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To tame animals in Conan Exiles, capture a baby animal or obtain an egg, put it in an Animal Pen, and provide the food listed for that species. Foals belong in a Stable. Eggs must hatch before they can be raised. Food keeps growth running and can improve the chance of a stronger “greater” variant. Mounts are raised pets equipped with saddles, while Age of Heroes Companions are quest-driven character followers rather than pen-raised animals.

What taming means in Conan Exiles

Taming is the growth stage between finding a baby animal and deploying its adult form. You are not training an already-grown creature in the field. Instead, you place a baby in the correct building, add suitable food, and wait while it matures. Funcom described the system as placing a baby pet in a pen so it grows into an adult companion over time; the food you provide also affects the chance of obtaining a greater version.

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Most animal pets use an Animal Pen. Foals, which become riding horses, use a Stable. An egg follows a slightly different path: it must hatch first, then the resulting baby can be raised in the appropriate structure. A shelter with no food does not start or continue growth, so placing a baby and walking away without checking its inventory will leave the process stalled.

Quick-start checklist

  1. Choose the map on which you will play: the Exiled Lands and the Isle of Siptah both contain capturable babies, but availability is not identical.
  2. Find a baby animal, buy an eligible egg or baby from a vendor, or collect a foal if you want a horse.
  3. Build an Animal Pen for ordinary pets or a Stable for foals.
  4. Put the baby into the building’s inventory. Put an egg there only after it has hatched; an unhatched egg needs the correct hatching method first.
  5. Add the food shown for that species. Ordinary food supports growth; selected foods improve the greater-variant odds.
  6. Leave the baby in place until the growth process is complete. Removing it early kills the baby according to the Pet page.
  7. Move the adult to your follower roster, or equip a saddle if it is a mount.

Where to find babies, eggs and foals

Wild babies on both maps

Babies can be captured in the Exiled Lands or on the Isle of Siptah. The exact species and spawn situation depend on the map and the current game version, so treat a location list as version-specific rather than assuming every animal appears in every biome. When planning a taming run, identify the species first, then verify that its baby exists on your map before carrying pen materials into the field.

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Vendor-sold babies and eggs

Some vendors sell young creatures or eggs. The documented examples include a camel calf, a Sand Reaper egg, a Shoebill egg, a Rocknose egg and a Spider egg. Buying an egg does not skip the growth chain: it still has to hatch, and the hatched creature then needs food in the appropriate pen.

Egg hatching times

Egg location Documented time What happens next
Player inventory 48 hours The egg hatches; raise the resulting baby in the required structure.
Compost Heap About 2 hours The egg hatches; transfer the baby for normal pet growth.

These times come from the current Conan Exiles Official Wiki page and should be treated as game-time mechanics that may change in a patch. A Compost Heap is therefore the practical choice when you want to avoid waiting two full days with an egg in your personal inventory, but it does not replace the later pen-and-food stage.

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How to raise a pet step by step

1. Build the right shelter

Use an Animal Pen for most pets. Use a Stable when the creature is a foal intended to become a horse. The building is the growth container, not a decorative holding area; the baby’s progress depends on what is stored inside it.

2. Place the baby or a hatched creature

Open the structure’s inventory and transfer the baby. If you collected an egg, hatch it first using the documented inventory or Compost Heap method. An unhatched egg is not yet the adult’s taming input.

3. Add species-appropriate food

Every baby has a preferred-food table. The ordinary entries on that table support maturation, while particular entries increase the chance of a greater form. Because those tables are creature-specific and can change with patches, do not apply one animal’s “best food” to another species. Check the table for the target creature, map and game version before spending rare ingredients.

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4. Let the timer run

Growth takes place over time while food is available. Keep the baby in the pen or Stable until it is fully grown. The Pet page warns that removing a baby before completion results in its death, so do not take it out merely to inspect progress or relocate the building.

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5. Deploy the adult

When the process finishes, the adult can be used as an ordinary follower or, where supported, prepared as a mount. The adult’s role, inventory capacity and combat behavior are separate decisions from the food you selected during growth.

