Adopting pets is a fun part of My Time at Sandrock, but to unlock the feature you’ll need to complete the How to Tune Your 
Banjo side quest. Players who aren’t invested in the game’s side content can easily miss this feature or may not know the benefits of opening their home to a furry companion. The guide below goes over how to unlock adopting animals, how to befriend each adoptable animal, and whether or not you can bring Captain home with you.
Banjo triggers the ability to adopt pets in Sandrock.
When Does Adopting Pets Unlock?¶
You can start to befriend the animals around town, but adopting them won’t unlock until How to Tune Your Banjo is completed. This side quest pops up after you complete the In Trusses We Trust main story quest. At this point, Banjo will be found at Eufaula Salvage and then given to 
Cooper due to his problem with marking items as his territory.
After a few days, Banjo will start to live outside your workshop after angering Cooper, and 
Elsie will give you the diagram for the Animal House. This is an easy item to build as it only takes two Hardened Leather and 
Hardwood Planks. Once you build the house and place it near City Hall, you will be able to adopt pets and you’ll be given the Animal Whistle.
How to Adopt Pets¶
To adopt an eligible animal, you will need to set up an Animal House for them and place it around your workshop. Once this is done, you will need to befriend an animal. To bring them home, you must gain 200 Friendship Points with the animal and then select to adopt them from the interaction menu. From this point onwards, they will live at your workshop, and you can rename them.
(1 of 3) Banjo and the Meerkat will appear during quests.
Pets can be dispatched on missions to collect items. They can gather water, gather plants, dig for ore, and explore for a random assortment of items. If you want them to move out, you can purchase a Goodbye Meatball from the Mysterious Man for 500 Gols. When this is gifted to an animal, they will leave your workshop, freeing up your Animal House.
All Adoptable Pets¶
There are a total of seven pets that you can unlock, some of which are DLC only. These pets all have gifts they like and love, and a few only appear once you’ve completed quests. While you can adopt every single pet in town, doing so can take a bit of time as you have to befriend them.
Banjo¶
Banjo is a cat that will arrive after completing In Trusses We Trust. Once you have him settled into the center of town, you can work on getting to know him better. He generally stays around the City Hall area and will often sit near the General Store. Below are the gifts that Banjo likes to receive.
| Gift Level | Gifts |
|---|---|
| Love | Canvas, Composite Fiber Threads, Cute Armchair, Cute Lazy Sofa, Elegant Lounging Chair, Elegant Sofa, Football Toy, Opal, Pet Sofa, Rosestone, Rustic Armchair, Rustic Lounging Chair, Rustic Sofa,  Shiny Scorpion, Sisal Thread,  Spinel, Yakboy Sofa |
| Like |  Amber, Animal House,  Artwork: Windmill, Basic Cushion Chair, Bullhead, Cowprint Sofa, Crucian Carp, Fish Fossil, Fluorite, Golden Bull Head, Love Sofa and Robots, Lungfish, Meowses II Statue, Old Sofa, Sand Carp, Sandacuda, Tape Ball Toy, Yakmel Doll |
CoCo¶
CoCo is an owl that is in town when you arrive. She usually flies around the outskirts of town along the train track and perches on a tree near the oasis. Coco’s loved and liked gifts can be found in the table below.
| Gift Level | Gifts |
|---|---|
| Love |  Bird Swing, Giant Loach, Large Desert Mudfish, Shiny Scorpion |
| Like | Agave,  Alfalfa Salad,  Alfalfa,  Ant Honey, Artwork: Windmill, Avocado, Biocrust, Bird Nest, Cact-o’-Lantern, Cact-o’-Lantern Scarecrow, Cactus Fruit, Cat-on-a-Cact-o’-Lantern, Chestnut Seed, Chestnut,  Cistanche, Coffee Beans,  Coffee Tea Tree Seeds,  Cold Cactus, Desert Mudfish,  Desert Mushroom Strains, Fertilizer,  Fruit Salad,  Jute Cantaloupe Seeds, Large Crucian Carp,  Large Sandacuda,  Potted Cactus,  Potted Chrysanthemums,  Potted Purple Hydrangea,  Rhino Horn Seeds, Rib Meat,  Scorpster, Shellipede,  Sweet Potato Pepper Seeds, Tomato |
Fennec Fox¶
The Fennec Fox was an item that backers received as a reward. Currently, there is no other way to get this pet. If you do have the Fennec Fox unlocked, then it will be sent to you in the mail and will automatically be at buddy level. The table below contains the gifts it likes in case you would like to befriend it further.
