut-cheeked determination is, whether they know it or not, three facts away from rat appreciation. (We keep the full conversion pamphlet here, from our Fancy Rat & Mouse Day coverage.)
How to Celebrate January 21 (Rodent-Inclusive Edition)
Feed the locals. The day's founding purpose: winter is hard on backyard wildlife. Unsalted nuts or seeds left out (where local guidance permits) honors the original spirit.
Gift the rodent person in your life. Everyone knows one — the friend who stops mid-conversation to point at a squirrel, follows chipmunk accounts, or (elite tier) has pet rats. January 21 is a delightfully niche excuse for a small gift, and as we've established, January gifts hit hardest. A hand-drawn silly rat tee from Silly Rat Collection says: "I see your rodent enthusiasm, and I raise you a rat." Under $30, free USA shipping, sizes XS–5XL.
Wear the whiskers proudly. Squirrel people, we welcome you: a hand-drawn rat tee is 90% compatible with your existing worldview. Consider it cross-training.
Learn one weird rodent fact and deploy it. "Squirrels plant thousands of trees a year by forgetting where they put lunch" is elite small talk for the office kitchen. You're welcome.
The Bigger Picture: America's Rodent Renaissance
Step back and a pattern emerges: Squirrel Appreciation Day in January, Fancy Rat & Mouse Day in November, Groundhog Day — the nation's most famous weather forecaster, a rodent — arriving every February 2. America has quietly built a calendar of rodent reverence, and honestly? Correct. Small, clever, food-driven survivors who thrive against the odds — no animal family better reflects the national spirit.
We're just here to make sure the rat gets its share of the merch table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Squirrel Appreciation Day?
An annual observance every January 21, founded in 2001 by wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove, encouraging kindness toward squirrels during the hardest weeks of winter.
How do you celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day?
Put out appropriate food where permitted, learn something new about squirrels, share the appreciation online — or extend the love to the whole rodent family with a well-chosen gift.
What's a good gift for a rodent lover?
Rodent-themed items are rare in mainstream stores, which makes them land hard: original hand-drawn rat apparel is the wearable, giftable favorite.
Rodents of America, Unite
This January 21, we set aside the rivalry. Squirrels, rats, mice, the groundhog with the weather job — one big, whiskered, food-motivated family. Appreciate accordingly.
The family portrait (rat chapter) is at sillyratcollection.com — hand-drawn originals, XS–5XL, free USA shipping. 🐿️🤝🐀
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