Hey Bill! Since its starting to get a bit winter-y over here, any tips for how to care for Grass-Types? I recently evolved a Leafeon and her leaves are going from a green to a more orange-red, is this normal?

As uncomfortable as it may be for your grass-types, it’s best to bring them inside for the winter. If you have a larger grass-type such as a venusaur, make sure you have enough room in your home, or consider building a greenhouse for it. Either way, it’s essential for their health that they remain in a temperature-controlled environment. Grass-types, especially those that are purely plants (the bellsprout line, the oddish line, and so forth), can’t thrive in temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit for more than a day. In some cases, it can even be dangerous for them, as they risk wilting the colder it gets. If your pokémon must go out, such as for a battle or to play, remember to limit their time in the cold. Always keep their poké balls at hand, and it wouldn’t hurt to give them warm water after they’re done.

Once inside, light is essential. Give them access to a sunny window during the day, and supplement this with a couple of hours under a sunlamp at night. (A sunlamp may be an excellent investment for you and your pokémon, on that note.) This not only keeps a pokémon’s mood up, but it also ensures the plant parts of them are photosynthesizing as they should be.

Additionally, make sure your pokémon are well-hydrated. Central heating units tend to dry out the air in a home, which in turn can lead to stress or browning from a grass-type. Consider adding a humidifier to rooms where your grass-type will be spending the most time, and always make sure their water dishes are topped off. For pokémon that don’t often drink or otherwise can’t (namely cacnea), remember to spritz a little water on them every other week, but check often for any signs that they’re dehydrated (such as softening needles or bruising skin).

For pokémon in a greenhouse, remember that all pokémon need love and attention to survive. In other words, don’t forget to check on your grass-types daily. Spend time grooming them and giving them plenty of water, and reassure them that you’ll be back the next day.

Finally, keep in mind that all of this concerns pokémon that aren’t coniferous or weather-resistant in nature. Snover and abomasnow actually thrive in colder temperatures, so if anything, now is the time you should be letting them stay out longer. On the other hand, certain pokémon, such as Alolan exeggutor, can’t be kept anywhere and should really be stored in the storage system or at least within their balls any time you don’t need them to battle (or eat, drink, and relieve themselves).

As for your question about leafeon, this is a possible reason why, yes. The other reason why your leafeon’s ears might be growing a little golden around the edges is simply due to age. If her ears don’t return to a vibrant green after spring arrives, you’ll know for certain it’s age. Of course, it’s still not something to worry about; leafeon can be quite healthy, even after their ears turn.

Why are some eeveelutions more canine, some more feline, some more vulpine, etc.? It’s certainly more interesting than having them all be the same but recolored for type, but why did nature do that one?

In most cases, it’s a product of adaptive evolution. Each eeveelution possesses the traits it has because those better equip it for the specific niche it serves. For example, the more “feline” vaporeon looks the way it does because it’s meant to have a certain sense of agility as it glides through the water and chases after fish. By contrast, the more “canine” jolteon possesses dog-like traits because their hunting-style is more dog-like (and also because their thinner muzzle makes it easier for them to sniff out and dig out the eggs that form a staple of their diets). Additionally, the more “vulpine” flareon actually looks the way it does for a combination of both: as it hunts for small rodents on its own, it needs both agility and sharper senses. That and its puffier coat, which some say also make it look vulpine, is better at keeping its body from overheating, as strange as that is to say.

Alternatively, in certain cases, certain traits were simply bred into the species—meaning, breeders carefully controlled the parentage of eevee to ensure that they possess certain traits upon evolution, as in the case of the more cat-like espeon, the more dog-and-rabbit-like sylveon, and the more fox-like umbreon. (Of course, it’s worth it to note that fox-like adaptations have always benefited umbreon in the wild as well, so breeders didn’t exactly have to do much to get a more vulpine umbreon.)

As for leafeon and glaceon, they’re a bit of both too. They’re both vulpine, yes, but leafeon was bred to be that way, whereas glaceon essentially adapted to be that way on its own (as their fox-like characteristics make it easier for them to fish).

How are new Eeveelutions first discovered?

By accident, mostly.