| Gift Level | Gifts |
|---|---|
| Love | Camping Den, Foggy Bassia, Opal, Pet Tunnel, Rosestone, Scratching Post, Shiny Scorpion, Spinel |
| Like | Artwork: Windmill, Avocado,  Cantaloupe, Desert Mushroom Strains, Football Toy, Fruit Salad, Heart Blossom,  Horned Adder,  Large Horned Adder,  Large Sand Snake,  Mountain Rose, Raspberry, Rhino Horn Cactus,  Sand Snake, Squeaky Toy, Sweet Potato Pepper Seeds, Wind Chimes |
Gecko¶
Gecko is unlocked by purchasing the Little Gecko DLC. Once you do, you will get a letter, and he will appear in the game as your buddy. The gifts that Gecko enjoys are listed in the table below.
| Gift Level | Gifts |
|---|---|
| Love |  Agate, Amber, Diamond, Fluorite, Gecko Nest, Gecko Toy, Gold, Opal, Pet Tunnel, Potted Chrysanthemums, Potted Purple Hydrangea, Rosestone, Sandworm, Scorpster, Shellipede, Shiny Scorpion,  Sunstone, Spinel |
| Like | Animal Bones, Artwork: Windmill, Jerky, Meat, Steak Surprise,  Water |
Macchiato¶
Macchiato is a cat in Sandrock who is present from the moment you move into town. He can be found in front of City Hall or lying around 
Tailor Made. The table below contains everything the Macchiato likes and loves.
| Gift Level | Gifts |
|---|---|
| Love | Diamond, Fine Steamed Sandfish, Fine  Tomato Fish, Opal, Pet Sofa, Rosestone, Scratching Post, Spinel, Sunstone, Tape Ball Toy, Vintage Assault Rifle, Vintage Pistol, Vintage Shotgun |
| Like | Animal House, Artwork: Windmill,  Big Flowered Rhino Horn Potted Plant, Desert Mudfish, Fish Fossil, Foggy Bassia, Large Desert Mudfish, Large Sandacuda, Meowses II Statue, Rhino Horn Cactus, Salted Fish, Squeaky Toy, Steamed Sandfish, Tomato Fish |
Meerkat¶
The Meerkat will appear after you have become Elsie’s associate. Once you do, the Big Game Hunter mission will appear. The Meerkat is injured, so you must collect two Oregano and three Yellow Lavender to help him. Once you do, he will wander around and outside of Sandrock. The table below goes over what the Meerkat likes and loves.
| Gift Level | Gifts |
|---|---|
| Love | Agate,  Aluminum Ore,  Bloodstone, Camping Den,  Chromium Ore, Foggy Bassia,  Moonstone, Pet Castle, Pet Tunnel, Rhino Horn Cactus, Rope Knot Toy,  Sandcoral, Shiny Scorpion, Squeaky Toy |
| Like | Artwork: Windmill, Coffee Tea Tree Seeds, Delicious Mushroom, Desert Mushroom Strains, Desert Mushroom, Fragrant Satchel, Fruit Salad, Horned Adder, Jute Cantaloupe Seeds, Large Horned Adder, Large Sand Snake, Rhino Horn Seeds, Sand Snake |
Nemo¶
Nemo is a dog that is in Sandrock from the moment you arrive. He can be found wandering around the City Hall area. The table below goes over all the gifts that Nemo likes and loves.
| Gift Level | Gifts |
|---|---|
| Love | Braised BBQ Ribs, Camping Den, Pet Tunnel, Rib Gumbo, Rope Knot Toy, Shiny Scorpion, Sweet and Sour Pork,  Tomato Beef Brisket |
| Like | Artwork: Windmill, Dog Food, Jerky, Manure, Meat Bun, Meaty Bone Toy, Paint, Rib Meat, Wind Chimes, Yakmel Doll |
Can You Adopt Captain in My Time at Sandrock?¶
Unfortunately, you can’t have 
Captain as a pet, as he already has a home at the Civil Corps office. He can be befriended, just like 
X, who lives with 
Fang. X, on the other hand, can move in with you if you marry Fang, but he will stay on his shoulder for the most part, and you can’t send him on missions. Sandy also can’t be adopted as she works for the city of Sandrock.
Other Relationship Guides¶
As you probably know, you can build friendships with and romance humans in My Time at Sandrock, too! Be sure to check the guide below if you need help getting started:
Sign up
No Comments