Why Won’t My Baby Wyvern Eat? A Comprehensive Guide to Wyvern Nurturing in Ark
It’s a frustrating moment for any Ark: Survival Evolved player: you’ve successfully hatched a baby wyvern, a majestic creature destined to rule the skies, only to be met with its refusal to eat. The primary reason your baby wyvern isn’t eating is simple: it’s not hungry enough. Unlike some other baby creatures in Ark, wyverns have a unique feeding mechanic. They won’t instinctively eat right after hatching. You must wait for their food stat to deplete significantly before they’ll accept their primary food source – Wyvern Milk. Trying to force-feed immediately after hatching is a common mistake; patience and timing are key.
Understanding the Wyvern Feeding Mechanic
The Waiting Game
Newborn wyverns have a significant food capacity. This means they won’t start feeling the pangs of hunger right away. Typically, you will need to wait for at least 4 hours after hatching, although this time can vary depending on the baby’s starting stats. Think of it as giving them time to get “hungry enough” to register the need for food. Once their food reserves are low enough, they will finally accept Wyvern Milk.
Why Wyvern Milk?
Wyvern milk is the only food source that baby, juvenile, and adolescent wyverns will accept. Unlike other creatures, they will not eat raw or cooked meat, berries, or any other typical food source. This highlights the importance of obtaining this specific resource. Wyvern milk can be acquired by knocking out a wild female wyvern or by defeating an Alpha Wyvern, making it a crucial part of the wyvern-raising process.
The “Food” Bar
Pay close attention to your baby wyvern’s food bar. It is not a linear representation of hunger like it is for other creatures. Rather, it must deplete to a certain level before the baby considers eating. After being hatched, monitor the baby’s food level. When it gets low enough, place the milk in the wyvern’s inventory, and if the timing is correct, it will consume it on its own. You can check the success of the feeding when the food number has changed after you’ve introduced the milk.
Alternatives to Milk & Imprinting
While wyvern milk is the only food they will directly consume, there are alternative ways to keep them alive if you’re struggling to obtain enough milk, especially on Official Servers. However, these methods will not satisfy imprinting needs.
The Daedon Method
The Daedon is a versatile creature capable of healing other dinosaurs rapidly. By feeding a Daedon a large amount of cooked meat, its healing aura can sustain a starving wyvern. This method works by essentially outpacing the health loss caused by starvation, allowing you to raise the wyvern. This is useful if you are unable to source the Wyvern milk.
The Maewing Method
Similarly, the Maewing creature has a feeding ability that allows them to care for and provide food to baby creatures. Some players report that the Maewing can keep the wyvern alive without the need for milk. The Maewing will need to be kept close and will have to be fed in order for it to maintain the baby wyvern. While the method works for survival, the baby will still require milk for imprinting.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How Long Can a Baby Wyvern Go Without Milk?
A baby wyvern can go for a significant period without milk, but they will eventually start to lose health. A simple calculation to determine how long it can survive without milk is: Current Food Remaining / 300 = hours until starvation.
2. Can I Force-Feed My Baby Wyvern?
Yes, you can force-feed a baby wyvern milk. However, it’s not necessary if its food level is low enough, and it will eat on its own. If you need to utilize milk before it spoils, force-feeding becomes useful. The baby will still eat it regardless of its hunger level, unlike when they are left to their own.
3. Do I Need Milk to Raise a Baby Wyvern?
No, technically you don’t need milk to raise a baby wyvern. You can use the Daedon healing method to keep it alive, or the Maewing method. But milk is required for imprinting. Without milk, you will not get the bonus imprinting stats that increase your wyvern’s strength.
4. How Long Does a Baby Wyvern Stay in the “Baby” Stage?
It takes roughly 3 days and 20 hours for a baby wyvern to fully mature into an adult.
5. How Much Food Does a Baby Wyvern Lose per Hour?
A baby wyvern loses approximately 360 food units per hour. However, as the wyvern grows older, the rate at which it loses food will decrease.
6. How Much Health Does a Wyvern Lose When Starving?
A starving baby wyvern loses 10 health points every 20 seconds. You can calculate how long it will take to die by dividing its current health by 10 and multiplying by 20 to get the time in seconds.
7. Can Tamed Wyverns Produce Milk?
No, tamed wyverns do not produce milk. Wyvern milk is obtained by knocking out a wild female wyvern or defeating an Alpha Wyvern.
8. How Much Food Does One Wyvern Milk Provide?
One Wyvern Milk will provide 1200 food for a baby wyvern, regardless of its current food stat.
9. Will Baby Wyverns Eat Milk From a Feeding Trough?
Yes, juvenile wyverns and older will eat milk from a feeding trough. This makes management much easier, as individual feeding isn’t required.
10. Can Cryopods Help Change Imprint Demands?
Yes, cryopoding a baby wyvern and then releasing it can sometimes change its imprinting demands. This can be particularly useful if you’re having difficulty meeting the current demands.
11. Why Is My Wyvern Losing Health?
Your wyvern will be losing health if its food stat hits zero. If the wyvern has not eaten and its food bar is empty, it will start taking damage.
12. What Is the Only Food a Baby Wyvern Will Eat?
The only food a baby, juvenile, and adolescent wyvern will eat is Wyvern Milk.
13. How Often Does a Baby Wyvern Eat?
A growing baby wyvern will consume approximately 1 unit of food every 10 seconds, equating to about 360 units per hour.
14. Can You Use a Maewing to Raise a Wyvern?
Yes, you can use a Maewing to raise a wyvern, though you’ll still require Wyvern Milk to fulfil imprinting requests.
15. How Long Does it Take For a Wild Wyvern To Produce Milk?
Wild female wyverns will produce milk after about an hour, as long as they remain rendered and trapped, meaning they are in your visual range. You can then knock it out again for another batch of milk.
Conclusion
Raising a baby wyvern in Ark is not a simple task. It requires preparation, patience, and an understanding of the unique feeding mechanics. The key takeaway is that your baby wyvern won’t eat immediately. You need to let it get hungry enough, typically after about 4 hours, and then provide it with Wyvern Milk. While alternative methods such as using a Daedon or Maewing can keep the wyvern alive, milk remains essential for imprinting. By keeping this information in mind, you’ll be well-equipped to raise your own mighty wyvern and dominate the skies of Ark. Good luck, survivor!