In addition to any real pets you may have, do you also claim any virtual pets? I don’t. But I think if Wayne finds out about them, the next time I feel like adding to our family, in addition to his “We don’t need any more animals,” spiel he always gives me, he also might add, “But if you really feel you need another, get a virtual pet.”
What’s a Virtual Pet Anyway?
That’s what I was curious to know. I kept stumbling across the term.
At first I thought it was something where you make a donation to virtually adopt a pet at a shelter. (In “How to Adopt a Pet without Adopting the Responsibility”, I wrote about some places that let you do that.)
Turns out it’s something slightly different. Most virtual pets are related to various computer games.
Where You Can Find Virtual Pets and What to Do with Them
At AdoptMe.com, you first sign up (I’m pretty sure it’s free) and then you can adopt any kind of pet you want. They offer dogs, cats, horses, fish, birds, hamsters, snakes, turtles, and even monkeys.
Once you name your pet, then you go the virtual city where you’re free to go to places like the park, the pet store, a restaurant, or the vet’s office (only when your pet is sick). Your pet also has a virtual home where you feed them, make sure they get plenty of water, and can give them baths.
You can create a profile for your virtual pet, maintain a blog for them, view other pet profiles and add them as friends (much like you can add people as friends here on Families.com with MySite).
But AdoptMe.com isn’t the only virtual pet game site out there. Here’s some others similar in nature:
Also, popular kid sites like Club Penguin and Webkinz qualify as virtual pet sites too. And in addition to the standard, dog, cat, bird, fish, etc pet fare, some of the above sites let you create entirely new animals, or adopt fantasy ones like dragons and unicorns. They also let you explore more exotic worlds and destinations than just parks or restaurants like AdoptMe.com does.
Courtney Mroch writes about animals great and small in Pets and the harmony and strife that encompasses married life in Marriage. For a full listing of her articles click here.
Related Articles
Webkins: An Interactive Virtual Pet for Your Child
Webkinz – Long Distance Relatives
Webkinz as a Homeschooling Tool?
Photo credit: 
Standard restrictions apply for use of this photo.