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The Journey to a Delighted Pet


by blackwater444

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Often overlooked in the quest for fame and fortune on Neopets is the mood of the pets we love. If you have a pet with a mood other than delighted, or you plan to adopt a pet (they seldom arrive delighted)—read on.

I don’t think there is anything more depressing than to have a pet that is depressed or miserable. They look sad and it can be very difficult to know what to do to cheer them up. Usually these pets have been neglected for long periods of time and it does take time to get them feeling better, but it will make you feel better to have a plan.

In order to gauge your pet’s progress, it is important for you to know the range of moods. The list below is in consecutive order. A pet must move up through each level. If your pet is content, he cannot become delighted without first being happy, cheerful, extremely happy and joyful.

  • Delighted
  • Joyful
  • Extremely happy
  • Cheerful
  • Happy
  • Content
  • Unhappy
  • Miserable
  • Very Unhappy
  • Depressed

So, how do you get a delighted pet? Say, for instance, you adopt a pet from the pound. She is dying of starvation and her mood is unhappy. You can assume this pet has been abandoned for quite a while and it is going to take some time to get her feeling delighted.

The first thing is to feed her. Feeding a pet will not visibly improve her mood; however, it is a good first step. Next, put yourself in her paw prints for a moment. If you just arrived at a new home and you weren’t feeling too happy, you wouldn’t want to be groomed and played with or dragged around Neopia. Give her a couple of days to settle in.

Next comes the fun part. Your pet is ready to be pampered. Get a few toys and grooming items, simple and inexpensive is fine, she’ll be grateful for the attention. Play with her a little and groom her daily—but go slowly; untangling that hair can hurt. Changing the grooming items and toys daily is essential. Any pet, no matter how long neglected, gets quickly bored with the same old toys and grooming items day after day.

This is a great time to read a few stories to your pet. Again, go slowly; look for books with a lot of pictures. Even if she is going to be a champion reader some day, going slowly to begin with makes for a happier pet.

As the days go by, you will find that your pet is increasing in self-esteem and her mood is improving. Now is the time to talk about her goals and plans. Does she want to train for the Battledome or win a reading award? Maybe she longs to have a wonderfully decorated Neohome or aspires to have a world-famous gallery. Helping her set goals and work towards them increases the well-being of any pet.

By this time, your pet will be interested in leaving her neohome for some fun excursions. Just be sure not to overdo it. It is very important during this process that she is not your active pet—no matter how much you want her to be! Being the active pet is full of stress and setbacks and it can be overly daunting to all but the happiest pets. There is the thrill of shopping victory but more often the defeat of shopping loss. The awe of standing in front of Coltzan’s Shrine is probably more than she can currently handle. The running around for dailies partaken in by most Neopians is just plain wearing on a pet.

The following is a list of some fun things to do that will quickly bounce up your pet’s mood. One of these activities a day is plenty.

Take a Tiki Tour on Mystery Island. This is a short trek around Mystery Island in a rickshaw. It is fun and easy and I have never known a pet that did not enjoy it. The cost is 50 neopoints per pet.

Allow your pet to ride the Merry-Go-Round on Roo Island. I might add here a trip to Roo Island is never recommended unless you plan to actually let your pets ride the merry-go-round! Imagine the disappointment. A thrill for every pet at a cost of only 50 neopoints each.

Play Kacheek Seek! Pets everywhere absolutely love this game. They get to explore and hide and you have to find them. Better yet, you can actually earn a few neopoints (and an avatar) while playing this game. You can search for Kacheek Seek from the games room.

See a concert on the Tyrannian Plateau. If you have a very young pet you may want to wait awhile on this activity. However, most pets will very much enjoy the musical experience. A few of my pets have actually been inspired to begin playing an instrument after attending a concert. There are a multitude of bands to choose, varying from the Neopian Philharmonic (Classical) to Chomby and the Fungus Balls (Disco) to Gruundo (Rock). The cost of the tickets is 1250 neopoints at the ticket booth and your pet will get a souvenir to take home!

Finally, the day will arrive when you have a pet that is delighted! Reward yourself by enjoying her as your active pet. Watch her mood closely, though; the minute she slips back to joyful, take her off active status for a few days. She will be delighted again before you know it. The longer your pet stays delighted, the easier it is to keep her that way. Make it a point to play with her and groom her regularly regardless of her mood.

No one will ever really know the mood of your pets other than you, but it is a great source of personal pride. Each day I check my pets to make sure each and everyone of them is still delighted. It feels wonderful to know that your pets are enjoying their lives with you as much as they possibly can!

 
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