How many pets do you have? If it's zero, you must be either very new or a hopeless
loser whose only purpose for this account is to earn Neopoints. Newbies, you
can go read the adoption-versus-creation debates that have been rehashed since
the first issue of The Neopian Times. Crazy people, you should turn yourselves
in before you get caught. As for the rest of you...
How many pets do *you* have? One, two, three, or four? I can probably guess
something about your personality just by the number. If you have one pet, you
are a loner who likes to have one close friend. If you have two, you like spoiling
pets. Three means you like having a nice easy-to-handle number. Four means you
are very gregarious ...or can't stand those sad faces in the Neopian Pound.
The average owner has about one and a half pets, as is stated on the World
page.
So what's the best number of pets to have? Let's go over the pros and cons
of each family size.
One Pet
You are free to spoil this pet with all the money you can earn. It has no competition,
gets to be your special favourite, and will never go hungry if you visit the
Giant Omelette once a day. You can earn a lot of money with only one pet because
it's the only one you have to feed, and you can spend all that money on it without
worrying that its sibling(s) will get jealous.
Of course, if you only have one pet, it might get lonely or bored when you're
not around. It also might end up getting spoiled *too* much. A little healthy
competition is good for a growing pet. And of course, you don't ever want your
pet alone in the house if the Pant Devil sneaks in!
Two Pets
Neither pet will get bored if you're not around when you have two. It's still
easy to feed and play with both on a regular basis, and not hard to save up
extra NP. You can't spoil either as much as you could spoil one, but you are
also less likely to end up with a greedy pet.
However, you may end up having to deal with sibling rivalry. This is a big
problem if your pets have clashing personalities, so if your first is a particularly
vicious Jetsam, I would not advise you to adopt a very young Flotsam. That's
just asking for trouble. Get an older, smarter, less-afraid-of-Jetsams Flotsam
instead.
Three Pets
Two's company; three's a crowd! You will now have to deal with a trio of terrors
crashing about your NeoHome. Three pets are three times the hassle, three times
the expense, and three times the trouble, especially if two of them gang up
on one. But of course, they are also three times the fun!
Having three pets ensures you that they will always be entertained; that you
can always take one to the Games Cupboard and not worry about leaving one home
alone; that you will never have to worry about who to give the extra piece of
omelette to; and that you will never, ever be bored. Once you have a secure
financial base, I'd recommend getting a third pet.
Four Pets
I have four pets, probably a result of hanging around the Neopian Pound too
much. I just can't resist those sad little faces; I have to take one of them
home with me! Four pets can often be a hassle; I never have enough omelette,
and a significant portion of my day is used breaking up arguments. But I wouldn't
give up one of them for the world. (Okay, so I would, if I really could take
control of the world and I knew the pet would go to a nice home. If you want
to know why, Neomail me, because I need to get back to the point.)
Four pets means the same thing as three pets in a lot of ways, except for
the bit about the omelette. They're not as much of a hassle as some people think--I
can keep mine fed with very little effort. And that's not because I have hardly
any NP and can use the Soup Kitchen. Four pets don't impede that much on your
moneymaking either; I have almost 600,000 in the bank, which is nothing to sneeze
at. All four of my pets are wonderful, and I never want to give up any of them.
So what's the verdict? Well, I don't think one pet is the way to go unless
you've just begun. Two or three is a good number after you have financial security.
And if you still feel like your life is unfulfilled, by all means get a fourth
pet!
The average user has one and a half pets. I wish the average user knew what
they were missing! | 