You might think that’s a joke, but I’m actually dead serious. Eevee are fascinatingly adaptive, and as such, they respond to stimuli we never would have imagined would trigger evolution. For example, who knew that feeding your eevee poképuffs from a Lumiose bakery and spoiling it to ridiculous degrees via daily grooming would cause it to evolve into sylveon? Or training it in a specific forest or icy cave would help it evolve into leafeon or glaceon? (I mean, granted, yes, it’s adaptive, so one would assume training it in specific locations would trigger those evolutions, but the point is that not every forest triggers an evolution into leafeon, for example.)

The funny truth is that the harder researchers work to discover new evolutions of eevee, the less likely we’ll actually find them. It’s far more likely that one of us will simply accidentally dump a metal coat on an eevee and wind up with a steel-type eeveelution.

Incidentally, no, that doesn’t work. I might have tried. The eevee in question was not amused.

(But then again, maybe it’s dump a metal coat onto your eevee and then do something else with it. Hmm. That … that might need a follow-up there.)

My leafeon recently had a litter of eevees and she’s taking excellent care of most of them. Expect the little runt. I’ve had to resort to hand feeding but do you know anyways to get a mother to accept a baby she’s already rejected? I’m not home all the time and have no one else to feed the little one so I’m worried he won’t get enough nutrition if I can’t get my leafeon to let him nurse. If you could help I’d be very grateful.

One important thing to know is why a mother pokémon would reject her offspring. In the cases of canine pokémon such as the eeveelutions, it’s often because the rejected puppy is seen as the least capable of surviving. It may be sick or too weak to live, so the mother sets it aside to focus on nurturing puppies that have higher chances at survival.

So your first step with this eevee pup is to see if he was rejected just because he’s small. The only way you can do this is by taking him to the nearest pokémon center, explaining the situation to your local Nurse Joy, and getting a thorough examination. If all is well aside from his size, the unfortunate second step involves quite a bit of work. First of all, you may need to continue feeding him through a bottle until he grows stronger and larger, as your leafeon will likely continue to reject him until she sees that he stands a chance.

The other half of the equation is that, after a few days to a week of vigilant care, you’ll need to reintroduce the pup to his mother … by assisting with feeding. It works very much the same way as it would with introducing new pokémon to one another: set up a calm environment, be present for the reintroduction, and place the puppy close to his mother for as long as she can tolerate him. Have her turn on her side and coax the puppy into nursing from her. (Point of clarification: Yes, mammalian pokémon produce milk. They’re not exactly monotremes, as that’s a word reserved for animals, but the concept is the same.) Keep the mother calm through gentle words and petting, but if she looks like she may attack, gently remove the puppy and switch him over to formula as quickly as possible. Continue doing this until the puppy grows and the mother begins to recognize him as her own.

This might be difficult to do, I know, considering what you’ve said about your schedule, but reintroducing a pup takes quite a bit of time and effort. In the end, it’s worth it, but you will need to figure out how best to care for the eevee pup in the meantime. If you have another pokémon, they might be able to assist, or you could discuss things with your local Nurse Joy to see if the puppy can be taken care of at the pokémon center in the interim. Just be sure that you do as many of his feedings as possible and that you set aside time to reintroduce him to his mother every day to minimize trauma and help him grow.

Best of luck!

Ever since my Leafeon evolved, she’s been acting sad and depressed. This is unusual because she seemed perfectly happy as an Eevee. I’m worried that she may be having regrets about her evolution. What should I do to help her feel better?

Well, first and foremost, determine that it is this. Communicate with your leafeon, or observe her behavior. If she seems to act more depressed upon exposure to other eeveelutions (either by seeing them in person or on TV, in movies, or so forth), consider that a confirmation, then proceed with this: reassure her that she made the right decision. Be there for her and give her plenty of affection. Perhaps teach her new techniques to help her better acclimate to her form, and use her in battles so she can see how useful she still is. The more you have her exercise her form and the more you’re there for her, the easier it will be for her to adapt and feel comfortable in her skin.

If, however, her mood doesn’t change—especially if her leaves begin to soften and wilt—then she’s not actually sad or depressed but rather lethargic and sun-starved. Take her outside more often and move her bed to a sunny spot in your home. Increase her water intake and talk to your local Nurse Joy about vitamin supplements for grass-types. If you do all of this, you’ll likely see improvement in her health and mood in no time.

Best of luck, anonymous!

I always wondered if the eeveelutions are considered omnivores what specifically do their diets consist of? And does it differ on the specific eeveelution?

