What are the Dreamlight Valley critters’ favorite food? To surround yourself with cute critters, you don’t have to have a singing voice like Snow White. Instead, the way to their hearts – like with most people – is through their bellies. We’ve spent hours in the valley learning how to befriend these creatures and their favorite foods, and feeding critters enough times even encourages them to join you as your valley companion.
Like pets in your favorite MMO games, companions are an avatar customization option that lets you can choose an adorable animal to follow you around Dreamlight Valley. There’s lots you can do with these critters, so we’ll tell you how to feed Dreamlight Valley critters their favorite food, unlock them as companions, craft them their own home, and even take selfies with them. So dive into one of the best PC games of the last year, and get acquainted with all those adorable Dreamlight Valley animals.
How to feed Dreamlight Valley critters
Each of the eight Dreamlight Valley critters can be found in their corresponding biome, but only two or three of each will spawn per day. And while you can feed each animal multiple times per day, you can still only get one reward from each, so be sure to go out of your way to keep your little friends well-fed – and reap the rewards.
When fed, animals have the chance to drop seeds and other useful items, including Dreamlight Valley Dream Shards, and cosmetics. There are also a number of achievements for feeding critters which reward you with Dreamlight.
All Dreamlight Valley critters
With the Forgetting having destroyed the valley, it’s no surprise that these little critters can be a little skittish, so some require a more considerate approach. The information below will help if you’re struggling to stop them running away, and lists their favorite snacks. If you’re trying to feed a specific critters, use the links below:
Squirrels
- Location: Plaza
- Variants: Black, classic (tan), Gray, Red, and White.
- Food group: Fruit and nuts
- Favorite food: Peanuts
Squirrels are pretty easy to find, as they’re clearly hungry little things. You’ll spot them running around the plaza, and you should just be able to walk straight up to them and interact with them. If not, you may have already fed them for the day.
Rabbits
- Location: Peaceful Meadow
- Variants: Black, Brown, Calico, Classic, and White
- Food group: Vegetables
- Favorite food: Carrots
Rabbits are more playful than squirrels, and will have their fun with you before taking your food. As you approach a rabbit for the first time, it will bounce up and down before running away. Don’t be perturbed, simply chase after it. It will do this a few times, before finally settling long enough for you to interact.
Sea Turtles
- Location: Dazzle Beach
- Variants: Black, Brown, Classic (green and brown), Purple, and White
- Food group: Shellfish and Seaweed
- Favorite food: Seaweed
The incredibly cute sea turtles are shy, and won’t let you get up close right away. As you start to get too near to a sea turtle, it will pull its head into its shell and shake nervously. Quietly wait it out and don’t move, and it will eventually pop its head back out, eagerly propping itself up on its front legs, ready for some seafood.
Raccoons
- Locations: Forest of Valor
- Variants: Black, Blue, Classic (grey), Red, and White
- Food group: Fruit
- Favorite food: Blueberries
If it were possible, Raccoons are even harder to approach than Sea Turtles, and will give you the run-around. You’ll have to tread very carefully, and keep your distance to begin with. Wait for the raccoon to stop and look around eagerly, and start creeping slowly towards it, stopping every couple of steps. It’s tedious, but you’ll eventually get close enough to feed it.
Crocodiles
- Location: Glade of Trust
- Variants: Blue, Classic (green), Golden, Pink, Red, and White
- Food group: Shellfish
- Favorite food: Lobster
The crocodile works in almost the same way as the raccoon. Again, when you spot a distant croc standing still, you can start to approach. Wait until its head is down and stop moving every time it looks up. As you approach and interact, it will endearingly place its head on the floor, submitting for its tasty treat.
Sunbirds
- Location: Sunlit Plateau
- Variants: Emerald, Golden, Orchid (purple), Red, and Turquoise
- Food group: Flowers
- Favorite food: Emerald Sunbird – Green Passion Lily, Golden Sunbird – Sunflower, Orchid Sunbird – Orange Houseleek, Red Sunbird – Red Bromeliad, Turquoise Sunbird – Pink Houseleek.
The stunning birds flit around the Sunlit Plateau at some speed, but you can easily catch up to them at trees and plants and interact with them fairly easily. In contrast to the other critters, Sunbird variants each have their own favourite food, so be careful you feed the right flower to the right bird.
Foxes
- Location: Frosted Heights
- Variants: Black, Blue, Classic (brown), Red, and White
- Food group: Fish
- Favorite food: White Sturgeon
Like rabbits, foxes have a playful nature, and will encourage you to chase them around before feeding them.
