What advice can you give me on how to take care of a drilbur or two? I have a large mostly empty and unused back yard which I think will be good for them to dig in. Is there anything I can do to make it more interesting for drilbur?

One thing you can do is offer them small boulders or a shallow pit of gravel. This may seem dangerous for a drilbur, but this is actually necessary for the maintenance of drilbur’s claws. Gravel pits give them something to dig into that will “refill” itself eventually, and boulders offer larger surface areas to scrape. (It’s extremely difficult to maintain a drilbur’s claws otherwise, although with patience, a human may be able to use a claw file on them. Drilbur generally don’t sit still long enough for this process, however.)

Planting logs or stumps (if one of your neighbors is looking to remove a stump from their yard) may provide obstacles for a drilbur to play with, especially if either of them have thick roots. They can also encourage insect breeding and provide something natural for a drilbur to snack on. Do not plant actual trees, however. Drilbur activity can damage the tree’s roots, which means planting trees in your drilbur’s “territory” may endanger them. The same can be said for gardens, incidentally (although you can use any area of your yard that your drilbur has grown tired of to garden).

Otherwise, simply giving your drilbur plenty of space (such as your entire yard) will be sufficient enough. Your drilbur will create tunnels and occupy themselves on their own, basically.

Other than that, drilbur eat insects, worms, and nuts when not on kibble, and they will often find sources of these on their own. However, it’s still recommended that you feed them regularly, especially during the winter, as those three food sources may not be plentiful enough to support your drilbur exclusively. Give them clean water for drinking as well, but keep in mind that as ground-types, they should never be bathed or placed in a wet environment. (They’ll self-groom, but you can provide them a sand bath as well if you can afford one large enough for them.)

They’re also mainly outdoor pokémon, so while you should bring them inside during the winter or during heavy rains, they can actually survive well enough by being left outside. Additionally, some trainers worry about whether or not their drilbur will wander or create tunnel systems that travel too far away from home, and quite frankly, these are valid worries. Some drilbur do dig burrows that lead far, far from home, but others prefer staying close and digging downward. To curb the potential of your drilbur digging too far from home, offer your drilbur treats and a warm, dry place for inclement weather. This will encourage it to come back or keep its tunnels close to you.

Good luck, anonymous!

Can you have more than 6 pokemon with you if some of them arent part of your team? If I had a full team of 6, would I be able to bring along my Umbreon in addition simply as a travelling companion, as he does not enjoy battling?

Absolutely! Service pokémon, for example, are always separate from your full team of six, as if you have one, then they’re absolutely necessary for your day-to-day life. It wouldn’t do at all to force you to have one less pokémon to battle at your side, just because you need another one for medical reasons.

Outside of service pokémon, people often keep pets in addition to pokémon reserved solely for battling. These trainers are often more domestically-inclined, meaning the reason why they have no problem keeping pets is because they stick close enough to home to take care of them. While teams can double as pets, some people find it’s easier to pamper a pokémon that you’re not trying to train for hard battling. There are no limits to the number of pokémon you can keep as pets in your own home, but for obvious reasons, you can’t take many of them with you on your journey. Typically, the rules for “companion pokémon” (or those that are basically pets or team mascots, rather than team members) varies from region to region, but most of the currently recognized leagues only allow for one companion per trainer. This is largely for similar reasons to the six-pokémon rule: any more than that, and it may get difficult for a trainer to manage.

In other words, you absolutely can bring your umbreon along, so long as he’s properly registered as a pet or companion, rather than as a battler. You can do this by visiting your local pokémon center (or wherever you register for a league) and informing them of your umbreon’s status.

Of course, keep in mind that the rules are extremely strict about using your umbreon to battle, and once he’s registered as your pet, you can’t even use him to help you catch new team members. This may work out for him if he continues to dislike battling, but should he change his mind, you will need to visit a pokémon center to adjust his status.

Because I’m less attached to modern media, what caused the pokeblock maker recall of 2007?

Let’s just say there was a slim chance that metal shavings would become a flavoring.

Also, there was another, unrelated risk the whole thing could burst into a ball of flames when handling dry berries.

Mostly it was the latter, actually. And although Devon could have simply fixed that, the salmonella outbreak in 2006 put a number of people off blocks for some time. It didn’t help that poffins became hugely popular the summer after.

Croagunk and Toxicroak

Croagunk
The Toxic Mouth Pokémon
Type: Poison/Fighting
Official Registration #: 453
Entry: This frog-like pokémon may be recognizable to sports fans, as it’s highly popular as a mascot for various teams. Of course, this is perfect, as the author can think of no pokémon more appropriate to serve as a representation for good sportsmanship than one known for fighting dirty and stabbing opponents with its strong, poison-tipped fingers whenever they least expect it.

