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Conan Exiles Animal Taming Guide: How to Raise Pets, Get Mounts and Use Companions (2026)

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In Conan Exiles, taming means raising a baby animal into an adult follower. Put a captured baby in an Animal Pen, or a foal in a Stable, then provide the food that creature accepts. Growth stops without food, and the food you choose affects the chance of producing a stronger “greater” variant. Eggs follow a separate hatch step before they can be raised.

This guide covers the complete loop on the Exiled Lands and Isle of Siptah, how mounts differ from ordinary pets, and why Age of Heroes Companions are a separate, quest-driven system.

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What animal taming does in Conan Exiles

A tameable animal starts as a baby (or, in some cases, an egg). You do not train an adult creature directly. Instead, you provide the correct facility and food so the young animal grows over time into an adult follower. Funcom describes the intended loop as placing a baby pet in a pen and letting it grow into an adult companion.

The practical sequence is:

  1. Find or obtain a baby animal, or obtain an egg and hatch it.
  2. Place the baby in an Animal Pen. Use a Stable for a foal intended to become a horse.
  3. Add an accepted food item.
  4. Leave the animal in the facility until it is fully grown.
  5. Remove the finished pet and assign it as a follower when you are ready to use it.

The pen or stable is only a shelter and growth container; it does not start the process by itself. Food must be present. Removing a baby before it is fully grown kills it, so do not empty the pen simply to move an unfinished pet.

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Animal Pen or Stable: choose the right facility

Animal Pen for ordinary pets

Use an Animal Pen for most land animals. Put the baby inside, place an appropriate food item in the pen’s inventory, and keep the pen supplied while the animal matures. Each species has its own preferred-food information, so check the entry for the exact animal rather than assuming that food for one species works for another.

Stable for foals and horses

A foal belongs in a Stable rather than an Animal Pen. The Stable is the growth facility for horse mounts; after the foal matures, you can equip the horse with a saddle and ride it. Treat the Stable as a parallel system to the Animal Pen: the same broad idea (young creature plus food plus time) applies, but the creature and equipment are different.

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Plan the enclosure before collecting animals

  • Build the required pen or Stable before bringing a baby home so it is not left exposed while you prepare.
  • Keep the food supply nearby and identify which item the target species accepts.
  • Leave room for the grown animal and for accessing the inventory without accidentally removing an unfinished baby.
  • On a server with accelerated or modified settings, expect growth behavior to differ from an unmodified game.

Where to find babies and eggs

Capturing babies in the world

Baby animals can be found and captured in both the Exiled Lands and the Isle of Siptah. The exact species and spawn locations depend on the map, so use the map-specific entry for the animal you want. A baby obtained on one map does not imply that the same creature is available in the same way on the other.

Buying eggs or babies

Some vendors sell young animals or eggs. The documented examples include:

Creature or item Acquisition noted in the game’s pet information Next step
Camel calf Baby sold by certain vendors Place the calf in an Animal Pen and feed it
Sand Reaper egg Egg sold by certain vendors Hatch the egg, then raise the baby in an Animal Pen
Shoebill egg Egg sold by certain vendors Hatch the egg, then raise the baby in an Animal Pen
Rocknose egg Egg sold by certain vendors Hatch the egg, then raise the baby in an Animal Pen
Spider egg Egg sold by certain vendors Hatch the egg, then raise the baby in an Animal Pen

Vendor inventory, location and availability can be affected by the map, server configuration and game updates. If an expected item is absent, confirm that you are checking the correct vendor and current version before assuming the system is broken.

How egg hatching works

An egg is not a ready-to-raise baby. The current wiki information gives two documented hatch timings:

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Egg location Hatch time What happens next
Player inventory 48 hours The hatched baby can be moved to an Animal Pen
Compost Heap About 2 hours The hatched baby can be moved to an Animal Pen

The two-hour Compost Heap figure is approximate, while the inventory figure is stated as 48 hours. These are the documented baseline timings; server multipliers and later patches can change the time you actually observe.

Step-by-step: raise a baby into a pet

  1. Identify the target creature and map. Decide whether you are working on the Exiled Lands or Isle of Siptah, then confirm that the creature is obtainable there or from a vendor.
  2. Acquire a baby or egg. Capture a baby in the world, purchase one from a vendor where available, or obtain an egg.
  3. Hatch an egg first. Keep the egg in your inventory for the long hatch cycle, or use a Compost Heap for the documented approximately two-hour route. Do not place an unhatched egg in a pen expecting it to grow like a baby.
  4. Build the facility. Use an Animal Pen for the normal pet species. Use a Stable when the young animal is a horse foal.
  5. Place the baby inside. Verify that the animal appears in the facility inventory and has not been left on the ground.
  6. Add accepted food. Put food in the pen or Stable. Without food, the shelter does not begin growth.
  7. Choose food with the greater form in mind. Regular food supports growth; the selected food also changes the chance of a greater variant. Follow the preferred-food table for that exact species and the current game version.
  8. Wait for completion. Leave the baby in place until it is fully grown. Removing it early results in its death.
  9. Equip or assign the adult. Move the finished pet out when it is safe to do so. A horse additionally needs a saddle before it can be ridden.