Eevee and its evolutions lean more toward (for the most part) carnivorous lifestyles, actually. While, like most pokémon, they can eat nuts, berries, grains, root vegetables, and so forth, much of their diet should be meat and protein of some kind.

That having been said, the answer to your second question depends. In captivity, the eevee family can actually be fed the exact same diet, regardless of what evolution each individual takes, with no real consequences so long as their trainer keeps in mind that they should be fed a balance of foods.

In the wild however, absolutely, it depends on the evolution.

Eevee tend to have the most balanced diet (as one would expect) and will eat whatever it can find in its immediate environment.

Flareon often stick to slower animals and pokémon, and its favored food sources tend to be small mammals. It will also display the unusual behavior of roasting their food with the intention of cooking it before eating. (Trainers should be aware that tamed flareon also display this behavior and should only be fed in fireproof environments.)

Vaporeon, being aquatic pokémon, will eat mostly seafood, including fish, amphibians, turtles, jellyfish, and aquatic mammals (such as seals). It tends to avoid shellfish, likely due to the difficulty in getting them open, but it will also hunt for larger meat sources (such as walruses, dolphins, and even sharks) in packs.

Jolteon, being faster and gifted with electrical attacks, often hunt for birds and forage for eggs. It’s also the one eeveelution that prefers pokémon meat over animal meat, as bird pokémon tend to be larger targets than their animal “counterparts.”

Espeon and Leafeon both tend to eat more of a herbivorous diet than their cousins. This does not mean that they are strictly herbivorous; simply that they forage more often than the others. Espeon tends to hunt for insects and other animals with lesser cognitive functions thanks to its psychic abilities. Leafeon, meanwhile, avoids insects (due to its plant biology) and consumes largely rodents, rabbits, frogs, and anything else it can find in its forest habitat. (Leafeon also photosynthesizes whenever a food source isn’t readily available.)

Umbreon, meanwhile, is much more of a carnivore than its cousins in that its diet consists almost entirely of meat. As a nocturnal, forest-dwelling pokémon in nature, it will often hunt for small, ground-dwelling pokémon and animals, particularly diurnal ones. It has no qualms raiding the nests of sleeping prey, in other words.

Glaceon will often consume whatever it can find in its colder, more arctic environment—usually seafood (for polar glaceon) or rabbits (for mountainous). Glaceon may also share territory with vaporeon, sometimes even hunting alongside them to take down larger prey (such as seals and even walruses).

Finally, Sylveon, like eevee, will eat whatever it can find in its environment but typically chooses prey it can lure into dark corners of its habitat and then devour.

Hey Bill, my Sylveon and Leafeon have been mates for about a year and a half now and Leafeon used to do a lot of cute things for Sylveon like bring her pretty rocks and play. But lately he doesn’t have much interest in her and no matter what Sylveon does she can’t get him to do anything for her like he used to. What’s going on?

You’ll need to verify two things before you can know for certain. First, check for eggs. Look everywhere—anywhere your sylveon and your leafeon can crawl into. Second, pay close attention to your leafeon. See if he looks listless, interested in other pokémon, or uninterested in anything else (such as food).

The reason why I suggest looking for these signs first is because when a male gives a female gifts, it’s usually part of a mating ritual, which in turn means mating is soon to follow. Unfortunately, a female eeveelution can only mate certain times a year. During these times, she secretes a specific scent that attracts her mate and entices him to romance her, as it were, right up until they finally engage in intercourse. Once that’s done, the female will find a place to lay a clutch, and once her clutch is set, she stops emitting those pheromones until she’s ready to lay more eggs—which usually doesn’t happen until after her first clutch hatches. During the period shortly after laying her eggs, the male finds her uninteresting, in part because of that lack of pheromones (and thus, a lack of anything to entice him to court her) and in part because his inability to detect these pheromones is a signal to him that he needs to leave her alone with her eggs.

If that’s the case, then you can possibly help by incubating the eggs. Incubation will allow them to hatch faster, and once the kits are born and placed near your sylveon for the first time, this may trick her body into believing she’s reached the end of her mating cycle. Be warned, however. If you do find a clutch of eggs and attempt to move them, you could instead provoke the wrath of both parents. On the one hand, that could result in helping them to bond with each other again. On the other, taking Magical Leaf and Moonblast at the same time is not a pleasant experience.

