My 6 year old got a webkinz for her birthday last month from my mother-in-law. Long story painfully shortend...my child eat sleeps and breathes for this penguin to the point where she will wake up in the morning - clearing the sleep from her half open eyes to turn on the computer to check on her webkinz penguin. We've been out as a family and she'll get the urge to "check on her penguin" and whine until we agree to cut the outting short to go home. A classmate of hers told her that the webkinz can die if you don't feed them so now she is in hyper-addiction-mode and constantly on the site trying to earn points to feed and clothe her animal. Anyone else out there being sucked into this vortex? Throw me a rope! Can these virtual pets die? Can you deactivate for a short period of time without losing any ground or your wits for that matter? Looking for a peaceful solution.
Oh mom, the webkinz can't die but if your daughter stays logged in to her account all day long (but doesn't actually use the computer)her webkin can be sent to the hospital. Then you have to feed them and play with them to get them healthy. But...If you log out and don't use the computer for days at a time your webkinz will just stay as they were untill you log in again. I only let my kids use their account once or twice a week because it is so addicting. good luck
They wont die...hee hee. But my son only has certain times where he is allowed on the computer, and its only a half hour. So I would just let her know that her pet is sleeping and will wait for her visit. good luck!
Yes, as others mentioned, they don't die, although they do expire in a year, and, as you might've guessed, the only way to keep them "active" is to buy a new webkin. Ugh. I don't like them very much either, but, with my two kids, ages 6 & 8, the webkinz thing was a passing phase, similar to the tamagatchi. And, from what I hear from most parents, that's the way it typically is. They were big into it for about a month, then they moved onto other things. Good luck!
Hi Carolyn, We are webkinzs house too, no worries they don't die, but your daughter does have to log out. We do limit computer use for our little guy (7) to a half hour a few times a week. What is kind of cool about these little scourges though, is he can "play" with his cousins and friends from other states. We make a quick call, log on simultaneously and go to the group play area. Good luck! (hee! hee!) :)
I believe that there is a FAQ on the webkinz site under the parents section. In there I read that they get sick but do not die. Three of my children have a total of 8 webkinz between them . None of them have died, they have gotten sick. Here we limit time on the computer to 30mins.
NO the webkinz can NOT die. My children are webkinz crazy too, but I have had to remove computer priviledges once or twice and when my child returned to webkinz world the little pet was exactly as they had left them...even jumping on a trampoline for a week ; )
I suggest you place some limits on your childs time in Webkinz world. For example not until she has gotten dressed, brushed teeth and had breakfast, after homework is done or only for 1/2 hour a day. If you think that is too restrictive can also allow her to earn more computer time, by having her do an extra chore or kind deed for someone. We do this in our family and it has worked well, goodluck...remember this is a fad and it too will pass.
no they can't die, yes you can take a "break" with them.. I am in the same boat as you.. I can't get my kid up for school but if there's a party going on in Webkinz, Club Penguin or Build a Bearville, she's up before the roosters. What I've threatened in the past is , we set the kids up with their own log ons to the computer itself. Set your kid up and when they abuse the priviledge, change it! They can't log on until you give them the password! They need to do chores to earn computer time. It's a phase and unfortunately, I don't think webkinz are going anywhere soon. I refuse to buy anything webkinz too - they have to pay for that stuff themselves or wait for a birthday.. good luck
Wendy
Hi,
My son got one when he was 6 too (now he is 7). He was OBSESSED with the silly tiger. He took it everywhere- to thepoint that the 6th graders in his school knew the Webkinz name! It will get better- I limited the amount of time on the computer to once a day (must admit I lie the games too!) and my husband limited the places that Tiggo the Tiger could come. In answer to your question.. webkinz CANNOT die. They get hungry and sick of you ignore them for a long time (like several weeks) but they will not die. If she does not beleive you, go to the site with her and read the FAQs and rumors- "Mrs. Birdie" expalins the whole thing for them. After a year, your account expiresand you need to buy another wenbkin to keep it activated (then both animals live in the same house together)
Also, ifshe puts her webkin to sleep before she logs out- he won't even know that she is gone! Good luck- with the summer coming I bet she'll easy up soon.
We also have a Webkinz connection here. My kids are 10 and 12 and each have more than 10 of them. They DO NOT die. Ever, not even if you ignore them for months. I have 4 of my own and play for stress relief when I have the chance, which is never more than once or twice a week. The absolute worst that will happen is the pet will get sick and she'll have to take him to the vet. I suggest that you set specific times when she can play with her penguin pal. Set a time limit. Explain that the pet will not die and will be there the next time it's her time to play. At 6 you might also want to tell her that if she plays all the time, other kids don't have the chance to play with their pets, which is true because the site at times is so busy things are ridiculously slow or you can't log in at all. You can't deactivate her account but you can deactivate her access by setting firm rules. Good luck.
