How can I get a dwarf to adopt a tame vermin?
I have captured and tamed several vermin-type creatures (such as Olms, Fluffy Wamblers, and Cap-Hoppers). After taming them, I have used the stocks screen to mark them as being available for adoption.
There are a few of these tamed creatures inside the original traps they were caught in, and a few that have been transferred into a cage. However, they've all been sitting around for multiple seasons and no dwarf is adopting them. How can I get these critters to be taken up by a dwarf?
Best Answer
According to the wiki, while you cannot force a dwarf to adopt an animal, the dwarf must be wandering nearby the animal. In my experience, since caging cats will prevent their adoption, the animal must not be caged. So the most likely step is to let the vermin out of the cage that they are in. I have not applied this specifically to vermin, but I believe that it still holds. I do not remember whether or not loose tame vermin congregate in the dining hall like other stray animals. To be safe you might want to release them from a cage in the dining hall.
You still cannot force adoption of anything other than working animals, but this should make it possible. Be sure you want to do it though, as a pet's death can cause an unhappy thought and vermin die rather quickly (bats for example only live for 2 or 3 years).
So to reiterate the steps to having a pet vermin:
you must have captured it in an animal trap
tamed it
marked it for pet availability
let it wander loose so dwarves can meet it and decide that it is the most adorable thing ever. ("Who's the cutest little purring maggot ever? you are! yes you!")
This last step is the one I believe that you are missing.
Hopefully this is of some use.
Pictures about "How can I get a dwarf to adopt a tame vermin?"
How do you domesticate animals in Dwarf Fortress?
To have your animal trainer begin taming a wild animal, use z to open the status screen and select the animal menu. Scroll through the list until your captured wild animal is selected and use t to set a trainer to tame it. Note that if a caged animal is fed a plant, seeds will stay in the cage.How do you trap animals in Dwarf Fortress?
To trap an animal, either query a kennel or Butcher's shop and add the a 'Capture a live land animal' task, or b - m build an animal trap, which must then be baited with meat or fish. Many vermin animals are tameable and can be tamed at the kennel.How to tame your dwarf hamster
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