How to Celebrate Your Neopet's Special Day

1. Be prepared.

Make sure you know well in advance when all your pets’ species days are coming up; a week before is not prepared. Pocket calendars cost between 500-1000 neopoints, and are well worth the investment. Have a plan of what you think you may do; a party, a meal out or even a trip to the NeoLodge, but be sure to run this by your pet. Back in June, I asked my eldest, PrettyPetula, whether he’d like a party, and he hated the idea. However, a weekend away with his younger brother, and he was delighted.

2. Set yourself a price limit.

Tell yourself and your neopet your price range; it’s good for them to know that you can’t afford everything so that they don’t take things for granted. This could be anywhere from 1,000 up to 100,000, but don’t let them go over. They must understand that your word is final, and that you cannot simply keep upping the budget when you feel like it. Also, you must make sure that your money limit is the same for all your pets. Although this may seem obvious to some owners, don’t be tempted to give more to an older or favoured pet; this would lead to jealousy and resentment.

3. Ask your pet.

Not all neopets like to be surprised; this is something you must judge for yourself. My youngest, Applebi, would hate to know what she was getting for her species day, as she loves the surprise, but Cobblle has to have picked something out, or I can never be sure whether he’d like it. Sit them down, alone, and remind them that it’s their day soon (although most pets will probably know this already). Then ask if there’s anything specific they were hoping for, tell them it’s ok to ask, but also let them know of your price limit. Ask them to go away and give it some thought, but always make their day seem very important to you – after all, you can guarantee that it is to them.

4. Get your other pets involved.

If you are planning a party, tell any sibling pets they may invite one or two friends of their own if they help out with the proceedings. If your pet wishes to be surprised, include their brothers and sisters in picking out the gift; a secret kept from the birthday pet will make any other neopets feel important and powerful. However, if letting your other pets in on undisclosed information, be sure to home in on the importance of not telling their sibling; this could ruin the special day for them. When it was PrettyPetula’s day, I arranged for Cobblle to go with him to the Astrovilla for three nights (at a surprisingly reasonable 4,000 for the pair, including extras) and took the girls, Applebi and Ermintudi, for a pampering day. This way, all the children felt loved, but it still remained Pretty’s day.

5. Choosing the perfect gift.

As well as a gesture, a present is definitely needed. For PrettyPetula’s species day, he received a woollen scarf, an expensive petpetpet which still hasn’t attached, and a 20,000 NP fire accordion. This all amounted to around 100,000 NPS including the holiday. This may seem a lot to some, or not very much to others, depending on your income, but this is perfect for me. Present buying is always one of the hardest stages in arranging a species day; you wish to please your pet without spoiling them, and want to buy a present you know they’ll love and appreciate. Plushies are okay for younger pets, but give an eight year old a green Chia plushie and you may not receive the desired response. However, for the first birthday of your baby Aisha, this would be perfect, along with some other small presents. This is also an important lesson. Usually, older pets wish to get one significant present, such as a petpet or some expensive clothing. Younger pets can be contented with an Abacus, some Click-Klacks and a Yoyo, and bikes make nice, inexpensive presents for 2-4 year old pets.

For Cobblle’s birthday in January, I had my eye on a present for a few weeks beforehand. I knew it was expensive, but also that he had saved up some money of his own from pocket money he could put towards it. He had been jealously stealing glances at his older brother, PrettyPetula’s, new fire colour. So, come New Year, I sat him down and asked him if he’d like a paintbrush. He was delighted. I told him my limit was 100,000 neopoints, but he could put money towards his present if he wanted a more expensive paint brush. I took him straight to the Rainbow Pool’s list; he tried on several templates, and finally decided. Come the 29th of January, he looked fantastic with his new Disco Fever Colour.

So, I hope that this article has helped you if you were wondering about what to do for your neopet’s species day. Some owners simply ignore them, but I feel it necessary to make your pet feel special once a year. After all, they deserve it.

P.S. – don’t forget to claim your free training from Captain Threelegs!!

As always, any constructive criticism is gladly appreciated!! Abby :)