How to Tame Pandas in Minecraft?

Minecraft is filled with adorably fluffy and friendly animals, including the iconic cuddly panda! Like other animals in the game, pandas have their own preferred foods, special behaviors, and loveable quirks. But, turning a wild Minecraft panda into a loyal companion is not as simple as most other creatures in the game.

Players cannot technically tame pandas in Minecraft vanilla. But, they can befriend these creatures by feeding them bamboo, and there are a few ways to make them act as pets in the game – such as by containing them in a custom, escape-proof panda pen and giving them name tags to ensure they don’t despawn.

Pandas are one of the most well-loved animals in countless video games, and their inclusion in Minecraft is no exception. It’s completely understandable that anyone would want these bouncing furballs rolling around their Minecraft home. Stick around to find out how to befriend pandas, make them act as pets, and what they will need to stay happy.

Pandas In Minecraft

This majestic stripy bear is one of the latest additions to the mob creature selection in Minecraft. Players have gone absolutely bonkers for these fuzzy beasts – to be fair, there’s nothing not to love about them!

Pandas are classified as neutral mobs in Minecraft, meaning that they are not aggressive towards players but are not exactly friendly either. These creatures live in trees, happily hopping between them and keeping themselves occupied.

However, they can become annoyed or angsty if players disturb them without any cause, and can harm players in some cases. These animals have uniquely playful and ditzy personalities, as expected, and they can come in two types in Minecraft – Normal Pandas and Brown Pandas.

Can You Tame Pandas In Minecraft?

When it comes to fashioning a panda-pet type situation, the approach will need to be somewhat different. Technically, these wild creatures cannot actually be tamed like other Minecraft animals – such as wolves, foxes, and farm animals.

But, not being able to tame them formally doesn’t mean you can’t have a panda companion at all in Minecraft, as players are able to befriend them and keep them happy. The process can take time and effort though, so players will need to be prepared for a worthwhile yet challenging adventure.

Still, the process can reward panda roommates and panda friends! We’ve outlined everything you need to know about befriending pandas and even getting them to act as pets in Minecraft, with images thanks to IGN and Gamerant.

Befriending Pandas In Minecraft

Start off the process by tracking down a bunch of pandas in your Minecraft world. This can take quite a while, depending on where your character has spawned in the Minecraft world.

Where To Find Pandas In Minecraft

Pandas typically roam the Minecraft world in packs of about 2 or 3, lazing or rolling around and dining on occasional treats – just like their real counterparts!

They can commonly be found in Bamboo Jungle areas, but they could also be located in Jungle Biomes as well.

How Much Food Does It Take To Befriend a Panda?

Pandas will need to be befriended using food, similar to other animals in Minecraft throughout the taming process. Players need to be wary of their standards though, as feeding them anything other than their favorite foods can make them angry and pose risks for the player.

These animals should ideally be fed bamboo (they have a seemingly endless appetite for bamboo – just a warning). Bamboo can be collected from the surrounding biome and stacked up in your inventory.

They may not take food from players’ hands immediately, so players can also try showing them the food and dropping it on the ground in front of them. They will pick up the food and eat it off of the ground, which can help you progress towards friendship status.

Players will need to keep feeding the pandas bamboo until hearts appear above their heads. It’s best to stock up on over enough bamboo, just in case, as some pandas may only become friendly towards players after receiving a more than average-sized meal.

Oddly enough, pandas can also be fed cakes to make them happy, although this method is not as reliable as cakes aren’t easy to acquire in the game. Still, players can use cakes to speed up the process, followed by bamboo sticks until the pandas become friendly.

How Long Does It Take To Befriend a Panda In Minecraft?

It should not take too long to make a panda friend in Minecraft, as they will become friendly towards the player after the player gives them bamboo for a short while. The process generally takes only a few minutes, but it can take longer than expected in some cases – like for fussy or greedy pandas.

How To Create a Panda Farm In Minecraft

The main reason why most Minecraft players want to tame a panda is that they may be dreaming of a Minecraft survival base or home surrounded by happy, friendly, ad bubbly panda companions. While you cannot technically tame pandas, you can still create a panda farm on your base.

From personal experience, the process is going to be tricky and time-consuming, and it will require some strategic approaches – many of which will have you backstepping one block at a time for an indefinite timeframe. But, if you adore pandas, it will be worth it!

How To Get a Panda To Live With You

Getting a panda to live with you is going to be tough, potentially impossible depending on where you have spawned. However, if you can find or create a clear, mostly level pathway from their location to your survival base, it is possible.

Can You Put a Lead On a Panda?

Unfortunately, it is impossible to put a lead on a panda in Minecraft. These plump, playful, and free-spirited creatures cannot be tied down – literally. They roam as they please and can only be contained with walls or fences.

In most cases, players simply opt to leave them in their natural habitats, placing name tags on them to make sure that the befriended pandas do not despawn. But, there is a tried and tested way to get a panda to willingly move in with you.

Luring Pandas To Your Minecraft Home

Three words – bamboo, perseverance, and manipulation. Yes, we are manipulating the pandas to get them to come home with us, but it’s fine as long you swear to protect, feed, and love them forever!

