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UNDERNEATH ALL THE FUR - After a length of steady observation I realized that
one of the biggest problems my fellow Neopians, and myself, have to deal with
is something that’s been right under my nose the entire time: The shedding of
our Neopets. As the winter months turn to spring and then to summer, our pets
must adjust accordingly. The long winter coat they wear to protect them from the
cold becomes to thick for the heat of summer and as a result they shed the excess.
This is a rather specific problem and while some of you may find it dull, I believe
I will be able to help the rest of you in helping not only your Neopet, but also
your workload.
What to Do With All That Fur
While I was walking around my Neohome this past weekend, I noticed that quite
a bit of fur has been shed upon our furniture. Seeing as I have both a Uni and
a Lupe, there are two types of fur -- long and short, pink and orange. My baby
Uni’s fur, short and pink, adds a little pastel to our Neohome all year round
and my orange Lupe’s fur, long and orange, gives the carpet a shaggy quality.
It’s not that I mind the added accessories all that much, but when we have company
over it’s nice to clean the place up a bit. After all, I don’t want it to look
like I have a Furwitch for a housekeeper. Consequently, I was faced with the
dilemma of cleaning up myself, a task no one wants to run into.
I decided to go about the situation methodically, and separated the short
and long hairs into different piles. After I had grudgingly collected every
last hair I put them in bags and set them outside our Neohome for the garbage
collector. To my surprise the very next morning I found that a Pawkeet had emptied
the bag of short pink furs and made a nest for its family in a nearby tree.
(It was hard to miss seeing as it was pink.) Likewise, the bag of long orange
furs had been emptied and an elderly granny Lupe was on the side of the road
weaving a hat from the hairs. Imagine my surprise!
However, this little anecdote brings me to my next suggestion. If you clean
your Neohome and don’t know what to do with the collected fur, simply put it
to good use. Take all those long soft pieces of hair and pick up a knitting
needle. Even the most novice knitter can turn a bundle of old hair into a personalized
piece of clothing, perfect for giving as a gift!
Unfortunately, short hairs cannot be used for knitting because they are… well…
too short! However, they can be used for something extra special as well. Remember
the Pawkeet that I found had made a nest out of my Uni’s old fur? Well, with
your pet’s old short hairs you can help the Pawkeets around your Neohome! Once
you’ve collected them from the interior of your Neohome, simply set them outside
in a basket. You will find that neighboring Pawkeets know what to do. In no
time the basket will be empty and the hairs divided among the Pawkeet families.
I have found that this process tends to be speedier during the spring, when
they are rebuilding their nests after a long winter. This is also a time when
your Neopet should be shedding for the coming summer days.
How To Prevent It
If you’re one of the many Neopians that has no time for such activities as
weaving an accessory or aiding the Pawkeets in their building, there are other
methods of dealing with shedding.
The easiest way to collect hair before it develops into another layer of carpet
is to take proper care of your Neopet and groom it. This requires very few supplies
and although it’s time consuming, it takes up much less than said projects.
Not only that, but the materials needed are very minimal. Simply drop by your
Neopet store and buy a brush that will meet with your Neopet’s fur type. For
instance, I would use a short hair brush on my Uni, Indipsi, and a long hair
brush on my Lupe, Rasco. It all depends on your Neopet and its fur length. On
the other hand, the color of the brush is totally up to you. Be crazy and go
wild!
You can probably guess where I’m going with this, but I’m going to go ahead
and explain it anyway. With the brush proceed in giving your Neopet a thorough
grooming. Don’t be afraid of a good cleaning. Use the brush to get loose hairs
from not only your pet’s top coat of fur, but also its lower coat. I think most
Neopians presume that all shedding is in the top layer, but you’d be surprised.
A good portion of it is in the bottom. Sure, it may seem tedious knowledge,
but it’s important knowledge.
By brushing your Neopet on a regular basis you will avoid the major clean
up later on. Just think, a couple of minutes a day and you won’t have to sped
an entire day cleaning in the long run!
The Ultimate Solution
Now it’s quite possible that none of these options work for you. Perhaps you’ve
got an incredibly busy schedule and simply can’t spare any time at all. Well,
then, there is one last straw. I can’t guarantee that you’ll think highly of
it, but I can assure you that your pet is going to be the one in the most shock.
Here it is: If you have no other choice and the shedding is just way too out
of control, you can shave your pet. See? I told you you wouldn’t think highly
of it. The thing is, this will easily stop the shedding. After all, your pet
will have no hair to shed.
This may seem a cruel act, but it’s nothing like feeding your pet a poisonous
mushroom. Your Neopet’s hair will grow back eventually and you’ll have another
mess to clean up. While some pets detest the loss of their fur others enjoy
the lifted weight they experience. Carrying around pounds of fur can be a very
tiring job, and every now and then it’s nice to get a break.
Before you make any definite decisions ask your Neopet how they feel about
it. Remember that your pet is the one going through the shedding and it should
be up to them to decide. Don’t do anything your Neopet will be unhappy with.
Remember
Shedding is a natural function that all haired pets go through. It may be
annoying finding little tufts of fur everywhere you go, but it’s part of life
and you have to accept it. If you’re going to have a longhaired pet you need
to accept the responsibility that goes with it. Choose whichever way of handling
the situation suits you best and remember that your Neopet is your number one
sidekick. Don’t do anything to damage your relationship with them.
Author’s Note: I thought that shedding was an issue that needed to be discussed,
as it’s something that we can all relate to. Hopefully you found it interesting!
Please feel free to Neomail me with your comments and or suggestions. I love
hearing from you all!
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