How to adopt a pet in BitLife

Animal companions are a joy to have in both video games and real life. BitLife offers several ways to adopt pets, from regular pet stores and animal shelters to entire zoos if you want an extra challenge.

However, there are a few obstacles you might face, depending on your character’s past actions and current living conditions. Although most are easy to work around, they can easily cause confusion if you’re unprepared for them. Let’s dive into how to adopt a pet in BitLife.

How to adopt a pet in BitLife

Below is a complete step-by-step guide to adopting a pet in BitLife:

1. Head into Activities.
2. Select Pets.
3. Choose one of the six pet store and animal shelter options that appear.
4. Pay the shop’s fee to adopt the animal.

The cost and requirements will depend entirely on how many pets you plan to adopt, where you obtain them from, and your character’s home country. While a dog or cat from the Animal Shelter is relatively cheap, a purebred from a breeder is much more expensive. First-world countries in BitLife also have significantly higher prices, so be prepared to spend over $1,000 in-game cash if your character lives in places like the United States or Canada.

How to fix being unable to adopt pets in BitLife

There are several reasons why you might not be able to adopt a pet in BitLife, with the list below highlighting a few potential causes:

• You can’t afford the pet.
• You don’t have enough space in your home.
• Your character has a criminal record.
• You gave up a pet in the past.

The most important part is being able to afford your pet. If your bank balance is low or in the negatives, your character may not have enough cash for the upfront cost or the animal’s monthly expenses. This becomes more apparent if you have multiple pets or an exotic animal.

If you already have multiple animals and live in a small home, you’ll eventually receive a denial message stating that you don’t have enough space in your house for more pets. The solution to this is buying a large property, such as an Equestrian Property, Villa, Palace, or Mansion. That way, you’ll have plenty of room for your animals to roam around. This also unlocks the horse ranch, allowing you to adopt a horse for achievements, challenges, or personal satisfaction.

Having a criminal record also prevents you from owning a pet. The best way to get rid of your criminal record is to emigrate to another country before adopting a pet. Unfortunately, this comes with a high risk of the authorities discovering your character and sending you back to jail, so do everything you need to as quickly as possible.

The last factor that prevents you from adopting a pet in BitLife is giving up on an animal in the past. Regardless of the reason, releasing a pet into the wild before attempting to adopt another will usually lead to you having a “failed interview” with the pet store or animal shelter. Try to avoid letting your pets go whenever possible to prevent this from happening.