Pandas have a seemingly endless craving for bamboo sticks, and we can use this to our advantage in the game. Once they become friendly toward players, they will follow the player around as long as the player has bamboo equipped in their hand.

So, players will need to physically lure them back to their base with bamboo in their hand, backstepping one block at a time. This is since pandas are slow and chilled-out creatures, and you’ll need to make sure they don’t lose the pandas along the way.

The entire process can be made easier if you have a friend to do it with you, and you will need to bring necessary items for your own character’s needs as well. Players may encounter a few issues during the process, which they can combat with the following approaches.

1. Multiple pandas following: This may feel overwhelming to manage, but it is not a ‘problem’ at all. If you have many pandas following your trail, that’s great! It will be far easier to get a handful of pandas all at once if possible. You’ll just have to find a way to keep up with all of them at once, using over enough bamboo.

2. Pandas lose interest: When the pandas begin losing interest, feed them one piece of bamboo each. Do not feed them so many bamboo sticks that they become full and walk away.

3. Pandas become full: If you’re traveling a far distance back to base, the pandas may become full during the journey, meaning that they will eventually tire and stop following you. It would be a shame to lose this progress, so create a mini-biome on the spot so you can come back to continue another time. You’ll need to do the following the make sure this works:

• Secure a generous area around them so that they’re comfortable, depending on the amount of pandas present.
• Create high fencing around the pandas so that they cannot bounce out.
• Make sure there is a water source, and a few shallow blocks of water if possible.
• Plant some bamboo inside so that they have food.
• Place a name tag on each panda so that they do not despawn.
• Most of these items can be recollected when you continue the process.

Creating a Panda Home

If you’re planning on bringing the pandas home with you, no matter how hard or frustrating, then this step should ideally be done first. But, you could also do it at a later stage if the pandas have somewhere safe to wait it out on your property as well.

Pandas will need a comfortable yet cozy space to play and live, so try to make something really special for them to make sure they stay happy. Thankfully, the essential blocks are very easy to acquire. You should make sure you still have bamboo leftover from their biome and can collect common blocks for the surface.

Consider these aspects when making your panda playpen:

• The ground should be made using a combination of grass and sand.
• The amount of space should be fairly large, allowing room for breeding.
• There should be eight bamboo blocks within a five-block radius of one another throughout the area.
• Pandas love bouncing around, so you can create small hills for them as well – just make sure the hills aren’t so high that they can bounce out.
• Create a small and shallow pond, as pandas enjoy bathing and playing in the water.
• Make sure they have access to extras like water, flowers, and lighting.
• Secure the area with high fencing to make sure they don’t escape. Place two gates at the player’s level and place fences above the gates, or add blocks to act as a doorframe, fitted with a door (without a pressure plate). The entire area should be escape-proof.
• You could finish off the top with fencing if necessary, to act as a roof-type barrier.
• Decorate as desired.

Lead the pandas into their home once you have created it and made sure they cannot escape. You may need to leave an open area for them to get in, as they may also pack on each other and get stuck. Lead them to the back of the pen, and close it off again.

How To Breed Pandas

What’s more adorable than pandas? Panda cubs of course! If you have created adequate living arrangements for the pandas, getting them to breed will be somewhat easier. But, they are lazy, and encouragement will be necessary.

Simply feed two adult pandas and push them together until hearts appear. Once the hearts appear above them, make sure the bamboo is not in your hand, or they will be drawn to you instead of their mate.

If it works correctly, you’ll have a bouncing baby panda! Make sure to place name tags on all of the new panda friends whenever possible, just to make sure that they do not despawn as they are still technically wild mobs.

Summarized Step-By-Step Guide

1. Prepare your panda home (structure, water, additions, fencing, etc.)
2. Locate the pandas (bamboo biome or jungle biome)
3. Create a mostly-level pathway from the bamboo biome to your base if needed.
4. Prepare inventory (fences, bamboo, water, name tags)
5. Feed pandas bamboo (drop it on the floor first if they won’t eat from your hand) until they become friendly, indicated by hearts.
6. Lure them along the clear pathway back to your base by keeping the bamboo in your hand, ensuring that your backstep block per block.
7. Give each panda a name tag so that they do not despawn.
8. If they lose interest or you’re losing daylight (nighttime mobs), create a mini biome with fences and bamboo trees so you can continue at the next sunrise.
9. Repeat the process until you reach your survival base with the pandas.
10. Set them up in the panda playpen you have created, and close it off to ensure it is escape-proof.
11. Encourage breeding as you wish for baby pandas.
12. Place name tags on any new pandas to make sure they do not despawn.

Alternatively, players can also use the Tameable Pandas Addon, which will enable pandas to be tamed and add a few more features for their usage, such as:

• Tameable with Bamboo
• Rideable (place cake in the saddle slot to control it)
• Use bamboo to give them more speed
• Follows their owner
• Protects their owner against aggressive mobs
• Can be commanded to sit or stand
• Breedable

Making a panda friend or even a panda farm in Minecraft is undeniably tricky, and it can be frustrating as the process is fairly different from other passive or neutral mobs in the game. Still, it is possible, and with some time, effort, and commitment, you’ll be sharing your Minecraft vanilla survival home with a bunch of fuzzy and happy panda families in no time!