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.

You may remember my ask about my eevee that tried to woo a flaaffy. Well, he managed to evolve into a umbreon on his own and luckily for him, the zorua he was trying to impress accepted him. Now they both seem very happy together and it’s probably just me being super paranoid, but is there any way I can make sure he doesn’t regret the decision? I’m worried because the zorua was wild when they met (I caught her later on) and I wouldn’t want her to want to leave again.

Because happiness-based evolutions tend to be tied to positive experiences (for obvious reasons), it’s actually rare for a pokémon who evolves via that method to regret their decision later on. Even members of a branched line such as umbreon and espeon rarely show any curiosity towards their counterparts, simply because of the overwhelming positivity attached to their evolution.

Still, if you truly wish to avoid any possible feelings of remorse, the best that you can do is support both your umbreon and your new zorua. Train them both (especially your umbreon), help them unlock their potential as dark-types, and most importantly, provide them with a happy enough home that they feel safe, comfortable, and loved.

Congratulations, anonymous, and best of luck!

So I live in a house converted to two apartments, and am friends with the upstairs neighbor, and we both have house Pokemon. We have a male Alolan Persian, they have a female Umbreon, and we were making progress at slowly introducing them (taking one into the other’s house but allowing a clear exit, letting both explore the stairs), until Umbreon just /looked/ at Persian (no vocalization that I could hear, neutral body language), and now Persian refuses to even go near the stairs. Any advice?

Sometimes, two pokémon’s personalities aren’t quite compatible enough to promote a healthy relationship between them, even if they share elements and are otherwise extremely sweet and kind.

You’re on the right track with taking it slowly and giving both enough space to explore on their own and grow accustomed to their environment. If this has been going on for months, you may wish to consider taking the next step, which is a supervised, formal introduction (rather than the perhaps unsupervised chance introduction your persian has just had). Set up a time to meet with your neighbors and bring along both your pokémon. Your neighbor should leash their umbreon if they have a leash, but if not, it will be important for the both of you to keep your poké balls close by. Be sure to bring along treats or water for your persian so it will be easier to tell when he’s relaxed. Have the umbreon and your persian stay in the same room until your neighbor’s umbreon relaxes and begins to ignore your persian and until your persian seems calm and accepts a snack or water. Continue with this type of meeting until your persian understands that your neighbor’s umbreon is not a threat. Then, try an unsupervised interaction (in which you both leave your pokémon in a room) to be sure they can get along well.

If, however, your persian still seems tense during the supervised interactions, continue to keep both pokémon separate, even when you’re not at home. Try a supervised interaction again after a few days. If your persian never feels comfortable with your neighbor’s umbreon, then it’s likely that his personality just isn’t compatible with hers, and this is unfortunate but perfectly normal. That scenario will simply require you to keep the two separate indefinitely.

Of course, his avoidance of the stairs might also stem from other factors. If, for example, your neighbor’s umbreon has marked the top of the stairs (or the stairs themselves) as her territory, then your persian may be avoiding them for that reason alone. There are products on the market that you may be able to use to remove those scent markers, but it will be up to your neighbor to train their umbreon to not mark public spaces.

Alternatively, the problem may be the stairs themselves as well, so be sure to test their integrity and make sure there’s no chance that there are exposed nails or splintering boards.

Best of luck!

I have an espeon and a umbreon, they are both male and they really like each other and is looking after this egg I received from the professor. I think they are telling me they want a egg on their own but how can I tell them that it’s biologically impossible?

You might not need to tell them at all, anonymous, especially if their problem is less about the fact that they don’t know they can’t procreate and more about the fact that they want young and are willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill that need. That having been said, if letting them take care of your professor’s egg and resulting hatchling over a longer period of time is out of the question, then oftentimes, breeders end up with abandoned eggs, or a trainer decides they can’t take care of a hatchling. Either would be perfectly acceptable avenues for securing the egg or hatchling your pokémon want. Ideally, you may want to adopt an egg in order to give your espeon and umbreon the full experience of pokémon parenthood (short of laying the egg, of course), but if that’s not an option, allowing them to raise a hatchling together after it’s born works just as well.

Alternatively, you could use a surrogate ditto lay an egg or few for them so that the hatchling will at least be biologically one of the parents. Some trainers opt for that option, as it’s easier for the parents to bond with the egg, which is really the important thing. Your espeon and umbreon may not see the egg as theirs because it’s technically yours, as far as they’re concerned. If you, quite literally, give them an egg of their own, that should be sufficient to fulfill their wishes to be parents.

If, however, you’re referring to the possibility that they are mating with extreme vigor because they don’t understand that neither of them can lay an egg, then I would suggest explaining it to espeon first. Espeon, due to their psychic elemental, are more likely to understand human conversation than a dark-type umbreon, and in any case, it would be much easier to deal with the telepathic backlash from your espeon’s shock sooner, rather than later.

Best of luck, anonymous!

Have you ever seen a melanistic eevee, Bill? Do you know what exactly causes this effect? I have a melanistic umbreon that was given to me by my father, his coat is entirely black, and the area where his rings would be, doesn’t glow either. His eyes are a very lovely shade of copper instead of the regular red, as well.

