What Do Dolphins Eat in Minecraft? The Ultimate Deep Sea Guide

Dolphins in Minecraft eat Raw Cod and Raw Salmon. These are the only two food items that Dolphins will accept from players. You cannot feed them any other food type in the game.

Dolphins swim in groups, and they can be found in ocean biomes. Feeding a Dolphin will guide players to underwater treasure locations. Also, you’ll get swimming speed boosts when you swim near Dolphins in Minecraft.

In this guide, we’ll explain what dolphins eat in Minecraft, how to feed them correctly, why feeding them benefits your gameplay, where you can find them in the world, and how to maintain a steady supply of the fish they need.

What Do You Feed Dolphins in Minecraft?

Dolphins will only eat Raw Cod and Raw Salmon in Minecraft. If you try to feed Dolphins anything other than these two food items, it won’t work.

• Cooked Cod and Cooked Salmon do not affect Dolphins.
• Dolphins won’t eat Tropical Fish.
• Pufferfish cannot be fed to Dolphins.
• Dolphins ignore Bread, Kelp, and other food items.

When you successfully feed a Dolphin, green plus signs will appear above the Dolphin’s body. Dolphins can only eat while they are in water. They must be swimming in water for the feeding interaction to work.

Best Way to Feed Dolphins in Minecraft

You can feed Dolphins in Minecraft through direct interaction using Raw Cod or Raw Salmon

Hold Raw Cod or Raw Salmon in your hand and swim close to the Dolphin. Press your interaction key while facing it:

• PC: Right-click
• PlayStation: L2
• Xbox: LT
• Nintendo Switch: ZL
• Mobile/Touchscreen: Tap the “Feed” button that appears on screen

Dolphins cannot be fed by dropping fish into the water. While Dolphins will play with dropped fish items, this does not actually feed them or provide any benefits.

If you have attacked a Dolphin and made it hostile, feeding will not calm it down. Hostile Dolphins remain aggressive even after being fed. In such cases, we recommend moving away and coming back later, so everything resets.

Why You Should Feed Dolphins in Minecraft

You should feed Dolphins in Minecraft because there are certain advantages that you can unlock through the interaction, like:

• Treasure guidance
  • Fed dolphins will swim toward the nearest shipwreck, ocean ruin, or buried treasure location.
  • If a chest has already been looted or destroyed, the dolphin can recalculate and lead you to another treasure.
• Faster underwater travel
  • Swimming near dolphins grants a temporary speed boost.
• Synergy with enchantments
  • The dolphin speed boost combines well with enchantments like Depth Strider.

Where to Find Dolphins in Minecraft

Dolphins spawn in ocean biomes of Minecraft. They appear in groups called pods, and here are all the ocean biomes where you can find Dolphins:

• Regular ocean biomes
• Deep ocean biomes
• Lukewarm ocean biomes
• Deep Lukewarm ocean biomes
• Warm ocean biomes

Dolphins will not spawn in these ocean types:

• Frozen ocean biomes
• Cold ocean biomes
• Deep Frozen ocean biomes
• Deep Cold ocean biomes

Dolphins are neutral mobs, so they won’t attack players unless provoked. They need both water and air to survive. Dolphins surface for air roughly every four minutes and will begin drowning if kept underwater for too long. They can also only survive on land for about two minutes before suffocating.

Can You Tame or Breed Dolphins in Minecraft?

You cannot tame Dolphins in Minecraft. Feeding them does not create a taming bond as it does with wolves or cats. Dolphins remain wild creatures regardless of how much fish you feed them.

You cannot breed Dolphins in Minecraft, especially in Vanilla servers. You can’t produce baby Dolphins by feeding two adults, no matter which fish you use or how long you wait. Baby Dolphins only appear through natural spawning in the wild. Dolphin breeding can be possible in modified servers, and there are plenty of them on MineRank’s Minecraft server list.

However, the recent Tiny Takeover Drop introduced the Golden Dandelion, which prevents naturally spawned baby Dolphins from maturing into adults. Apply it once to pause ageing indefinitely, or use it again to resume normal growth.

If you want to have Dolphins nearby all the time, you’ll need to make a Lead and use it on Dolphins to physically tow them to your location.

How to Stock Up on Dolphin Food

You need Raw Cod and Raw Salmon to feed Minecraft Dolphins. Here are the fastest ways to collect them:

• Fishing Rods
  • Both Cod and Salmon spawn in most ocean biomes. You can add Luck of the Sea to your rod for better catch rates, or a Lure to reduce waiting time.
• Hunting with Swords
  • You can swim through oceans and kill fish directly with your sword.
• Looting Chests
  • Shipwreck chests often contain stacks of raw fish.
• Automated Farms
  • Build an AFK fishing farm if you need large amounts of fish.

FAQs About Dolphins in Minecraft

What do you feed Dolphins in Minecraft?

You can only feed Raw Cod and Raw Salmon to Dolphins in Minecraft. No other food items will work.

How do you keep Dolphins alive in a tank in Minecraft?

You can keep Minecraft Dolphins alive in a tank by building them at least 5 blocks deep with both water and air space at the top. Dolphins need to surface for air every 4 minutes, or they’ll drown.

Can you ride a Dolphin in Minecraft?

No, you cannot ride Dolphins in Minecraft. They aren’t mountable mobs, like horses or pigs.

Is there a way to tame Dolphins in Minecraft?

No, Dolphins cannot be tamed in Minecraft.

How to befriend a Dolphin in Minecraft?

Feeding a Dolphin Raw Cod and Raw Salmon will build a temporary trust. The Dolphin will guide you to treasure and give you speed boosts while you’re nearby.

Do Dolphins need oxygen to survive in Minecraft?

Yes, Dolphins need oxygen to survive in Minecraft, and they surface for air regularly. They can only stay underwater for about 4 minutes before they start drowning and taking damage.

How to stop Dolphins from drowning in Minecraft?

You can stop Dolphins from drowning in Minecraft by giving them clear access to air at the water’s surface. Avoid enclosures with blocks covering the top.