I went through the same thing! It was just a phase... it lasted a few months and then she got bored with it and hasn't asked to login in to webkinz in months.
My son (who is 7) has 3 webkinz - we went through a phase where he always wanted to go online to check on his webkinz - so I feel your anxiety. Here's what I can tell you... They will not die! We have left that phase, and now he'll go for a few weeks (one time it was even a couple of months) and the lowest I've ever seen the health, hunger, thirst, etc. was 80% - not bad for complete neglect! Just make sure she always puts it to bed before she logs off.
Reassure your daughter her Webkinz will not die, and set specific limits on when she can go online and when she can't. It's just like everything, moderation is key.
Best of luck,
Cathy
Have you tried setting a time limit per day for Webkinz? We n eeded to do it for our son and i worked. He was able to go on for 30 minutes a day. He eventually tired of going online. Good luck. There was alot of yelling and crying but it worked for us.
I actually own a store that sells Webkinz... after two years of resisting the fad. Webkinz don't die if they are not fed. If they go many days without being fed or played with, their health and happiness meter will go down, but that will not affect the account's status at all. The account will become inactive after a year, unless another Webkinz pet is registered on the site under the same user.
I resisted carrying Webkinz for a long time partly because of my concerns that they would promote excessive computer use by young children. Many parents use the Webkinz to teach time management by restricting time on the site on a daily or weekly basis. This forces children to plan and prioritize what they want to do on the site each visit. There is so much to do and explore, some of it more enriching and some just purely for fun. As a mom, I believe that moderation is the key, and it is important for young children to have the healthy perspective that Webkinz are just toys and that it's not okay for them get in the way of their time playing with friends, spending time with family, or accomplishing homework and chores.
You can use a timer to count down how much time is left in a Webkinz visit, or let younger children pick 2 or 3 things to do each visit and then be done. If parents visit the site along with their children, it is possible to find some great activities that get children thinking, planning, using memory and math skills, and learning.
Hi Carolyn --
It's a shame that you are having problems with your child and Webkinz. My daughter has over 70 (she saves her allowance to buy them), and I find it great interaction for my daughter. She has to be sure to care for her pet, and she also has plants in her garden that have to be checked (watered, raked) in order to grow produce for harvesting. Its mild, but its a good form of teaching children to be responsible for something.
My daughter went over-the-top with Webkinz World after she got her first one -- she too was told that her Webkinz would die if she didn't feed it and play with it every day. The truth is -- it won't. In fact, you can leave it alone for over a week and come back to find it only mildly unhealthy (easily fixed with some exercise, food, a bath, or a trip to the doctor). We got a timer and set it to 30 minutes each morning - whenever she went online we would start the timer. Once the timer counted down to zero that was it for the day -- no more time on Webkinz World.
Good luck dealing with this -- I hope that you can find a compromise with your daughter that will satisfy her 'addiction' without driving you crazy!!
Nicole
My children all have Webkinz....they were very excited when they first received them and wanted to go on the website all the time. That wore off pretty quickly. Now they play maybe once a month.....the Webkinzs can go at least that long and not even get hungry! They will not DIE, that is a school rumor.
I have 2 daughters that absolutely love the webkinz. I cut there time on the computer as so they dont get addicted. my 10 yr old does play on it alot but my 8 year old is totally opposite. my lil one goes on to buy things but dont care for the pets as much. to answer your question, do they die? i have to say no. if they did i would of had 8 lil funerals for these furry friends. i have made it clear to both girl that there are plenty of fun and educational to go to. as long as its fun they dont realize they are learning something. you need to make her go a day without it to show her that the penguin will live.
thank you
Donna W
I have two boys that were also addicted to webkinz, however I stopped letting them use it every day and they soon lost interest. as long as you make sure your pet is in bed, and at 100 0/0 you can leave it alone for months and it will stay that way. The only thing that needs eveyday care in webkinz world is if you plant a garden that will die, however it can be dug up and replanted. good luck
Yes, the webkinz can die, but that is after days/weeks/months of neglect. My 5 year old has a few and is into them for a week and then just let's it be. I would just simply tell your daughter NO. As tough as it may be, she shouldn't have you leaving trips/outings early to check on her webkinz. You are ultimately the decision maker and if you see a problem in it, it is up to you to fix it. She may fuss/whine, but that is life and she will get over it, I promise. Good luck with Webkinz world, I found myself more addicted to it than my daughter at one point ha-ha :)
they don't die. You can leave them for weeks and they are fine. After a year they don't work any more unless you pay money.