How to Adopt a Virtual Pet Online

The Internet has opened up so many new avenues for people; virtual pet adoption being one of them. It was something not heard of a decade ago, but today it has become a rage. Basically, virtual pets are personal pets who exist either on your desktop or on the web, in an electronic format. These pets are created and operated by various software programs.

In an era wherein a virtual world on the web exists parallel to the real world, the idea of adopting a virtual animal is spreading rapidly. These virtual companions can be downloaded from any of the several websites which offer online pet adoption services.

Also known as cyber pet adoption, this trend is fast becoming popular. The animals available for adoption in the cyberspace include dogs, cats, turtles, fish, and many more. These pets largely resemble their real-life counterparts, credit of which should go to the professionals who put in a lot of effort and time designing them.

After adopting a virtual animal, you shoulder its responsibility, carrying out all the activities that you should be doing as the 'owner'―right from feeding and bathing to taking the animal for a walk and training.

Virtual pets are programmed to be as close to real animals as possible. A dog on your desktop can lick the screen, while a cat can purr and play around. Some websites offer pets which do not require feeding or grooming. You just have to play with these self-sustained pets.

Virtual desktop pets get into action with the movement of the cursor, or keyboard shortcuts. In short, a desktop pet accessed or downloaded from a site can respond to your call and get trained just like a pet in real life.

To adopt an online pet, you need to register on one of the virtual pet sites in the cyberspace. These websites offer the facility of directly accessing the pet or downloading it to the desktop. Once adopted, you can keep this specially configured pet alive for as long as possible.After registering, you get an option of choosing any virtual animal you like.

You can customize your pet the way you feel it should be. Most of the websites facilitate online adoption, wherein you have to log on to the website on a regular basis to take care of your pet, some websites allow you to download the pet onto your desktop in the form of a software. In case of a downloaded pet, you don't need to be online to play with it.

Online pet adoption service is spreading throughout the vast world of cyberspace. Even some social networking sites have special applications, wherein you can adopt a pet online, look after it, and enjoy its company.

Some of these applications are programmed in such a way that if you don't feed or look after the animal for sometime, its health deteriorates as if it were a real animal. Likewise if you don't play with it or take it for a walk, it shows that the pet is sad and longing for attention.

This health and mood concern can be recognized by observing its body language or actions. Accessing a virtual pet through a website is advantageous, as you can access it from anywhere in the world and also keep an eye on your pet even when you are on a vacation or out at work.

Though some feel that a cyber pet cannot match the feel of having a live companion, some feel it is way safer than giving a child a real pet, which can come with some serious health hazards. Having said that, it's worth noting that virtual pet adoption has helped to fill the void in many lives ... not just for children, but also for adults.