What Pets Can Your Kids Have in Skyrim? A Comprehensive Guide
Your children in Skyrim can bring a heartwarming touch of domesticity to your rugged adventures, and one way they do this is by adopting pets. Your kids can adopt various animals found in Skyrim as pets, adding a unique and adorable ambiance to your Hearthfire home. These pets include a variety of dogs like Meeko and stray dogs, as well as other creatures such as skeevers, mudcrabs, foxes, and even the occasional unexpected critter they might stumble upon. The type of pet they adopt is somewhat random, but ensuring a child lives in a Hearthfire home increases the likelihood of them bringing an animal home.
Bringing a Pet Home: How it Works
The process of acquiring a pet for your children in Skyrim is relatively straightforward. Children will typically find pets on their own while exploring the world, or sometimes they’ll ask to keep an animal the Dragonborn brings home. If you have a Hearthfire home and children living there, eventually one or both of them will express a desire to have a pet. This can happen in one of two ways:
- Random Encounter: Your child might simply come across a stray animal outside your home and ask if they can keep it. This is the most common way children acquire pets in the game.
- Follower Pet: If you bring a compatible animal companion, such as Meeko or a stray dog, to your Hearthfire home, your child will likely ask if they can keep it. Approving their request will make the animal a permanent pet for your family.
Once you agree to let your child keep a pet, the animal will stay at your home. It doesn’t require any additional effort from the player in terms of feeding or care. The pet simply roams around the house and interacts with the children, adding to the immersive family experience.
The Variety of Pets in Skyrim
While dogs are the most common and easily obtainable pets, your children can also bring home other interesting creatures. Here’s a list of some of the possible pets your kids might adopt:
- Dogs: Includes unnamed stray dogs, Meeko, and potentially even named dogs like Vigilance if brought home.
- Skeevers: Surprisingly, these rodents can become beloved family pets.
- Mudcrabs: A peculiar choice, but your kids might just develop a fondness for a shelled companion.
- Foxes: A clever and charming addition to any household.
- Rabbits: These fluffy critters are a cute addition to any home.
- Goats: Brought from the Pets of Skyrim Creation Club, they are a unique addition to a family.
- Spiders: Very rare but they will stay in the basement.
Special Pets and Considerations
Some pets, like Meeko, have unique recruitment methods. Meeko can be found near Meeko’s Shack, a location west of Windhelm. He is initially hostile, but after interacting with him, you learn his owner has passed away, and he becomes available as a follower. Bringing Meeko to your Hearthfire home will almost certainly prompt your child to ask to keep him.
Keep in mind that the game limits the number of pets your children can have. Generally, you can only have two pets per household. Therefore, choose wisely when deciding which animals to allow as permanent additions to your family.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Pets in Skyrim
1. Can I have more than two pets in Skyrim?
No, in vanilla Skyrim with the Hearthfire DLC, your children can have a maximum of two pets per household. Mods may exist to bypass this limitation.
2. Can I choose which pet my child gets?
Not directly. The pets children bring home are generally random. However, you can influence the outcome by bringing specific animals, like Meeko or a stray dog, to your Hearthfire home, increasing the chances of your child asking to adopt them.
3. Do pets in Skyrim do anything useful?
Unlike animal followers, pets acquired by children don’t provide any combat assistance or carry items. Their primary function is to enhance the domestic atmosphere of your Hearthfire home and provide companionship for your children.
4. Do I need to feed or care for my children’s pets?
No, pets acquired by children in Skyrim don’t require any maintenance. Once adopted, they simply roam the house and interact with the family.
5. Can my children adopt pets if I don’t have the Hearthfire DLC?
No, the ability for children to adopt pets is exclusive to the Hearthfire DLC, which allows you to build and furnish your own homes and adopt children.
6. What happens if my child’s pet dies?
Pets acquired by children are essentially immortal. They cannot be harmed or killed, ensuring they remain a permanent fixture in your household.
7. Can I adopt a pet wolf for my children?
While you can acquire wolves as followers through mods or the Creation Club, children typically adopt more domesticated animals like dogs, foxes, or common rodents. However, with specific mods, this might be possible.
8. How do I increase the chances of my child bringing home a pet?
Ensure you have a Hearthfire home and adopted children living there. Regularly visit the home, and consider bringing potential pets, like stray dogs or foxes you encounter in the wild, to the house.
9. Can my children adopt any animal in Skyrim?
Not every animal is eligible for adoption. Typically, children will adopt smaller, non-hostile creatures like dogs, foxes, rabbits, skeevers, and mudcrabs. Larger or more dangerous animals are unlikely to be adopted.
10. What if I don’t want my child to keep a pet?
If your child asks to keep a pet and you decline, they will be disappointed but will eventually get over it. You can always reconsider later if they ask again.
11. Can pets acquired by children be used as followers?
No, pets acquired by children are not functional followers. They remain within the confines of your Hearthfire home.
12. Does the type of child I adopt affect the pets they bring home?
No, the race or background of the adopted child does not influence the type of pet they are likely to acquire. The pet acquisition is largely random.
13. Can I rename my child’s pet?
No, the game does not provide an option to rename pets acquired by children. They will be referred to by generic names like “Dog” or “Fox.”
14. Are there any benefits to having pets other than the ambiance?
The primary benefit is the enhanced sense of domesticity and family in your Hearthfire home. Pets add a touch of realism and can make your adopted children happier.
15. Can I get rid of a pet if I don’t want it anymore?
There is no in-game option to release or get rid of a pet once it has been adopted by your children. The pet will remain a permanent fixture in your household. So, choose wisely!
Bringing pets into your Skyrim home is a small but meaningful way to enhance your role-playing experience. Your children’s furry, scaly, or even slightly unsettling companions can bring joy and a sense of completeness to your virtual family life. So, open your doors and hearts to the creatures of Skyrim, and let your children experience the joys of pet ownership in this expansive and immersive world.
Want to learn more about the educational implications of gaming? Check out the Games Learning Society website at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.