Toxicroak
The Toxic Mouth Pokémon
Type: Poison/Fighting
Official Registration #: 454
Entry: The evolved form of croagunk, by battle experience. Many parts of toxicroak’s body are actually highly dangerous and are either containers for or coated with an extremely potent venom. Its claws, for example, are tipped with a venom that can kill an adult human being with the lightest scratch, its skin can induce paralysis seconds after contact, and its mouth—for which its species was named—is capable of spewing toxic gas and sludge. In fact, toxicroak’s distinctive croaking is actually part of its battle tactics by serving it two advantages. First, the act of croaking vibrates the poison sac on its throat and shakes the venom inside to increase its potency. Second, as noted earlier, toxicroak’s croak is highly distinctive and recognizable, so the croak itself brings toxicroak’s attention onto individuals who may be ideal choices of prey … by chasing away anything intelligent enough to fight back.

Why are some species (pichu, riolu..) classed as “baby pokemon”? Why are they different from ‘real’ baby pokemon? After some time they wont exactly be babies anymore right? And why cant they breed? (sorry so many questions)

Quite all right! These are all very good questions.

To answer, baby pokémon are more or less equivalents to larval stages of certain animals. While they’re certainly more functional than their animal equivalents (to the point where pokémon can engage in battle, problem-solve, and do much more that a larval insect or amphibious tadpole can’t do), they’re still merely infertile juvenile stages, and thus, they can never gain the ability to fully mature and breed unless they evolve. This is in contrast to many other hatchlings, which retain their forms even to sexual maturity, so a puppy growlithe is still the exact same species and form as an adult growlithe. It’s just that the puppy needs to grow into an adult before it can breed (as oppose to evolve in order to reach that point).

Thus, in other words, baby pokémon are considered as such because they’re essentially larva. They can’t breed, meanwhile, because they’re infertile until after they evolve and, thus, develop functional reproductive organs during evolution. For this reason, a three-year-old pichu will still be considered a “baby pokémon,” as this is just shorthand used by trainers and researchers to denote a larval pokémon that has yet to evolve, not literally a hatchling.

Thank you so much for your help with my Grumpig and Feebas I took everything you said into consideration and I found out the river where I was hunting down a prism scale (which are really rare in alola) was actually an alola form Muk! My Grumpig knew the waters were a site of one of the trash storing places and a muk had escaped so we up and left to find the scale my Pokemon now get along very well! Thank you so much!!

Glad to hear that the issue has been resolved, @deliriousfan606, and it’s great to hear that your grumpig and feebas are doing well together now! Not to mention, of course, that it’s quite wonderful to hear that your grumpig actually cares for his teammate so much that he would go to such lengths to protect her from a literally toxic environment.

(Of course, it’s also worrying that the environment in Alola can be so volatile that a rainbow-colored muk can be mistaken for a river, but I suppose that’s neither here nor there.)

In any case, it is quite fascinating to know that pokémon are so much more aware of our shared environment than we are. Your grumpig seems incredibly loyal and wise, so may he continue to give you trustworthy advice from here onwards.

Thank you for your advice! One brave little wild Taillow from the park came up to my Haxorus and started playing with her and sometimes picked berries for them to share. We have revisited the park many times and the same taillow keeps coming back to her. Is it a good idea to catch this Taillow if they are getting along so well? And Could this show other trainrs that my Haxorus is gentle and kind?

It’s certainly uplifting to hear that your haxorus has made a friend!

To answer your questions in reverse, it’s very likely that this will show other trainers that your haxorus is kind. It’s difficult to argue against that idea when you have a large, intimidating pokémon treat a small, fragile-looking bird with respect and gentleness. Of course, it’s worth it to note that humans are unfortunately complex, anonymous, and sometimes, even when presented with overwhelming evidence of a certain point, human beings have a habit of refusing to believe the obvious. (Politics is a great example of this.) Nonetheless, while it may not convince all humans, I have no doubt that it will convince some of them, and once you can convince some humans that your haxorus means no harm, you can build up your haxorus’s connections from there.

As for whether or not you should catch that taillow, that may be up to the taillow itself. If it wishes to spend more time with your haxorus, it would be worth offering it a home. If, however, it prefers to live in the park, allow it to continue living in the park, but keep an eye on it. If another trainer catches that taillow, make an effort to befriend that trainer so that your haxorus and that taillow can continue being connected to one another. Alternatively, continue interacting with that taillow but make it clear that it will always have the option of coming to live with you if it so chooses.

Good luck, anonymous, and good luck to your haxorus too!

I set up a camera in my yard and the Deerling is still here with no signs on its mother, even at night. I’ve not noticed any trainers with Sawsbuck or any dead ones anywhere. It seems most of them have actually left for some reason. Is it possible for me to adopt the Deerling myself if the mother doesn’t show up after a couple more days, or would it be best to hand over to a pokemon centre? (My Houndoom are actually very good with other pokemon, so that wouldnt be a problem)

If you have room for them and if you were careful to educate yourself on deerling care before this point, it’s actually possible to adopt them if you wish—and, in certain cases, it may be preferable, as the deerling may have gotten used to you or their current habitat.

