You can befriend and tame some animals and mobs in Minecraft if you give them their favorite food! You’ll know if you have a nearby animal’s favorite food if they follow and stare at you. Here’s how to tame them!
Taming
Here are the animals that can be tamed in Minecraft and how they interact:
Wolves
- Wolves can be tamed by giving them bones: You may need multiple bones, as just one does not guarantee their respect.
- Hearts and a red collar will appear after a wolf is tamed: A tamed wolf will follow you and attack most (but not all!) hostile mobs and players.
- Interacting with a tamed wolf will cause them to sit: A sitting wolf will remain in the instructed spot until you interact with them again.
Cats
- Cats can be tamed by giving them raw salmon or raw cod: You may need multiple fish, as just one does not guarantee their love. Crouch-walk to present the fish, or the cat will be spooked and flee.
- Hearts and a red collar will appear after a cat is tamed: A tamed cat will follow you, but will not attack others. They will deter nearby creepers and phantoms from attacking you.
- Interacting with a tamed cat will cause them to sit: A sitting cat will remain in the instructed spot until you interact with them again.
- Tamed cats may give gifts: There is a chance your nearby feline friend will give you an item after you sleep in a bed.
Horses, Donkeys, and Mules
- Horses, donkeys, and mules are tamed by attempting to ride them: Get close to one and interact to get on its back. They may buck you off, but if you keep getting on, they will eventually let you ride.
- Hearts will appear after a horse, donkey or mule is tamed: After they’re tamed, you can ride them, but you will need a saddle to direct them. If you don't have a saddle, you can use a lead to guide and keep them from wandering off.
- Horses, donkeys, and mules can be equipped: Horses are faster and can be equipped with horse armor to protect them. Donkeys and mules are slower but can be equipped with a chest to carry items.
- A skeleton horse can be tamed by killing its original rider: In Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, it does not need a Saddle to control it.
Llamas
- Llamas are tamed by attempting to ride them: Get close to one and interact to get on its back. They may buck you off, but if you keep getting on, they will eventually let you ride.
- Hearts will appear after a llama is tamed: After they’re tamed, you can ride them, but they can’t be saddled.
- Llamas can be led and equipped: Llamas can be equipped with a chest to carry more items. After you leash a llama, other llamas in the area will follow in a caravan.
Nautiluses
- Nautiluses can be tamed by giving them pufferfish or buckets of pufferfish: You may need multiple fish as just one doesn’t guarantee their interest.
- Hearts will appear after a nautilus is tamed: After they’re tamed, you can ride them, but you will need a saddle to direct them. If you don't have a saddle, you can use a lead to guide them and keep them from wandering away.
- Nautiluses can be equipped: A nautilus can be equipped with a saddle to steer it and armor to protect it.
- You can breathe and dash like a nautilus: While riding a nautilus, you share their ability to breathe underwater and can control their ability to dash. Dash like you would normally jump and hold the jump control for a longer dash.
Parrots
- Parrots are tamed by giving them seeds: You may need more than one to befriend them. And don’t feed parrots cookies—they’re poisonous.
- Hearts will appear after a parrot is tamed: Interacting with a tamed parrot will cause it to sit or follow as you travel.
- Parrots can perch on your shoulders: If you walk into a tamed parrot or it flies to you, it can perch on one of your shoulders. You may also hear it mimic the sound of nearby mobs.
Ghastlings and Happy Ghasts
- Ghastlings and happy ghasts are passive mobs: Both can be tempted with snowballs, and the happy ghast will follow you if you have a harness and it’s not already equipped.
- Ghastlings grow up into happy ghasts: Feeding a ghastling snowballs will speed up its growth.
- Happy ghasts can be ridden with a harness: Up to four players can ride a harnessed happy ghast. The first player to mount gets to drive! They can also be leashed.