Beyond Food and Fuzzles: Advanced Neopets Care

Nutrition and Diet

Surely you wouldn't want to exist on a diet of omelettes and jelly? Neither do your Neopets! Of course, they can be a big staple for the owner who has financial worries, but try seeing if you can't shake up your Neopet's diet just a little. Search the Shop Wizard, haggle over prices, just have fun with it! For special occasions (like Christmas) you could even splurge a little on a complete meal with appetizers, main dishes, drinks, and desserts. If you have a little more ready cash (or a few Dubloons handy), you could treat your Neopets to a fancy night out at a restaurant. I've found health food to cost less than most, and I feel better about feeding it my Neopets, as I'm a vegetarian. Have you ever wondered if your Neopet has a food allergy? Perhaps that's the reason why they spit out some food and say, "Yuck! I won't eat that!" They could be allergic to peanuts or lactose-intolerant. Being aware of your Neopet's individual needs will make food shopping safer and more enjoyable for all.

Housing and Environment

A good Neohome, no matter what size, will greatly contribute to your pet's sense of well-being and health. A kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms are essential. If you have the finances, a bedroom for each Neopet will give them their own space to relax and unwind. Tasteful furniture, even only a few pieces, will give your pet more options in which to sleep and eat other than the floor. Above all, however, don't neglect your upgrades. It's important to have adequate lighting, insurance, and security systems around your Neohome in order to create a safe and healthy atmosphere.

Health and Grooming

A shocking number of Neopets are going around with Gingivitis, matted fur, and unclipped toenails. Ugh! Luckily, there are many hygiene-related items available in shops across Neopia. A basic daily hygiene kit for one Neopet includes: One towel, one brush, one toothbrush, one tube of toothpaste, one bar of soap. Be sure not to let Neopets share towels, toothbrushes, or hairbrushes, as they run the risk of spreading disease. Daily paw (talon, flipper, hoof) -washing can also help prevent disease. Just use a bit of soap and warm water. Painted pets must be especially careful to keep all those extra ornaments and markings sparkling clean, as dirt rather ruins the effect.

Education

Education goes far beyond buying books, although they are a worthy investment in your pet's intelligence. Try to find a wide variety of reading material for your pets to peruse. Finding books featuring their particular species may be of special interest to them and offer valuable insight into what makes your pet's species unique. Although it is not actually possible to send pets to school, buying supplies like pencils, crayons, and notebooks helps to strengthen their creative and writing skills. Travel often to faraway places to expand your Neopet's horizons and help them learn about the world around them. And for a little bit of practical learning, the Educational and Puzzle sections of the Games Room can help stretch your brain as well as theirs!

Exercise

While most of us are the fortunate owners of agile, athletic Neopets, their fitness still needs to be maintained as much as our own. Action, Adventure, and Sports games certainly do this job well. Pets who participate frequently in the Battledome have lower daily exercise needs than the average Neopet, but will still find unstructured physical activity to be a nice change every so often. Different species have varying needs as well: Tuskaninnies, Tonus, Skeiths, Bruces, Chias, and Gnorbus are more prone to lower fitness owing to their size and require more time exercising.

Free Time and Special Occasions

Not all Neopets care has to be so mundane and boring, however. Toys decrease stress levels, encourage owner-pet bonding, and nothing puts a smile on your pet's face faster! It's not necessary to buy a new toy every day, but perhaps if, for example, they win the Beauty Contest, they get to have a special reward. Christmas is a great excuse to go out and splurge a bit, or you might get them a teddy bear on Valentine's Day to show that you're thinking of them. My two favorite special occasions are birthdays and Pet Days. If, for instance, you have a Scorchio and it's Scorchio Day (which is coming up!) a themed gift and themed food will get them into the spirit of the day. Don't forget that free training at the academy! Birthdays are even more fun. If you're like me, you don't remember the exact day some of your Neopets were born, or they were adopted from the pound. So you get to pick a date you and your pet like to be their birthday! Buy a sweet treat from the chocolate factory on their birthday, get them a card and some balloons. Examples of birthday presents could be a special dinner out, a new toy, or furniture for their room in your Neohome. Toys that your pet no longer plays with can be put into shops or given to the Money Tree to give a less fortunate Neopet the same joy they had.

But these suggestions are just that, suggestions. There's no need to build a mansion or buy tons of fancy food and toys to quell your guilt about not paying attention to your Neopet. However, for those of us who want to enjoy our pets more and go back to what this site was really created for (that is, the pets), I hope you have learned something in this article that will help. Thank you for reading!