Food, greater pets and how to choose a feeding plan

Regular growth versus greater-variant odds

Food has two jobs: it keeps the growth process supplied and it influences the probability of a greater pet. A regular food choice is enough to mature the animal; a preferred choice is the one to use when you are deliberately pursuing the stronger variant. “Greater” should not be read as a guaranteed result. The food changes the odds, not the certainty.

Use the table for the exact species

There is no universal food that maximizes every animal. A recommendation is meaningful only when it names the creature and the version in which the recommendation applies. The Isle of Siptah and Exiled Lands may have different acquisition routes, and later patches can revise tables or outcomes. Record the patch number when you plan a large breeding or taming session so an older guide does not lead you to waste ingredients.

Practical feeding workflow

  • Identify the baby’s species before collecting food.
  • Separate cheap growth food from the rarer item used for greater-variant odds.
  • Load enough food to cover the intended growth period; an empty pen will not progress.
  • Check the pen or Stable after a server restart or major update, especially if the game has changed versions.
  • Do not remove the baby to “reroll” a result; early removal is fatal.

Pets, mounts and named Companions are different systems

Category How you obtain it Where it grows or starts Primary use Slot treatment
Ordinary animal pet Capture a baby or obtain an eligible egg Animal Pen after any required egg hatch Follower combat, utility and carrying Uses the normal companion limit
Mount Raise a mount-capable baby or foal Animal Pen for relevant pets; Stable for foals Travel and mounted combat Does not count toward the normal one-companion limit
Age of Heroes Companion Complete its character quest Not raised in an Animal Pen Named follower with powers and perks Managed as a character follower

This distinction prevents a common planning error: a horse is not a separate “vehicle” obtained without taming, and Liu Fei is not an animal pet with a different skin. They come from different systems and have different preparation steps.

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Mounts: horses, camels and rhinos

Which creatures are listed as mounts

The current Mount page lists horses, Camel Variant B and Isle of Siptah rhinos as mounts. A foal belongs in a Stable; other mount-capable animals follow their documented pen process. Before committing resources, confirm that the creature is mountable in your edition and map, because a combat follower and a riding mount are not interchangeable roles.

Saddles and mounted play

A mount requires a saddle for riding. Saddles change how you travel and fight: you gain mounted movement and mounted-combat options, but you also need to manage the mount’s stamina and positioning while attacking. The mount’s ability to carry items can make it useful even when you are not seeking maximum combat damage.

Choosing a mount

  • Travel speed: choose the creature that best fits the distances on your map.
  • Stamina: long journeys and repeated mounted attacks make stamina more important than a short test run suggests.
  • Combat role: consider whether you want to strike from the saddle or use the mount mainly to reach a destination.
  • Carrying capacity: a mount that can haul supplies may be more valuable than one with higher damage.
  • Map and DLC access: Isle of Siptah rhinos are not a universal Exiled Lands option.
  • Cosmetics: Conan Exiles Enhanced’s May 2026 patch added saddle dyeing, so appearance instructions should name the version they target.

Inventory capacity and utility

Carrying capacity can determine whether a pet is a combat choice, a hauling choice or both. The wiki lists most pets with 10 inventory slots, while camels and elephants have 30 and gazelles have 20.

Pet group Listed inventory slots Planning implication
Most pets 10 Useful for modest supplies or a combat loadout.
Gazelles 20 More room for travel materials than the common pet baseline.
Camels and elephants 30 Best suited to larger hauling jobs among the listed capacities.

Inventory size is only one utility measure. Also consider the animal’s combat durability, your own build, follower perks and whether the creature contributes to a resource-production plan. The available evidence establishes the slot counts, but not a universal ranking for damage, harvesting or production; evaluate those traits for the current creature and patch rather than assuming that a larger inventory means a stronger fighter.

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Age of Heroes Companions versus animal pets

Age of Heroes introduced a separate named-Companion category. Funcom identifies Liu Fei, a Khitan sorcerer, and Freya, an Aesir warrior. Each has a quest and becomes a follower with new powers and perks.

