The Forgotten

1. Personality

Your pets will thrive under your loving care if you grant them a privilege... a personality. All it takes is a little imagination, as corny as that sounds. Is your Acara a beauty queen? A sweet book lover? The adventure outdoorsy type? The possibilities are endless. Some depth behind the cute face will grant your pet a longer stay for sure. Try (if you're over thirteen) spending some time on your pets' descriptions. What do they like? What do they hate? Write it down. It's harder to part with a personalized pet than a blank cuddly face.

2. Roles on your account

Give your pets roles... Maybe design your account like a pirate ship. Appoint the captain and the first mate. Who's the crew? These make your pets lives intertwine a bit better. It's a bit harder to part with lil_flufff_face when your pet is best friends with _mr_hopsy_bunny, if you know what I mean. Your possibilities don't stop with pirates. Maybe a ghost recon squad, a petpet protection office. A secret underground lair in which your pets are super heroes? Be creative. You'll learn to love your pets.

3. Think about it first

How you design your pet is beneficial. Don't abandon your first pet when a newer, cooler species comes out. Think about it first. The new pet glory will eventually fade away and you may find yourself regretting your hasty abandoning of your first pet. Just stop and think before abandoning a pet to make way for a newcomer. Am I going to regret this later? Will I like this new pet the same in a week? A month? Just pause and think. It will save you a lot of later regret.

4. One at a time

If you 're new to Neopets your first instinct may be to choose the four cutest pets you see first. That's not always the best choice. Start with one and keep only one for a long time. You'll form a bond. After a while get a second. After that a third. Take it slow; get pets one by one. You'll appreciate them better if you take your time in adopting pets.

5. Keep them involved

Feature your pets in a contest entry or two. Enter them into the Beauty Contest. Write a story about them. That will keep your pets involved and you'll be less likely to give them the boot. If you feel yourself becoming distant with your once beloved Blumaroo, feature them in a comic. You'll learn to love them again and keeping your pets involved will keep you thinking of them that way.

6. Painted isn't everything

Painted pets look great. They strike awws from people viewing your lookup. They make you seem successful and rich. They give you attention... They aren't everything. You have certain memories with your first pets. Don't give them the boot when a possible painted pet adoption comes knocking at your door. Primary can be beautiful too. You may have the funds to zap your personality-filled Lenny. But should you? Think about it. Instead of getting rid of your first pet, save up to paint them instead. It may be more work than filling out an application for a foster owner, but you (and your pet) will benefit more from the extra work.

7. Phases will come (be ready)

Every owner will get a phase now and then. I really want a Kyrii (you may think as you explore neopets); they have cool hair... but drat, I have four pets! You'll eye one of your current little friends and find yourself thinking about the pound. I really want a Kyrii... Don't do it! Phases will come and phases will go. I've had Blumaroo phases, Hissi phases, Ixi phases... tons of phases when a certain species seems better then one you already had. Don't abandon as soon as a new phase comes around. Wait a while. If you really... really... really want a Kyrii then after thinking about it for a long time you can seriously think of getting one instead. But please, don't let phases get the better of you.

8. Names are important

When you name your pet, make the name good. You'll appreciate a pet with a good name better. But what is a good name? No numbers and few underscores. Make it unique. Try looking up foreign names online. Really try to be original. A good technique is expanding normal names. Turn Sarah into Sareanah. Add a silent 'h'. Put in 'ina' and 'or' at the end. Be original. Avoid numbers. That way, even if you do abandon it later, your pet will be less likely to sit in the pound and more likely to get adopted by a caring owner or foster owner.

9. So when is it okay?

Abandoning pets is okay sometimes. For example if you thought about it for a long time, it's "okay". If you never really connected despite everything it's "okay." If you found a suitable owner to adopt it, it's "okay." But for the most part, abandoning pets will never be more than "okay". There are, however, a few exceptions. Foster owners are doing a great thing, so obviously using the pound for that is good. Also, if you are leaving Neopets, don't let your pets sit and starve on an inactive account. The proper way to leave Neopets is to send your neopets to the pound, and donate your neopoints and items to the Money Tree. It benefits your neopets and others.