Ravens
- Location: Forgotten Lands
- Variants: Blue, Brown, Classic (black), Red, and White
- Food group: Five-star meals
- Favorite food: Large Seafood Platter, Arendellian Pickled Herring
Ravens, the ominous-but-beautiful birds native to the spooky Forgotten Lands, have now arrived, accompanying Scar to Dreamlight Valley in the October update. Interacting with the birds is fairly easy, but feeding them isn’t. It’ll look like they flee as you head towards them, but simply stand still and wait – they’ll circle your head for a while before flying down to you. Turns out Ravens, though, are the Dreamlight Valley critter with the most refined palate, as they exclusively eat five-star meals. Cook them up a tasty ratatouille, bouillabaisse, or even a banana split if you’re feeling sweet.
The following critters are only available in Dreamlight Valley expansion packs:
Monkeys
Location: Ancient Landing
Variants: Classic, Beige, Black and Brown, Black and Gray, Red and Beige, Toon
Food group: Any 3-star meal or above
Favorite food: Banana Split
As you might imagine, A Rift in Time’s Monkey critters are playful, and lead you in a chase before you can feed it. Simply follow when it runs, and you can eventually approach it.
Cobras
Location: Glittering Dunes
Variants: Classic, Blue and Red, Green and White, Pink, Yellow and Purple, Toon
Food group: Dairy, oil, sandworm, scorpion
Favorite food: Eggs
You can find Cobras if you across the Glittering Dunes if you have the A Rift in Time DLC. They can be difficult to feed, as they act in a similar way to raccoons and crocodiles, only they’re even more jumpy. You need to slowly approach the cobra whenever it is lying flat, but be aware that you only a second or so before it rears it’s head again, so you must take it in slow and steady steps.
Capybaras
Location: Wild Tangle
Variants: Classic, Black and White, Blue, Gray, Red and White, Toon
Food group: Vegetables
Favorite food: Cabbage
Capybaras, from the A Rift in Time DLC, don’t take much convincing to feed, and you can walk straight up to one to interact with it.
Owls
Location: The Bind
Variants: Brown, Dark, Light, Purple
Food group: Grains
Favorite food: Barley
Owls, available in the Storybook Vale DLC, are easy to approach, as you can just walk straight up to one and it will let you feed it.
Baby Dragons
Location: Everafter
Variants: Blue, Green, Purple, Red
Food group: Gems
Favorite food: Magma, Pure Ice
Baby Dragons aren’t very hard to approach, but they are incredibly shy, just like Sea Turtles. Like the turtles, when it hides it’s head and starts to shake, don’t move, and just wait for the adorable critter to lift its head. Now you can approach the dragon and feed it it’s favorite grub. You can find Baby Dragons if you have the Storybook Vale DLC, and we have a separate guide on Dreamlight Valley Baby Dragons if you want to know more.
Pegasus
Location: Mythopia
Variants: Blue, Peach, Pink, Yellow
Food group: Vegetable meal
Favorite food: 4-star vegetable meal or above
The playful Storybook Vale Pegasus acts like a rabbit or a fox, engaging you in a chase before you can feed it. Just chase the Pegasus round two or three times, and you’ll be able to approach and feed it. See our full guide to feeding the Dreamlight Valley Pegasus for more information.
How to get critter companions
All you need to do to recruit Dreamlight Valley critters as your companion is feed each variant a few times – and it doesn’t even have to be their favorite food, which is handy for the more rare snacks listed above. Bear in mind that each different-coloured critter is considered a unique variant. For example, feed the white rabbit twice to have the white rabbit only appear in your collection.
To set a critter as your buddy, go to your wardrobe and select the companion section. Choose any of those you have unlocked, and it’ll follow you around as long as you want it to – no feeding required. To see the full list of available critters, go to the collection menu.
Companion selfies
As of the Pride of the Valley update in April 2023, the interactive features of companions were added to again, and now you can take cute selfie with your pets!
To take a selfie with your Dreamlight Valley companion:
- Pick your camera from your inventory.
- Click the use button or key to activate photo mode.
- Select the full body option in the top right hand corner.
- Navigate to the selection of poses in the bottom right hand corner.
- Click the paw print pose icon, and your companion will appear with you in frame!
Companion toys and interactive items
You can also keep your little friend entertained while you’re busy completing quests, giving them toys or other items to keep them busy – you can even set them up with their very own home!
These crafting recipes are automatically available in your catalogue, and you just need to gather the required items.
- Cozy companion home – 15 softwood, five sunflowers, five white and red hydrangeas, one topaz.
- Fuzzy friend companion dish – five clay, five wheat, two red bell flowers.
- Flying companion feeder – five softwood, five clay, five wheat, two red bell flowers.
- Playful companion pinwheel – five softwood, five fiber, five pink hydrangeas.
- Pixar companion ball – three red bell flowers, five yellow daisies, five blue hydrangea.
Now you know how to feed every critter in one of the best Disney games of all time, you’ll need to unlock their individual biomes to find and befriend them. That’s not the only benefit to accessing new areas though, as Dreamlight Valley clay only generates in some, as do some ingredients for the many Disney Dreamlight Valley recipes – and you need to keep yourself well fed, too.