Getting Your Dinos to Eat from the Trough in Ark: Survival Evolved
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The question of how to get your tamed creatures to eat from a feeding trough in Ark: Survival Evolved is a common one for new and veteran players alike. It’s a fundamental aspect of managing your dino army and ensuring their survival. The straightforward answer is: Dinos within a specific range of a feeding trough will automatically eat from it once they reach a certain level of hunger. They do not need to be set to wander or manually fed. As long as they are in range and their hunger dictates it, they’ll happily munch away. Let’s delve deeper into the specifics and address some related questions.
How Feeding Troughs Work
The feeding trough acts as a communal food source for your tamed dinosaurs. Once placed, it creates a cubic feeding zone. This zone has a range of approximately 11 foundations horizontally and 15 walls vertically from the point of placement. Any tamed creature within this cube will have access to the food you place in the trough.
Range and Visibility
A helpful indicator to know if your dinos are within range is a small trough icon that appears above their nameplate. If you see this icon, they are able to eat from the trough. You can also use the “show visible area” option on the trough’s radial menu (accessed with the use key, often ‘E’). This highlights the area that the feeding trough affects, so you can accurately position your dinos.
The Trigger for Feeding
Adult, tamed dinos will eat from the trough when they become hungry enough. There’s no need to force feed once they are considered mature. However, juvenile dinos and baby dinos have specific feeding requirements. Baby dinos cannot eat from the trough. They require direct feeding from the player until they reach the juvenile stage. Once they reach the juvenile stage, typically when they are at 10% of their adult weight, they can eat from the trough, just like adult dinos. For example, a baby T-Rex with an adult weight of 1250 will become a juvenile and will eat from the trough when its weight reaches 125.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Feeding Troughs and Dino Feeding
1. Do Dinos Have to Wander to Eat from a Trough?
No, dinos do not need to wander to eat from a trough. As long as they are within the trough’s feeding radius and their hunger dictates it, they will feed themselves automatically.
2. How Do You Force Feed a Dino?
You can force feed a dino by placing the desired item (usually narcoberries or narcotics for taming) in their inventory, selecting the item, and using the “Remote Use Item” option. This is useful when you want to ensure a dino doesn’t wake up during a taming process.
3. What’s the Best Food to Put in a Feeding Trough?
The best food for your trough depends on what kind of dinos you have. For herbivores, use berries. For carnivores, use raw meat. For specific tames like snails, sweet vegetable cake is required.
4. Does the Type of Meat Matter in the Trough?
While the type of meat doesn’t matter as much as being raw or cooked, raw meat provides the most food benefit to your dinos, which is helpful for raising babies and general upkeep. Cooked meat lasts longer in the trough, which may be more convenient if you are not checking on your dinos regularly, but is less efficient in terms of food provision.
5. Is it Better to Use Raw or Cooked Meat in a Feeding Trough?
Raw meat is better for raising babies and providing more food per item in the trough, while cooked meat lasts longer. If you are frequently logging in to tend to your animals, use raw meat, but if you need more time between check-ins, use cooked meat.
6. How Long Will a Feeding Trough Last Before Needing Refilling?
A stack of meat spoils in approximately 26 hours, and with dino consumption, a full trough will likely empty in 24 hours or less, especially if you are raising babies. How long your trough lasts is dependent on the amount of dinos you have to feed and how much they eat.
7. Can Dinos Starve in Cryopods?
No, dinos cannot starve in cryopods. Cryopods essentially pause their stats, including hunger. However, a rare issue can occur when power cycling, which may cause the pod to pop out, so it’s good to maintain a steady power source.
8. Why Do People “Starve Tame” Dinos?
Starve taming doesn’t actually make taming faster or improve taming effectiveness. It was a commonly believed myth that it was beneficial. Today, it is more of a way of managing taming in the most efficient way in terms of resources and prevents you from wasting taming food during the process.
9. How to Starve Dinos Faster?
If you need to reduce a dino’s food level, feed it stimberries. This will rapidly lower its torpor and make it hungry faster. Be sure you have narcotics or narcoberries handy so you can keep the tame unconscious for the next stage of taming.
10. Is There a Better Feeding Trough?
Yes, the Tek Trough is an advanced version of the regular feeding trough. It has a wider range and more features, such as wireless food transfer.
11. Will Carnivores Hunt and Eat Wild Animals?
Yes, carnivores set to neutral or aggressive will catch and eat wild animals within your base. However, herbivores will not forage for their own food. They require manual or trough feeding.
12. What Happens if You Put a Baby Dino in a Cryopod?
Cryopodding a baby dino pauses the imprint timer and food consumption. When you un-cryopod it, it will ask for different care than it did before. This can be very useful for managing time with imprinting.
13. What Happens if a Cryopod Runs Out of Power With a Dino Inside?
When a cryopod runs out of power, it will go back into your inventory. Then you have 20 minutes before the dino is considered spoiled and it will disappear.
14. How Long Does it Take for a Dino to Starve?
It generally takes over a week for most dinos to starve. Gigas are an exception as they seem to starve much faster.
15. What are Some Good Dinos to Tame Early On?
Some good dinos to tame early in the game are the Ichthyosaurus, Triceratops, and Argentavis. These dinos provide helpful transportation and resources early on, such as berries or carry weight for building.
By understanding the mechanics of the feeding trough and dino hunger, you can effectively manage your dino army in Ark: Survival Evolved. Remember the key principles: range, feeding triggers, and the differences in adult vs. juvenile feeding requirements. With these tips, you’ll be well-equipped to keep your dinos happy, healthy, and ready for adventure.