How to Breed Camels in Minecraft

Camels are some of the most characterful mounts in Minecraft. They are tall enough to carry two riders at once, they can step up one-and-a-half blocks without jumping, and hostile mobs at ground level struggle to reach you while you are in the saddle. The catch is finding them: camels never wander the open desert. They only appear in and around desert villages, which makes them one of the rarer passive mobs to track down. The good news is that you only ever need to find two. After that, breeding does the rest.

What Camels Eat in Minecraft

A camel's favourite food is the humble cactus. Cactus grows all over the desert biome, usually in small clusters on sand, and you can break it with your bare hands or any tool — an axe keeps you clear of the prickly damage. Holding a cactus in your hand makes nearby camels follow you, which is handy for leading a stray animal back to your pen. Gather more than the two pieces you strictly need, because a growing stack of cactus is also the fuel for every future round of breeding.

How to Find Camels

Head for a desert village. Camels spawn in the village itself or on the sand immediately around it, often sitting down and idling in the sun. If your world has no desert village nearby, be patient and keep exploring desert biomes, checking every village you find. Once you spot a camel, secure it before you go looking for a second one. Camels do not wander far, but a fence pen, a lead tied to a fence post, or a trail of cactus will keep your prize exactly where you left it.

How to Breed Camels Step by Step

1. Bring two adult camels together inside a fenced area. Make the fence at least two blocks high, because camels are tall and you do not want babies slipping out through gaps.
2. Hold a cactus and use it on the first camel (right-click or the secondary action button). Hearts will appear above its head.
3. Feed a cactus to the second camel in exactly the same way.
4. The two camels will walk towards each other, and a baby camel will appear within a few seconds.

Cooldowns and Growing Up

After breeding, the parents cannot breed again for roughly ten minutes, so a large caravan takes a little patience. A baby camel grows into an adult in about 15 to 20 minutes of play. If you fall in love with the miniature version, feeding a baby a golden dandelion — crafted from one dandelion surrounded by eight gold nuggets — keeps it young permanently. Once your new adults are grown, they can be bred in turn, and your two hard-won camels become a whole herd.

Why Bother Breeding Camels?

A bred camel is identical to a wild one: same two seats, same dash ability, same tall saddle that keeps you out of reach of most ground mobs. A caravan makes desert travel safer and far more social, since a friend can ride behind you. Bred camels also make a wonderful themed addition to a desert base or zoo build, and because they spawn nowhere else, a breeding pen is the only reliable supply.