Here is what you should do first. Go ahead and show yourself to the deerling. You can offer them food at this point but keep your distance. If they come to you, then it’s a good possibility that they’ve gotten used to your scent and that they would actually prefer to stay with you.

In addition, it’s worth it to consider that the deerling may have become accustomed to your yard in general. To determine whether or not this is the case, take note of how they react to you when you introduce yourself to them. If they seem antsy or run away at the sight of you, call your local Nurse Joy and have her come to look at the deerling, if not send a local trainer to fetch them. These are professionals who will be able to determine whether or not the deerling have become accustomed to your yard. If the deerling have, Nurse Joy or the appointed trainer will give you the option to adopt them. If the deerling aren’t accustomed to your yard specifically, then they will attempt to round the deerling up and take them to a shelter.

Ultimately, in this case, it may be worth it to give the deerling a chance to make a decision. If they consider your yard specifically to be their home, it would certainly be worth it to consider adopting them, yes, especially if your houndoom would be perfectly happy with deerling companions.

Just this morning, my Treecko’s skin started to peel. Do reptilian-like pokemon shed like their animal counterparts, or is there a condition I need to be aware of?

Yes, if your treecko is not shedding excessively (you will know if it’s flaking off in small bits, rather than peeling off seemingly all at once), this is completely normal and absolutely comparable to the shedding of its animal “cousin.” If the skin is discolored and flaking, rather than peeling or shedding, then the atmosphere in its habitat may be too dry for your treecko’s needs, or your treecko may have contracted pokérus. It would be a wise idea—only if your treecko’s skin is discolored and flaking—to take it to the pokémon center.

I emphasize that you should only take it to the pokémon center if its skin is discolored, of course, because if you are dealing with a case of ordinary shedding, then your treecko will very likely be extremely defensive at this time. Shedding is a vulnerable period, not only because treecko can’t defend themselves as they shed but also because their natural defenses will be a little weaker as their new skin takes time to harden and adapt. You’re actually rather lucky to be watching your treecko shed (if that is indeed the case); most treecko prefer hiding themselves away in warm, moist corners of their homes, where they won’t be bothered. It’s rare, in other words, for a treecko owner to have the chance to watch their pokémon shed, and it’s a sure sign that your treecko trusts you fully.

Dear Bill, I am wondering my grumpig has recently done nothing but use his manipulation powers on my poor feebas he makes her splash around and come on land constantly only to make me freak out and rush her into the water again I’m really worried I’ve tried telling my Grumpig it isn’t funny but he only snorts and runs off he’s been like that ever since i fished up Febas I’m really starting to get worried! Please help

Hmm. First and foremost, are you preparing your feebas for evolution, and what is your native region? I ask because in some cases, feebas require a lot of effort to maintain. This is especially so in the Hoenn region, where you have two options for evolving your feebas. The first is by way of feeding it dry poké blocks to enhance its beauty. Granted, this method is less condoned because of the Pokéblock Maker Recall of 2007, but it’s still an option in rare cases. Even then, preparing for feebas’s evolution in general can be time consuming because the alternative method of applying a prism scale and finding a trading partner not only requires the obvious trading partner but also hunting down the rather rare and extremely expensive prism scale. Never mind, of course, the fact that it’s always a good idea to prepare your feebas for evolution by feeding it a specialized diet and maintaining its scales until they shine—which, incidentally, is also something you should be doing, even if you aren’t evolving your feebas.

In other words, feebas are a bit difficult to maintain, and it seems as if your grumpig is displaying classic signs of jealousy because he realizes this.

If this is indeed the case, then I must say that jealousy within a pokémon team can be tricky to resolve. While it’s prudent to give your grumpig a bit of extra love and care (to reassure him that he isn’t being replaced), it also won’t resolve things in the long term. What will may be some team-building exercises. Engage in double-battles with other trainers using your grumpig and feebas. Give them tasks that would require them to work together (as odd as that sounds, considering one of the involved parties is a fish). Have your feebas help your grumpig by offering to help him clean his pearls (using her water-based attacks, for example), and encourage your grumpig to do the same for your feebas. The main idea is have them spend time with one another and acclimate to each other until your grumpig sees your feebas as a teammate instead of a threat to his position on your team.

If, however, he’s not doing it out of malice, see if he’s curious. Ask him if he wishes to learn more about his new teammate and offer to teach him about her. Explain to him that she needs the water to live and show him her fins and gills to illustrate why. Then offer him more information about feebas and allow him to help you take care of her to educate him on feebas care.

Alternatively, observe his reaction at the exact moment you put your feebas back in the water. If he seems angry with you for doing it or if he looks even remotely worried that you’ve put your feebas back, test the water. Grumpig noses are more sensitive than a human’s, and he may be picking up on problems with your water quality, including pH imbalances or an excess of waste.