10 Ways to Tell if You Are Going to Be a Lab Pet

What is big and brings fear to the hearts of rich pets everywhere? If you said the Tax Beast then not only are you wrong but you also probably did not read the title of this article: 10 Ways to Tell if You Are Going to Be a Lab Pet. If you have ever wondered why owners buy this dreaded machine or if you ever suspected that you might become the next lab pet in your family, then I strongly urge you to continue reading this article because the answers to those questions and more can be found within this article.

To tell if you are going to be a lab pet, you must first know if your owner will even be purchasing a lab ray.

No lab ray = No lab pets

Here are a few signs to watch for in your owner to see if he or she is suffering from Thinkius buyus labis rayis (Thinking of buying a lab ray):

1. Your owner literally states that they are either going to buy the lab ray or are thinking of buying the lab ray.

This is a pretty sure sign that your owner is going to buy the lab ray or is at least thinking about it.

2. Your owner asks your opinion about the lab ray and lab pets.

Be wary. If your owner shows this symptom there is both good news and bad news. The Bad News: Your owner is thinking about the lab ray. The Good News: Your owner may not necessarily buy the lab ray and cares about your opinion.

3. Your owner is currently collecting lab map pieces.

Be cautious, be very cautious. Why is collecting these seemingly harmless scraps of paper so dangerous? The danger of these lab map pieces is simple. Collecting all 9 pieces of the secret laboratory map reveals the way to the secret lab and the dreaded lab ray that lies within. Collecting the pieces of the lab map is a very expensive process but many owners are willing to pay the price if they have the NP. However, simply because your owner is collecting pieces of the lab map does not necessarily mean they are going to buy the lab ray. Unfortunately this is an unpredictable symptom that can mean absolutely ANYTHING! The 3 possibilities for this purchase of the lab map pieces are: a.) Your owner is going to get the LAB RAY! b.)Your owner is making a safe investment. If this is so, then you have a very smart owner because the secret laboratory map is one of the few items in Neopia that consistently goes up in price. Today, the lab map pieces go for about 50,000 NP (if you’re lucky) but not too long ago they were only 20,000 NP and before that 10,000 NP. As you probably noticed, there is a significant increase in the price for the lab map pieces over time. c.) Your owner is attempting to get one of the most difficult avatars in Neopia, the Pack Rat Avatar. This is not very surprising due to the enormous interest in av collecting. Keep on your guard because you never know when your owner might change their mind about the reason they are collecting the lab map pieces.

4. Your owner currently has some lab map pieces already.

Since this symptom is very similar to symptom #3, I suggest you read the explanation of #3.

5. Your owner stares and/or drools when he or she looks at map pieces. You are on thin ice; tread carefully. Your owner is probably thinking about the lab ray. The drooling also indicates that your owner is either obsessed with staring at lab map pieces and/or does not care if other people see him or her drool.

6. Your owner does sign #5 and then looks at you and smiles.

WARNING! You are in danger with a capital “C”, uh I mean “D”. This is NOT a good sign especially if the smile creeps you out and your owner refuses to explain why they keep looking at you. This means not only is your owner thinking about getting the lab ray, but they also might be thinking about making YOU the lab pet. Remember, it is important NOT to panic, unless it is absolutely necessary because none of these symptoms are 100% sure.

If your owner suffers from 4 or more of these symptoms, it is time to panic because they are probably going to get the lab ray, though this is not 100% sure. If your owner has less than 4 of these symptoms, then be worried, be very worried but don’t PANIC! WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T PANIC! *runs away screaming* 1 Hour Later…*comes back* Sorry about that.

Now that you know your owner will probably purchase the lab ray, here are a few clues to help you figure out if you are the one doomed to the life of a lab pet or if another unfortunate pet, perhaps a sibling, is destined to take your place.

1. Your sibling(s) is/are either painted, limited edition, or both.

Due to the fact that the lab ray can change species and color, most owners tend not to want to lose the nice new paint job they spent their precious neopoints on for a possible level increase or take the chance of losing their cute new Cybunny they got by pure luck in the Neopian Pound for a possible strength increase. Chances are they would much rather send an ordinary-colored, non-rare species to the lab ray.

2. You are a fighter.

There are some people in this beautiful world we call Neopia that prefer power over looks. They are the ones who fight in the wars. In fact, wars are one of the main reasons why the lab ray is so popular. If you are a fighter and visit Coltzan often, your level can get so high that it could cost over 10,000 NP just to raise ONE level. This can eventually cost about the same as the lab ray or even more than the lab ray itself. So, instead of wasting all that NP on ONE level, they would rather zap you at the lab ray and possibly get multiple levels instead.

3. You want to be painted or a limited edition pet but currently are not.

Some morphing potions, transmogrification potions, and paintbrushes in Neopia can be worth more than the lab map pieces. So, if you want a new paint job or want to be a limited edition pet like a Chomby, BEWARE! This desire is dangerous if your owner has a lab ray or is thinking of getting one because in the long run it is often cheaper to zap you at the lab ray.

4. You are the only pet your owner has.

You are the only choice. There is no one else to choose from, so it’s pretty safe to assume that you are the lab pet UNLESS your owner adopts or creates another pet. If your owner tells you that they are or might be getting another pet, then there is still hope. If they say they will never get another pet, then CONGRATULATIONS! You are the lab pet.

5. Your owner has written an article for the Neopian Times titled: 10 Ways To Tell If You Are Going To Be A Lab Pet and most of the conditions apply to you and your owner even shows some signs of buying a lab ray or they wrote a story named The Lab Ray: Your Friend.

This is self-explanatory but just in case you are as blind as a Korbat, this is an obvious sign that reveals that you are going to be a lab pet.

6. Your owner is a Dr. Sloth supporter.

Usually, these are the cruel fiends that just want to zap you for no other reason but to see your torture MUHAHAHA! *cough* I mean, how cruel. But seriously, Sloth supporters SUPPORT Sloth, that’s just what they do. So why wouldn’t they want to zap you at the lab ray and see your torture as you change from a faerie Cybunny to a mutant Lupe knowing that your brother is a Chia or help you get stronger with a couple of level boosts from the lab ray so you can help Dr. Sloth in his fight against good.

Well there you go, 10 ways to tell if you are going to be a lab pet. Well, actually there were more than 10 ways but a well-informed public is a happy public (or something like that) and better to know something and never need it than need to know it but not know it. Warning: If your owner exhibits any of the symptoms stated in this article, be careful. The more symptoms your owner shows, the more cautious you should be. If you have the misfortune of finding out that you are going to be a lab pet, then I suggest you keep an eye out for my next article: 10 Ways to Avoid Becoming a Lab Pet.

Author’s note: I hope this article helped answer those nerve-racking questions about the lab ray and that you enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it. This is my first article ever, and I hope you enjoyed it. I would also like to thank the people in the Virtupets chat board, who voiced their opinions about the lab ray. Thanks guys!