RimWorld – How to Tame Animals

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Animals are incredibly useful in RimWorld, as they can be a source of food, crafting resources, and security from raiders.

They can also increase the mood of your colonists with their behavior, which is always a welcome bonus.

Recommended Read: How to Refrigerate Food in RimWorld

Unfortunately, to get all of these useful things from animals, you will first have to tame them. Though this should easily be done through one button click, there are some requirements you must first meet.

So, to make sure you get the full RimWorld experience, here is how you can tame animals.


Table of contents


How to Tame Animals in RimWorld

The first step to tame animals in RimWorld is to set the task to tame them. If you want a specific animal that is walking around your map, you will first need to select the “Tame” command.

This can be done in two ways:

  • Select the animal and press the “Tame” order which appeared in the lower half of the screen.
  • Open the Wildlife menu and toggle the “Tame” option for the animal you want to tame.

Now, your pawns know that they have to tame that animal. However, there are other requirements you must meet before they can start the taming process.

First, you will need someone with enough skill in Animals to tame them. The game will warn you if you don’t have enough skill in Animals when you select to tame an animal. The maximum level an animal might require to be tamed is 10.

To actually start taming that animal, the animal tamer will need food. Depending on the size and diet of the animal, they will require very different types of food to tame them.

Depending on the animal, there is also a chance that your animal handler will get attacked by the animal it is trying to tame.

You will see that chance in the Wildlife menu. A percentage will be shown next to the “Tame” toggle, which indicates the chance the animal will attack if there is a failed tame attempt.

What Animals Can You Tame in RimWorld?

There are two types of animals that you can tame in RimWorld:

  • Farm animals
  • Bond animals

You will have to put farm animals into a pen to feed and live. This has to happen since you will mostly use them for food and crafting resources.

Bond animals are usually smarter animals that can form bonds with pawns. These animals can sometimes also be trained to fight raiders, haul resources, and save colonists.


Why Can’t You Tame Animals in RimWorld?

One of the reasons that your pawns might not be taming animals you told them to is that they don’t have Handling high enough on the work priority list.

Make sure that your animal handler actually has time to tame animals. If they don’t, remove some of their higher priority jobs or use manual work priority selection.

Another reason that might stop your colonists from taming is the lack of food. Even though you have food in your colony, if it isn’t enough or it isn’t the right type of food (meat or vegetables), then your animal handler won’t have the resources necessary to do the job.

This is why you should always have a stack of kibble ready. Kibble is the normal food that all animals will eat, and it is the best food for taming and training animals.


That’s everything you need to know about how to tame animals in RimWorld!

Have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.

Adrian Oprea

Based in London, United Kingdom, Adrian Oprea is a Guides Writer. As a professional single-player RPG player, Adrian has often been stigmatized. He has decided to pour his frustration into writing guides!

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