When you cannot manage a pet but still wish to have one, go for a virtual pet and you can enjoy the company of your pet all the time.
Natasha bought a gold fish for her son who was insistent on having a pet. Little Surya was very excited in the beginning. But as days passed, Natasha realised that Surya lost interest in playing with the pet. It was she who ended up cleaning, feeding and looking after the fish. After a few days, she donated the fish to a friend's aquarium. Her friend then suggested a virtual pet, if Surya asked for a pet again.
What is a Virtual Pet?
A virtual pet is a robotic toy. It can be a dog, a bird or an alien. The robot has life-like features. It can be fed virtual food, played with, can sing songs, it sleep and some even burp.
A virtual pet requires no cleaning or looking after like a real pet. It simply calls out if it is hungry. You have to feed the virtual food when it squeals with hunger. It will sing for you, play with you and follow the commands you give. Virtual pets respond to your actions whether you love them or ignore them. You do not have to worry about spoiling your carpet with pet poop!
Different kinds of virtual pets
Virtual pets can be of different kind. You can either buy one from the market or adopt an online virtual pet. You can also opt for a tiny tamagotchi which slips into your pocket and have one or even seven pets, at a time.
Online virtual pets
You simply have to go online and google out a few online pets. You can choose from neopets, aliens or pups. Most of them are free. You can even have virtual zoos. All you have to do is go online and survey your zoo. Feed the animals if they are hungry, pet them if they are being naughty, play with them and look after their habitat. You may even earn points for the same. All this happens at the simple click of the mouse. One click and you are in the marketplace buying pet food and another click back to the zoo.
Virtual pets that grow
The Chia pets are very popular growing pets. Not very popular in India, they are very well-known in other countries. They come in various sizes and shapes. You simply have to water them and watch them grow. Regular trimming and cutting is required. Looking after your Chia pet can help it grow well. They are very similar to the animal shapes we see growing in parks.
Mobile virtual pets
If you have General Packet Radio Service (GPRS ) connection on your cell phone you can easily carry your virtual pet wherever you go. You can choose from the many options and stay with your pet always.
Taking care of virtual pets
Pets whether real or virtual have to be taken care of. If you intend to buy or adopt a virtual pet you have to remember it needs your attention. A virtual pet can fall sick or even die if it is neglected. You may have to adopt a pet again or restart the mechanism. As days pass you will fall in love with your virtual pet and will look forward to pamper it. It can also be a good start for your child to get acquainted to looking after a pet before getting a real pet home.
Benefits of having a virtual pet
The virtual pet not only takes off your worry of having a real pet but provides you a number of benefits over a real one.
- You do not have to clean pet poop.
- You save on expensive pet food and pet accessories
- You can leave the pet at home without a worry.
- You do not have fur all over your sofa.
- You do not have to clean drool.
- You do not have to worry about bathing it
- You do not have to take care of vaccination.
- You save the trauma of losing a live pet.
If you have been weighing options to get a pet home, a virtual one can be a good start.
Would you like to own a virtual pet? Do you think virtual pets are better than real pets? What kind of virtual pet would you prefer? To share your views and experiences, click here.