Food, growth and greater pets

Food has two jobs

Food is both a growth requirement and a quality decision. An accepted regular food keeps the animal progressing. A preferred food can improve the odds that the finished pet is a greater version, which is generally the stronger form of that creature.

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There is no single “best pet food” that applies to every animal. Each baby has a species-specific preferred-food table, and the table can change with patches. A food that improves the odds for one animal should not be presented as doing the same for another.

Use version- and map-specific tables

When you look up a food recommendation, record three details alongside it:

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  • Species: the exact baby you are raising, not merely its family or adult appearance.
  • Map: Exiled Lands or Isle of Siptah, because availability and related systems can differ.
  • Game version: especially if you are playing Conan Exiles Enhanced, where active patches can revise mechanics.

If a guide lists a food without those qualifications, treat it as an unverified generalization. The safest procedure is to use the current preferred-food entry for your target animal, keep enough ordinary food to prevent a growth pause, and use the preferred item when you are deliberately pursuing the greater form.

What the greater-pet decision costs you

Trying for a greater variant means committing scarce or inconvenient food during the entire growth cycle. Decide whether the extra effort serves your goal: a combat follower may justify the attempt, while a utility animal that is only carrying supplies may not. The game does not make every greater-form chase equally efficient, and the odds are not interchangeable between species.

Pets, mounts and their practical differences

A mount is a mountable pet used for travel and combat. It still begins as a young animal that must be raised, but it adds riding equipment, stamina and mounted-combat considerations. Mounts also receive separate treatment in follower management: they do not count toward the normal one-companion limit.

Mounts listed in the current information

Mount How it enters the system What to plan for
Horse Raise a foal in a Stable Equip a saddle for riding and mounted combat
Camel Variant B Raise the relevant young animal in an Animal Pen Use its mount role when comparing carrying capacity and travel needs
Isle of Siptah rhino Raise the relevant young animal in an Animal Pen Availability is tied to the Isle of Siptah context; check your map and edition

The current Mount information specifically lists horses, Camel Variant B and Isle of Siptah rhinos. Do not assume that every adult animal is mountable simply because it can be raised as a pet.

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How to choose a mount

  • Travel speed and stamina: important for long crossings and repeated trips.
  • Mounted combat: consider whether you want to attack while riding or dismount and use a ground follower.
  • Carrying capacity: a mount that transports supplies can be more useful than one chosen only for appearance.
  • Map and DLC access: an Isle of Siptah option is not automatically available on another map.
  • Slot management: mounts are handled separately from the ordinary one-companion limit, which lets you keep a ground follower while travelling on horseback or another mount.

Saddles and current cosmetic behavior

A mount needs a saddle before it functions as a rideable transport option. The May 2026 Enhanced patch added saddle dyeing, so instructions or screenshots about saddle appearance should be checked against the version you are playing. Cosmetic options do not change the underlying taming steps.

Pet inventory and utility

Storage is one of the clearest reasons to choose one pet over another. The documented inventory figures are:

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  • harvest resources to craft tools and weapons, then build anything from a small home to entire cities piece by piece
Pet group Inventory slots How to use that information
Most pets 10 slots Suitable for a modest field load or basic follower utility
Gazelles 20 slots Useful when you want more space without choosing the largest carriers
Camels and elephants 30 slots Best suited to hauling larger loads when their availability and combat role fit your trip

Slot counts describe storage capacity, not combat strength, speed or survivability. Compare all of those traits before committing food and time to a pet. A high-capacity carrier may be the right answer for resource runs, while a smaller combat follower may be better for a dangerous expedition.

Are Age of Heroes Companions the same as pets?

No. Age of Heroes introduced a separate named-Companion category. These are quest-driven character followers, not animal babies that you raise in an Animal Pen.

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Liu Fei

Liu Fei is identified as a Khitan sorcerer. The character has a quest and becomes a follower with new powers and perks. You recruit and progress this character through the Age of Heroes content rather than by supplying animal food.

Freya

Freya is identified as an Aesir warrior. Like Liu Fei, she has a quest and becomes a follower with powers and perks. Her recruitment path belongs to the named-Companion system, not the Animal Pen or Stable loop.

