Top 5 animal mobs that are comparatively difficult to breed in Minecraft (2022)

Minecraft has a wide assortment of animal mobs in both the Overworld and Nether dimensions, many of whom can be bred to increase their numbers.

Although there are many animals to breed in Minecraft, many require different items. To initiate love mode and breed mobs, a particular food item is typically required. These food items range from easily accessible to somewhat difficult to acquire, but no breeding items are exceptionally tough to get.

That being said, some animal mobs are tougher to breed than others, but that shouldn't dissuade players from doing so. Many of the tough-to-bred mobs are some of the best.

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Minecraft: The toughest mobs to breed in-game

5) Axolotls

Axolotls require tropical fish to breed (Image via Mojang)

One of the more recently-added mobs in Minecraft, Axolotls, are helpful aquatic mobs that can provide players with benefits such as Regeneration or the removal of Mining Fatigue.

Because of this, breeding Axolotls and bringing them into locations such as Ocean Monuments is a tactful move. However, unlike some mobs, Axolotls require buckets of tropical fish to breed. Since each bucket only holds one fish, players must accrue multiple buckets to breed Axolotls in succession.

In addition to the breeding requirements, Axolotls currently only generate within lush cave biomes, making them tricky to find on top of being tricky to breed.

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4) Turtles

Turtles overlooking their delicate eggs (Image via Mojang)

Requiring seagrass to breed in Minecraft, turtles aren't difficult to breed due to their food item. Instead, it comes down to the fragile nature of their eggs, which are created after breeding.

Turtle eggs take a considerably long time to hatch, and they can be easily broken by players or other entities trampling on them.

This means players may have to take extra steps to cordon off a shoreline area where turtles breed, as protecting their eggs can be challenging depending on the location and the difficulty.

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3) Pandas

Pandas possess extra breeding requirements past their food items (Image via Mojang)

Although players often like to breed jungle biome-native pandas, doing so isn't relatively as straightforward as one might think. Though pandas feast on bamboo to enter love mode in Minecraft, they also require at least eight bamboo blocks within a five-block radius of both parents.

Without the proximity to this bamboo, the pandas will simply eat the bamboo given to them. In addition to this parameter, feeding two pandas too close together can also cause them to become hostile towards the player.

Since there's a specific method to breeding them, and they aren't all that easy to find, pandas can be a handful for newer breeders.

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2) Striders/Hoglins

A strider and hoglin rendered in CG (Image via CGTrader)

Natives of the harsh Nether dimension, striders and hoglins are two widely different mobs who share similarities in their breeding items.

Striders require warped fungus, while hoglins need crimson fungus. Both of these food items are mushroom-like fungi that grow in the forests of the Nether. Given the dangerous nature of the Nether itself, obtaining either of these items can be treacherous.

It's also worth noting that hoglins, in particular, are hostile to players by default, so breeding them can be dangerous unless the appropriate steps are taken.

Hoglins don't attack a player that stands near a block they are afraid of, such as a respawn anchor or a warped fungi block, so staying near a safe block during breeding is advised.

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1) Tamed Horses and Donkeys

Different horse variations in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

Even though horses and donkeys are much more accessible to players thanks to their prevalence in plains biomes, breeding tamed versions of these animals requires golden food items. Taming horses and donkeys need either golden apples, golden carrots, or enchanted golden apples.

Despite golden food items being lootable from certain chests within generated structures, golden apples require eight golden ingots, and carrots require golden nuggets. Enchanted golden apples are uncraftable and are much more beneficial when eaten by players.

Since mining gold in Minecraft is often time-consuming, using one's gold reserves to breed tamed horses and donkeys should only really be performed when players have plenty of gold to spare.