Disney Dreamlight Valley hosts a wide variety of critters, many of which can be fed, pet, and even recruited to assist you on your travels across the village. Interacting with such critters can even net you more Dreamlight, which can be used to unlock additional Biomes, Realms in the Dream Castle, as well as items in Scrooge's Store.
So, are there any perks to feeding the animals? Well, no, not really. That said, if you make it your goal to feed them several times over a number of days, you can recruit them to keep you company as you explore the scattered districts of Dreamlight Valley.
This guide is based on early access content and is subject to change.
How To Feed An Animal
To feed an animal in Dreamlight Valley, simply approach one in any of the available Biomes and interact with it by pressing A on Xbox or Switch, X on PlayStation, or E/Left Click on PC.
By interacting with an animal, you will have the option to feed it one of the items in your Inventory. Note that every animal variant has its own favorite type of food, though you do not need to know it in order to recruit it to your Companions. If you spot a Purple Friendship Star when handing over a food item, then you can rest assured that you've discovered the correct item. By successfully handing over their favorite foods, you will complete additional Dreamlight Duties, which will, in turn, net you more Dreamlight to spend around the Valley.
It's also worth taking into account that you can only feed each variant once every 24 hours. To interact with an animal a second time, you will need to wait until the next day.
How To Recruit An Animal
If you'd like to recruit a critter to keep you company while carrying out your Dreamlight Duties, then you will need to feed it twice. As you can only feed each type of animal once per day, you will need to revisit your chosen friend a second time after a single day has passed.
After you have fed them two items from your Inventory, you will unlock the newfound friend, which can be accessed almost immediately from your Wardrobe.
How To Switch Companions
After you have successfully recruited an animal in Dreamlight Valley, simply navigate to your Wardrobe in the Main Menu. From here, you will notice the Companions that you have unlocked. Select any of the available Companions from the drop-down list, and they will automatically follow you on your travels. To remove them, simply highlight the same Companion box from your Wardrobe.
It is worth noting that, at the time of writing, you cannot switch Companions when visiting Realms within the Dream Castle. You can, however, keep one with you when exploring Dreamlight Valley and its interconnecting Biomes.