These characters do not come from babies, eggs, Animal Pens or Stables. Their progression is quest-driven, so a player looking for a named humanoid follower should pursue the relevant quest instead of searching animal spawns. Conversely, a player who wants a greater panther, camel or other animal must use the pet system and its food tables; completing a Companion quest will not produce an animal.

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Choosing the right companion for your objective

If mobility is the priority

Use a mount. Compare travel speed, stamina, saddle requirements and whether the mount is available on your map. A mount’s separate treatment from the normal companion limit lets you plan travel without giving up your ordinary follower slot.

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If combat support is the priority

Compare damage, durability, follower perks and how the animal complements your character build. A greater-variant attempt may be worthwhile when the food cost is acceptable, but the greater result is probabilistic rather than guaranteed.

If hauling is the priority

Start with inventory capacity. The documented 30-slot camel and elephant capacity is three times the 10-slot baseline listed for most pets, while gazelles provide 20 slots. Then check whether the creature’s map availability and acquisition cost fit your route.

If you want a named storyline follower

Choose an Age of Heroes Companion and follow its quest. Treat it as a character-follower decision, not an animal-taming project.

Troubleshooting stalled or failed taming

The growth bar does not move

  • Confirm that the baby is inside an Animal Pen or, for a foal, a Stable.
  • Check that food is present and matches the creature’s accepted table.
  • Make sure you did not leave an unhatched egg where a baby is required.
  • After an update, verify the current species table and restart the game or server if inventories appear desynchronized.

The egg has not hatched

Check where it is being held. The documented timing is 48 hours in a player inventory or about two hours in a Compost Heap. Moving it between locations changes the expected wait, and the egg still requires a later baby-growth stage.

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The baby disappeared

Early removal is the first thing to rule out: the Pet page states that taking a baby out before it is fully grown results in death. If you did not remove it, inspect the structure’s inventory, server logs and recent patch notes before repeating the process with another rare baby.

The result is not a greater pet

Food changes the chance; it does not guarantee the greater form. Use the species-specific preferred food next time, but plan for ordinary outcomes and avoid spending irreplaceable ingredients on the assumption that one attempt must succeed.

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. Those platform changes are a reason to attach a version number to any food table, mount behavior or follower-slot claim you publish or rely on. A mechanic that worked on an older branch may need to be rechecked after the update.

The May 2026 Enhanced patch added saddle dyeing, which affects cosmetic preparation but not the underlying need to raise a mount and equip a saddle. For reliable planning, record your map, edition, patch number and whether you are using a vendor purchase, wild baby or egg.

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Planning a low-waste taming session

  1. Define the job: decide whether you need transport, combat, hauling or a named quest follower.
  2. Confirm the source: identify a valid baby, vendor or egg on your map.
  3. Prepare the structure: build the Animal Pen or Stable before bringing the creature home.
  4. Budget food: reserve enough ordinary food for uninterrupted growth and preferred food only if a greater attempt is worth the cost.
  5. Handle eggs correctly: use the Compost Heap when the approximately two-hour hatch route suits your schedule; otherwise account for the 48-hour inventory timing.
  6. Protect the process: keep the baby in place until fully grown and avoid moving it during maintenance or after a major patch until you have checked the current rules.
  7. Assign the finished companion: equip a saddle for a mount, load supplies into a hauling pet or select the follower that complements your combat build.

Bottom line

Animal taming in Conan Exiles is a managed growth system: obtain a baby or egg, hatch eggs when necessary, use an Animal Pen or Stable, feed the correct table and wait until adulthood. Food determines both whether growth continues and how likely a greater variant is, but it never guarantees one. Mounts add saddles, riding and a separate treatment from the normal companion limit; Age of Heroes Companions are quest-earned characters and do not belong in the animal system. Because Enhanced is changing during 2026, check the map and patch number before trusting a food, mount or follower recommendation.

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