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Transferring a pet on Neopets can be a tricky thing. The pound does not have any features that allow you to swap a pet from one account to another. Instead, you have to 'pound' a pet and then 're-adopt' it on the desired account. This may be a difficult operation since once a pet enters the pound, it is up for grabs and can be adopted by anyone. However, there are tricks to ensuring you acquire the pet you wish to transfer.

Transferring a Pet From Owner to Owner

So, you've been chosen to adopt the pet you've applied for. Congratulations! There's only one thing left to do: transfer the pet from the fosterer's account to yours. How can this be done?

1) Communication. Most transfers are set up over an Instant Messenger. Others are set up over neomail. Communication between the fosterer and the adopter is one of the most important things when you're trying to transfer a pet; both of you must know what the plan is. Some people like to set a specific time to pound the pet – others prefer doing a countdown. Make sure that any time (or countdown) is agreed upon by both people.

2) Preparation. Be ready. Make sure that you have enough Neopoints out of the bank, that you're logged into the right account, and that your account isn't too young to adopt. Remember, any account under 4 months can't adopt certain species, certain colors, or pets of certain levels.

3) Use common sense. The pound can be a tricky place to work with, and the last thing you want to do is lose your pet (regardless of which side of the equation you're on, I'm sure). No one should know the transfer time besides the fosterer and adopter. If your pet was extremely popular when it was up for adoption, you may want to wait for a while before transferring; these pets can be at risk of Auto Adopting and Pet Sniping. Transferring a pet at peak traffic times is also not a good idea; try to transfer at hours when less people are on the site.

4) The link. Once you've checked (and double checked) that all of these things have been taken care of, you're probably ready to transfer. Commonly, people use something known as the Quick Adoption Link (QAL).

The Link: http://www.neopets.com/process_adopt.phtml?pet_name=PetsName

How it works. Replace "PetsName" with the name of the pet you've been chosen to adopt. The link is case sensitive, which means that any capitalized letters in your pet's name should also be capitalized in the link, and vise versa. Using the link is faster (and more effective) than using the pound's search box; the link helps you skip a step. Refreshing on that link, once the pet is in the pound, will automatically adopt it for you (if you're fast enough). I'd recommend starting to refresh a few seconds before the pet is actually put in the pound, and keep refreshing until thirty seconds to a minute afterwards; this is just in case someone's computer lags, or a slight mistake in time is made. It's usually unneeded (if the transfer is done well), but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Transferring a Pet From One Account to Another
(Also known as 'self transferring'.)

Similar to transferring a pet from one owner to another, self transferring is also very popular. It uses the same basic principles, with one (rather large) thing that makes it different.

1) Preparation. Be ready. Make sure that you have enough Neopoints out of the bank, that you're logged into the right account, and that your account isn't too young to adopt. Remember, any account under 4 months can't adopt certain species, certain colors, or pets of certain levels.

2) The link. Commonly, people use something known as the Quick Adoption Link (QAL).

The Link: http://www.neopets.com/process_adopt.phtml?pet_name=PetsName

How it works. Replace "PetsName" with the name of the pet you've been chosen to adopt. The link is case sensitive, which means that any capitalized letters in your pet's name should also be capitalized in the link, and vise versa. Using the link is faster (and more effective) than using the pound's search box; the link helps you skip a step.

3) Browsers. If you use two separate browsers (such as Internet Explorer and Firefox), you can be logged into one account on one, and a different account on the other. Have both windows open, one on the account where you wish to pound the pet, and the quick adoption link open on the other browser logged, onto the account that you wish to adopt the pet on. When you disown the pet, quickly refresh the second browser, thereby adopting the pet.

What Can Be Done if Someone Else Adopts the Pet?

If a situation comes up where you missed the pet, try contacting the person who adopted them. Do your best to keep a calm tone with them, and do whatever you can from accusing them of being a pound surfer or pet sniper; you are trying to get your pet back, try to be as polite as you can.

When contacting them, supply as much evidence as you can to prove the pet is really yours; link them to your application (if it's on a petpage), or have the fosterer screenshot it (if it's a neomail). You could also have the fosterer take screenshots of the pet. Read a few cheap books to the pet before you go to transfer them, and take a screenshot of which ones they are – only someone who owned the pet could have seen which books they've read, unless the former owner posted the list somewhere.

Do not have numerous people neomail them, do not neomail them more than once, and if their neomail is blocked, put a message on your lookup about your pet and send them one item.

With any luck you can talk with them and work something out. Naturally, do not offer them anything (such as items or pets) for your pet's return; it is against Neopets policy to buy/sell pets and will often lead to you being reported for scamming. If they choose to keep your pet, do not become enraged and flame them or post about them on the neoboards; just let it go.

Pet transferring is always a risk, and you should accept the consequences if things go poorly.