Do you share your heart and home with a small pet, anything from sugar gliders and hamsters to aquarium fish, birds, lizards and snakes? Or maybe your heart belongs to birds or chickens? This page features special awareness days and months devoted to the small pets that play a big part in our lives.
The awareness days below are generally selected by private groups–and sometimes those dates can fluctuate from year to year. If we’ve missed one of your favorite holidays, please drop us a line!
- Pet Holidays for dogs and cats
- Awareness days for horses, livestock, wildlife, bird life and marine life
- Environmental awareness days
January
- Adopt a Rescued Bird Month
- Jan. 5: National Bird Day
February
- Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month
- Responsible Animal Guardian Month
- Responsible Pet Owner Month
- Feb. 2: National Hedgehog Day
- Feb. 3: Feed the Birds Day
- Feb. 5: World Animal Reiki Day
- Feb. 17: National Lovebird Day
- Feb. 19-25, 2023: Bird Health Awareness Week (Last Full Week of February)
- Feb. 19-25, 2023: National Justice for Animals Week (4th Week in February)
- Feb. 27 – March 3, 2023: National Invasive Species Awareness Week (5 Days starting last Monday in February)
March
- Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month
- March 1: National Pig Day
- March 14: Save a Spider Day
- March 16, 2023: National Farm Rescuer Day (3rd Thursday in March)
- March 19: National Poultry Day
- March 20: World Frog Day
- March 19-25, 2023: National Animal Poison Prevention Week (3rd Full Week in March)
- March 23: National Chinchilla Day
April
- Adopt a Ferret Month
- National Frog Month
- Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month
- April 2: National Ferret Day
- April 1-7, 2023: Be Kind to Spiders Week (1st Full Week in April)
- April 4: World Rat Day
- April 8: Draw a Picture of a Bird Day
- April 10: ASPCA Day
- April 10: National Farm Animals Day
- April 9-15, 2023: Animal Care and Control Appreciation Week (2nd full week in April)
- April 11: National Pet Day
- April 12: World Hamster Day
- April 16–22, 2023: Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week (3rd week in April)
- April 18: Pet Owners Independence Day
- April 19: Pet Owners Day
- April 22: Earth Day
- April 24-30, 2023: World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week (Week surrounding April 24)
- April 26: Audubon Day
- April 29, 2023: World Veterinary Day (Last Saturday in April)
- April 30: National Animal Advocacy Day
- April 30: Save the Frogs Day
May
- Be Kind to Animals Month
- International Respect for Chickens Month
- National Duckling Month
- National Pet Month
- May 4: Bird Day
- May 4: International Respect for Chickens Day
- May 7-13, 2023: National Pet Week® (1st Full Week in May)
- May 7-13, 2023: Be Kind to Animals Week® (1st Full Week in May)
- May 10: National Hamster Day
- May 13: Frog Jumping Day
- May 14: National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day
- May 15-21, 2023: National Heritage Breeds Week (3rd full week in May)
- May 20: National Heritage Breeds Day (Saturday of 3rd full week in May)
- May 23: International Turtle Day and World Turtle Day
- May 31: World Parrot Day
June
- Aquarium Month
- National Zoo and Aquarium Month
- June 2, 2023: Turtle Races Day (1st Saturday in June)
- June 4, 2023: National Animal Rights Day (1st Sunday in June)
- June 5: World Day Against Speciesism
- June 7-13, 2023: Pet Appreciation Week (1st week in June)
- June 9: National Donald Duck Day
- June 13, 2023: World Pet Memorial Day (2nd Tuesday in June)
- June 18: Clean Your Aquarium Day
- June 18-24, 2023: Fish are Friends, Not Food Week!
- June 19-25, 2023: Animal Rights Awareness Week (3rd week in June)
- June 19-25, 2023: National Insect Week
- June 25: National Catfish Day
- June 29: World Day Against the Abandonment of Domestic Animals
July
- Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month
- July 5: National Gerbil Day
- July 6: World Zoonoses Day
- July 14: Shark Awareness Day
- July 15: National Pet Fire Safety Day
- July 16: World Snake Day
- July 16: Guinea Pig Appreciation Day
- July 17-23, 2023: Coral Reef Awareness Week (3rd week in July)
- July 22: Rat Catcher’s Day
- July 26-Aug. 3, 2023: Rabbit Week
August
- National Catfish Month
- Aug. 2: National Goldfish Day
- Aug. 8: National Tarantula Appreciation Day
- Aug. 14: World Lizard Day
- Aug. 19, 2023: International Homeless Animals Day and National Homeless Animals Day (3rd Saturday in August)
- Aug. 28: Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day
September
- Animal Pain Awareness Month
- National Organic Month
- National Pet Insurance Month
- Pet Sitter Education Month
- World Animal Remembrance Month
- Sept. 1: International Primate Day
- Sept. 5: International Day of Charity
- Sept. 8, 2023: National Iguana Awareness Day (2nd Saturday in September)
- Sept. 10, 2023: National Pet Memorial Day (2nd Sunday in September)
- Sept. 17: National Pet Bird Day
- Sept. 18-24, 2023: Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week (3rd Week in September)
- Sept. 23, 2023: International Rabbit Day (4th Saturday or Sunday in September)
- Sept. 28: Fish Tank Floorshow Night
- Sept. 28: World Rabies Day
- Sept. 29: Happy Goose Day
October
- National Animal Safety and Protection Month
- World Animal Month
- Oct. 2: World Farm Animals Day
- Oct. 4: World Animal Day
- Oct. 4: Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral Day or Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi
- Oct. 7: World Habitat Day
- Oct. 9-15, 2023: Animal Welfare Week (1st full week in October)
- Oct. 10: International Jumping Spider Day
- Oct. 13, 2023: Vet Nurse Day (2nd Friday in October)
- Oct. 16-22: National Veterinary Technician Week
- Oct. 21: American Frog Day
- Oct. 21: National Reptile Awareness Day
- Oct. 29: National Hermit Crab Day
November
- Adopt a Turkey Month
- Nov. 3: Jellyfish Day
- Nov. 4: National American Mini Pig Day
- Nov. 5-11, 2023: National Animal Shelter and Rescue Appreciation Week (1st Full Week of November)
- Nov. 10: American Frog Day
- Nov. 12: AFRMA Fancy Rat & Mouse Day
- Nov. 24, 2023: Fur-Free Friday (always on Black Friday, day after Thanksgiving)
- Nov. 27: Turtle Adoption Day
December
- Dec. 9: International Day of Veterinary Medicine
- Dec. 10: International Animal Rights Day and National Day of Animal Rights
- Dec. 11: Holiday Food Drive for Needy Animals Day