Pet Needs and Condition
Pet Needs and Condition
Every living pet has needs that affect safety, work, travel, and survival.
Core Needs
- Health - How injured or stable the pet is.
- Hunger - How badly the pet needs food.
- Thirst - How badly the pet needs water.
- Energy - How tired the pet is.
- Mood - How emotionally strained or comfortable the pet feels.
Condition Blocks
Pets may be blocked from certain activities when they are:
- Too young or too old for the activity's requirements.
- Pregnant or caring for young.
- Sleeping, exhausted, starving, or dehydrated.
- Sick, injured, quarantined, or contagious.
- Already busy with another task.
- Dead. This one is generally difficult to negotiate with.
Age and Elders
Age is shown in days on many pages. Elder pets may continue living and working when eligible, but old age increases risk over time. Elder status is not an instant death sentence.
Read Life Stages, Age, and Elders.
Preparing for Travel
Before sending a pet to hunt, explore, scout, fish, patrol, or fight:
- Check Health, hunger, thirst, energy, mood, sickness, and injuries.
- Make sure the pet has enough carrying space for supplies and rewards.
- Use protected prep slots for water and herbs when available.
- Avoid sending weak or exhausted pets into dangerous tiles.
Combat Readiness
Stats, experience, condition, supplies, and gear all matter. Combat level is a helpful estimate, not a promise that the raccoon has read the same math.
Read Combat Level and Battle Readiness.
Species-Specific Needs
Rabbits do not eat meat. Foxes have a wider diet, including meat. Always check food type before assuming a pet can use a supply stack.
Related Pages
Echo Note - Elder condition
Elders should be read through both condition and age. A healthy elder in a safe Hearth role is not the same as an injured, thirsty elder still being sent into danger.
Use Elder Hearth and retirement options when the colony has older pets who should stop doing regular danger work.
~Echo
Echo Note - Sickness and injury locks
Sick or injured pets may be blocked from travel, raids, breeding, training, or other dangerous actions. Their condition can also affect old-age passing, pregnancy risk, kit care, and daily survival rolls.
Read Sickness and Injury.
~Echo