When to choose a named Companion

Choose a named Companion when you want a character with a quest context and defined powers or perks. Choose an animal pet when you need a creature follower, a mount, or the carrying utility associated with animal inventory slots. The two categories solve different problems and should not be described as interchangeable.

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Choosing the right follower for a job

For mobility

Start with a mount. Compare travel speed, stamina and your willingness to fight from the saddle. Because mounts are managed separately from the ordinary companion limit, you can retain a ground follower while riding.

For direct combat

Compare damage, durability and follower perks, then account for your own build. A pet that looks strong on paper may not fit a player who already depends on a close-range or ranged combat style. A greater variant can be worth pursuing when the extra strength supports your intended fights, but the food cost and chance remain species-specific.

For hauling resources

Prioritize inventory slots and the route you plan to travel. Most pets provide 10 slots, gazelles provide 20, and camels and elephants provide 30 according to the documented pet information. Carrying capacity matters only if the animal can survive and keep pace with the trip.

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  • Explore a vast world: explore a giant world, from the Burning desert in the south to the snow-capped mountains in the north. Discover ancient cultures, ruins, and dungeons
  • Survive: stay warm, cool yourself down, drink and eat, weather scouring sandstorms, prevent your mind from being corrupted when exploring dark dungeons, and battle vicious monsters to stay alive
  • Build: harvest resources to craft tools and weapons, then build anything from a Small home to entire cities. Build walls, traps, elevators, and more
  • Dominate: wage war against your enemies, use siege weapons and explosives and see their walls crumble to dust, then unleash your savage Fury in violent and brutal combat
  • Play together or alone: play alone locally or fight for survival and dominance in persistent multiplayer on public servers. You can also host your own server and invite others to join you

For availability

Check the map, DLC or edition, vendor access, baby location and egg requirements before selecting a target. An animal that is easy to obtain on one map may require a different acquisition route elsewhere.

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For low-risk growth

Pick a creature whose food is easy for you to maintain and whose greater form is optional rather than essential. Secure the facility and food first; collecting a baby before you can feed it creates an avoidable death risk.

Troubleshooting common taming problems

The baby is not growing

  • Check that it is inside the correct facility: Animal Pen for normal pets, Stable for a horse foal.
  • Confirm that accepted food is present in the facility inventory.
  • Verify that you are looking at a baby, not an unhatched egg.
  • Review server settings if your world uses accelerated, slowed or otherwise modified growth.

The egg never becomes a baby

Confirm where the egg is being stored. The documented baseline is 48 hours in a player inventory and about two hours in a Compost Heap. If the server uses different rates, the actual timer may not match those values. Once the egg hatches, move the baby to an Animal Pen and begin normal feeding.

The animal died when I moved it

The pet information warns that removing a baby before it is fully grown results in its death. Leave unfinished babies in the pen or Stable until the growth process is complete.

I cannot find the food that a guide recommends

Food recommendations are creature-specific and can change with patches. Check the current table for the exact species, map and game version instead of substituting a recommendation from another animal.

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The mount will not let me ride

Verify that the animal is fully grown and that the required saddle is equipped. A foal must mature in a Stable before it becomes a horse mount.

A vendor does not have the listed egg or baby

Vendor stock can depend on the map, edition and current update. Recheck the vendor associated with that item and confirm that your server has the content enabled.

Version notes for Conan Exiles Enhanced

Conan Exiles Enhanced is an active 2026 branch. Update 2.2.0, dated September 15, 2026, upgraded the game to Unreal Engine 5.8.2 and introduced Iris networking. Because animal food tables, mount behavior and follower rules can change after patches, record the version whenever you document a recipe, a mount comparison or a greater-pet recommendation.

The May 2026 Enhanced patch also added saddle dyeing. That is a cosmetic mount feature, not a replacement for the Stable, food or saddle requirements. If a guide was written for an earlier build, verify every mechanic that matters to your decision before investing rare food or beginning a long hatch timer.

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A practical decision checklist

  • What is the job: travel, mounted combat, ground combat, hauling or a quest-based follower?
  • Which map are you playing: Exiled Lands or Isle of Siptah?
  • Is the target obtained as a baby, purchased, or hatched from an egg?
  • Do you have the correct Animal Pen or Stable ready?
  • Can you supply accepted food for the entire growth period?
  • Are you pursuing a greater form, and is its species-specific food worth the chance?
  • Does the animal’s inventory capacity match the load you need to carry?
  • Will the follower fit your ordinary companion slot, or is it a mount handled separately?
  • Is your information current for the Enhanced version and server settings you use?

Answering those questions before you collect the baby prevents the most expensive mistakes: starting without food, waiting on an egg in the wrong place, or killing an unfinished pet by removing it early.

Quick Recap

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