The Sims 3: Pets Wildlife Guide
List of Minor Pets, Birds, Wild Horses and Animals
| Pet LTRs | Pet Traits | Unicorns | Cats | Dogs | Horses |
| Minor Pets | Racing | Horseman | Arc Builder | The Jockey | Zoologist |
With The Sims 3: Pets, not only do we get the ability to own large animals, but also the small ones we see in the world and at pet stores. Sims can own snakes, lizards, rodents, turtles, and large/small birds. These can be found just like collectibles, and are scattered all over the world. You will see racoons and deer in the game, and Sims can adopt wild horses with the riding skill. Unicorns can be adopted as well, provided you have befriended enough creatures, Sim or animal.
Sims with the new animal lover trait will have a higher success rate when doing certain interactions with animals. This makes them easier to befriend, because you can do things like sniff hand earlier in the relationship with ease. This has no impact on small animals and birds, but does help a lot with stray cats, dogs, and wild horses.
There are two options that can help you to find wildlife easier. First is a cat. They can track small birds, and the other types of prey at around level seven in their hunting skill. Your Sim can go to those locations for a guaranteed way to pick them up. Cats can sometimes fail.
The second option for finding animals, the Collection helper lifetime reward, has been upgraded with Sims 3: Pets to support tracking of all collectible wildlife. Unlike the cat, this also includes large birds. If you want to do this early in a game, you'll have to search the world just as you would for metals, seeds, and bugs. There are places in the world that are hotspots. If you find a rare animal there, check back later for a chance at another. Unfortunately, the collecting skill journal has not been updated to track the number of small animals your Sim has found.
There are a few wild animals in The Sims 3: Pets that do not fall into the pet category. Racoons and deer can be watched and even interacted with. You can buy a mysterious mister gnome to ward wild animals away from your lot. It's found in the pets category in buy mode's sort by function, under miscellaneous.
Wild horses can be brought into your household and used like any other horse. You will need a lot of patience to befriend one. Start by watching them, then gradually sniffing hand, feeding (if they're hungry) and rubbing their neck. When your friendship level is high, and you've got a level 8 riding skill to match, you can take them for your own.
Befriending a unicorn requires you to have three best friends forever, be they Sim, large animal, or large bird. You can learn more about unicorns in our guide.
The only animals you can befriend here are large birds and, of course, wild horses. They are big enough and smart enough to qualify. They even count as friends toward the charisma skill challenges, and the requirements to befriend a unicorn. This includes dogs and cats, as well.
When you have caught an animal, you can either store it in the appropriate terrarium, or cage. You will need to take care of them, or they can die. Feed them and maintain a relationship with them to ensure they stay healthy. Even at Best Friends Forever, a wild animal can sometimes bite you while playing, causing a small mood hit for a few hours.
Your most likely use of these critters is to sell them. You can do this by dragging them onto the sell icon in the inventory tab. Unfortunately, they cannot be sold at the Consignment store. I guess that would not be easy for them!
Following are lists of the wild animals you can find. As with other collectibles, the values of minor pets can range higher or lower than what I have stated. They obviously have a range but this information is enough to display their relative values.
Clicking birds will sometimes only offer you the watch option. You simply can't catch them. Even with many wildlife friends and loads of experience at the reported hidden skill, you will come across a common African Grey parrot that just won't be caught. Move on to the next bird. It is possible you'll find this happens less often as you go along. Fear not, for the un-catchable bird will eventually disappear and be replaced by another.
Birds
Small Birds
Small birds can fit inside a cage and are a little cheaper to own. All birds can fly about the house freely, as long as they have archways to pass through. They can't go through doors.
| Pet | Rarity | Value est. |
| Parakeet | common | $6 |
| Goldfinch | common | $12 |
| Pidgeon | common | $29 |
| Cardinal | uncommon | $107 |
| Nuthatch | uncommon | $225 |
| Bluebird | rare | $694 |
| Lilac Breasted Roller | rare | $950 |
Large Birds
Large Birds in The Sims 3 Pets can learn to talk. They can learn from a variety of types of phrases, and can gradually memorize them all. These guys are big and require a large limb as opposed to a cage.
| Pet | Rarity | Value est. |
| Cockatoo | common | $15 |
| African Grey | common | $34 |
| Blue-Gold Macaw | common | $46 |
| Catalina Macaw | uncommon | $139 |
| Crow | uncommon | $318 |
| Yellow-Naped Amazon | uncommon | $532 |
| Falcon | Rare | $848 |
| Spotted Sixam | Rare | $1023 |
Small Animals
| Pet | Rarity | Value est. |
| Iguana | common | $4 |
| Gecko | common | $14 |
| Anole Lizard | common | $20 |
| Agama Lizard | uncommon | $90 |
| Pygmy Komodo Dragon | uncommon | $127 |
| Texas Horned Lizard | uncommon | $329 |
| Chameleon | Rare | $670 |
| Ancient Dragon | Rare | $950 |
| Pet | Rarity | Value est. |
| Rat | common | $8 |
| Womrat | common | $12 |
| Squirrel | common | $29 |
| Chipmunk | uncommon | $121 |
| Shrew | uncommon | $213 |
| Pygmy Hedgehog | rare | $654 |
| Chinchilla | rare | $885 |
| Pet | Rarity | Value est. |
| Red-Eared Slider Turtle | common | $7 |
| Western Painted Turtle | common | $13 |
| Eastern Box Turtle | common | $23 |
| Indian-Roofed Turtle | uncommon | $99 |
| Barbour's Map Turtle | uncommon | $139 |
| Spotted Turtle | uncommon | $311 |
| Pygmy Tortoise | rare | $699 |
| Spiny Turtle | rare | $925 |
| Pet | Rarity | Value est. |
| Garter Snake | common | $6 |
| Emerald Tree Boa | common | $15 |
| Mini Python Snake | common | $25 |
| San Francisco Garter Snake | uncommon | $100 |
| Malayan Krait Snake | uncommon | $137 |
| Yellow Chondro Python | uncommon | $311 |
| Scarlet King Snake | rare | $681 |
| Iridescent Shieldtail Snake | rare | $882 |
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5Guide to Pets: https://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/pets/