If you don’t find a clutch of eggs and your leafeon looks listless, take him to the pokémon center and check for any physical problems, just to rule these out. Your local Nurse Joy may also be able to diagnose any mental health problems if your leafeon’s disinterest is actually caused by depression.

If, however, his disinterest is not an indication of a physical or mental health problem but rather a shift in his attention, it’s important to keep an eye on him and try to figure out what it is. It could be that he’s trying to get his mate an even more impressive gift, at which point, you should help him in any way that you can. Or, alternatively, it could be that another pokémon has caught his eye … at which point, you should perhaps inform him that, no, you are most definitely not going to help him in any way that you can.

In short, your leafeon’s behavior could be the result of a few possible things, so it’s important that you hunt around his living space for anything that could be a possible source, then work from there.

Thank you for your advice with Leafeon. I sent him to my sister a while ago, and while she hasn’t been able to go out of her way to send him back, we’ve been face timing and he seems to be doing better. Seeing as how we’re both too busy to pass him between us all the time, is there any kind of schedule you would recommend to allow him to keep seeing me, and my sister’s Lapras? Thank you again!

It’s great to hear your leafeon is getting better, anonymous!

That having been said, unfortunately, it’s difficult to recommend a particular schedule without knowing personal details about you. If your schedule was much like many other college students, then it may be possible to spend a weekend—be that every weekend, every other weekend, or one weekend a month—with your leafeon. On the other hand, if your schedule was like mine when I was earning my first degree (that is to say, if you spend nearly every waking hour juggling multiple majors, an internship, and possibly a part-time job), reserving time on weekends may be … a bit more difficult.

However, there are certainly alternatives. You may be able to visit your leafeon during holidays, for example, and some studies have shown that even doing a video call with your leafeon can maintain the bond between the two of you. Perhaps you can even arrange for your leafeon to come visit you (rather than the other way around) now and then.

Ultimately, this may be a case wherein you’ll need to do what’s best for you. Think carefully about how much time you devote to your studies and everything else you need to do in order to maintain your daily life. It’s sad to tell a trainer that they need to put themselves before their pokémon, but in this case, now that your leafeon is doing better in your sister’s care, it’s up to you to decide how much time you need to take to do all the things you need to do for you.

Best of luck, anonymous, and I hope that you’ll be able to find that balance between following your dreams and taking care of yourself and your pokémon.

I had my leafeon neutered a month ago to stop him wandering which he did a lot but when we go out he still tries to looks for females to mate with. Is this normal behaviour that he will continue?

Unfortunately, while there’s a strong chance that neutering your pokémon will calm him down and stem some of his more aggressive behaviors, it’s never a guarantee. There are certainly cases in which pokémon are just as aggressive about finding a partner after neutering as they are before, and yes, it’s technically normal behavior (in that you shouldn’t worry that anything is wrong with your leafeon).

On the positive side, neutering also prevents certain health problems in leafeon, besides the obvious fact that your leafeon can no longer produce offspring. That is to say, if he does get away, there will be less of a chance that he’ll come back to you with eevee pups or, well, something worse. At this point, I would recommend implementing some alternative ways to keep him at home, namely fences and a bit more rigorous training. Consider getting him a spayed female partner at home as well to encourage him to stay, rather than wander off and potentially quarrel with wild or neighboring males.

I asked my cousin if she had been feeding Leafeon, and it turns out she has, but only little treats and stuff when he was being cute, not enough to fill him, and he apparently stopped eating those as well! I changed his food but he won’t even try it, and he even bit me! I don’t really have any other Pokemon, but he was rather close with my sister’s Lapras before I went to collage. Do you think he’s mad at me? What should I do?

I don’t think he’s mad at you, anonymous, but now that you’ve mentioned your sister’s lapras, that may be the key to solving your dilemma. While the eevee family and lapras do not share egg groups, both pokémon are known to form deep, lasting bonds with those it considers to be friends. As such, it may be the move away from this lapras specifically that’s causing your leafeon’s stress.

What I would suggest, as difficult as it may be for you, is to transfer your leafeon to your sister for a week to see if your leafeon’s condition improves by allowing him to see her lapras again. If your leafeon begins eating while in the care of your sister, he may still live with you, but you may need to consider visiting your sister as often as possible to make it clear to leafeon that he isn’t going to be permanently separated from her lapras.

If he still refuses to eat, of course, don’t hesitate to send another ask.