Ah yes, melanistic eevee. It’s actually quite interesting, to be honest. Melanistic eevee are more or less akin to albinos of the same species: not shiny but rather pokémon with melanin levels that differ from the norm. However, unlike albino pokémon, melanism in pokémon can be an adaptational advantage and—in the absence of melanism-related disorders such as ocular melanosis—often is.

That’s important to clarify because melanism is a genetic condition. In laymen’s terms, it’s caused by a mutation in a pokémon’s genetic code that causes them to have one extra copy of a specific sequence that controls melanin production. However, whether or not that mutation is expressed is a recessive trait. As such, pokémon may either carry it and pass it to their young or, well, be melanistic themselves.

As for the reason why this mutation occurred in the first place, as mentioned above, it’s often an adaptational advantage. For example, while non-melanistic umbreon use their rings’ glow as an intimidation tactic, umbreon that can’t glow at all are less likely to be detected in the first place and are therefore actually more effective hunters. (The glow helps, of course, to stun faster prey, but glowing umbreon lack the stealth non-glowing umbreon have.) Additionally, melanin protects the skin from ultraviolet light, synthesizes vitamin D (which in turn is vital to the immune system), and may be associated with viral resistance, all of which in combination allow melanistic pokémon such as your umbreon to be hardier than their normal counterparts. As such, there is some “survival of the fittest” at play here as well.

Finally, as for whether or not I’ve ever seen them in person, I have indeed. While melanism is rare in the wild, domesticated eevee are often bred specifically for those traits due to the fact that besides being ideal traits in the wild, they’re actually more aesthetically pleasing to eevee enthusiasts. However, I must admit I’ve never owned one myself, but I’ve met my fair share of eeveemaniacs with at least one on their team. They’re quite beautiful indeed—so you’re very lucky to own one!

I think my umbreon is afraid of the dark? During nightfall she clings to my side and sometimes whimpers. Her circular lights shine, but it doesn’t seem to help her. Instead of roughing it, I’ve been taking her to Pokémon centers so she doesn’t have to be afraid, and I keep a little nightlight for her so she doesn’t have to rely on her own lights. What can I do to help her with her fears?

Stay with her. Sometimes, if your umbreon is newly evolved, it may take her a bit of time to adjust to the darkness because she herself is adjusting to the dark element within her, not to put it dramatically. She may even outgrow the fear over time on her own.

In the meantime, you can help her conserve energy by investing in a nightlight or lantern with adjustable brightness. Start the first few nights at the maximum brightness until she feels comfortable, then keep it on until she falls asleep. After a few nights, start off with the brightest setting, then slowly adjust it down a little bit. The next night, turn on the light and adjust it so that it reaches the amount of brightness you had achieved the previous night, then adjust it downward again. Keep going until your umbreon can tolerate having the light on at its dimmest setting. Then, the next night, don’t turn it on.

You can do this either in a pokémon center or in the outdoors, but I would recommend doing it in a pokémon center until she can get used to the darkness inside a building. Then, take her outside and repeat the process.

Additionally, do relaxation exercises with her before bed. Have her sit beside you and meditate. This can also help her control her inner darkness and hone her abilities until she feels more comfortable with them. Also, communicate with her during the day and at sunset to ask her what about the dark is so frightening. Although she might not be able to respond to you as children do, the act of asking her will allow her to think about it during meditation and face her fears on a psychological level.

Of course, don’t assume it’s not a valid concern, either. By asking her, she may be able to point out a clear danger as well. If you have a pokémon that can use Foresight, it may be a good idea to have that pokémon use it: if the technique doesn’t reveal any immediate dangers, it can at least put your umbreon’s mind at rest.

In short, helping any pokémon overcome their fears takes a bit of patience, anonymous, but in your case, it will take plenty of meditation and communication if it doesn’t simply resolve itself. Best of luck.

Hey Bill! Is there anyway that emotional based eeveelutions could transform into two different forms at the same time? What if say- during the night, your eevee has max friendship and love ? Could it turn into a Sylbreon?

As exciting as that might be, anonymous, unfortunately no. Evolution is a full-on transformation into a set form: there is no such thing as a hybrid evolution (in this sense, anyway—some people argue that slowbro and slowking are hybrid evolutions, but that’s another story) for the same reason hybrid hatchlings don’t exist. They’re two separate genetic entities, in other words, defined by very specific criteria. Think of it like a light switch, in other words, wherein the conditions for the state of being “on” are completely different from those of being “off.”

That having been said, an eevee in this scenario would evolve based on which emotion is stronger. If they feel generally happier, they’ll evolve into either espeon or umbreon, depending on the time of day. (Eevee will evolve into espeon if they’re exposed to any form of sunlight, including the little amount they get at sunrise and sunset, incidentally.) If they feel a stronger sense of belonging and physical comfort, they’ll be sylveon instead. Usually, one emotion is stronger than the other (either happiness for their trainer or pack or the feeling of being loved by their trainer or pack), but if the feeling is exactly equal, they’ll remain as eevee until one emotion outweighs the other.

Unless, of course, the eevee has chosen its particular form. If an eevee at equilibrium actually wants to be an umbreon instead of a sylveon or vice-versa, then they’ll will themselves towards that form.

This is, of course, also not taking into consideration environmental factors (such as proximity to a moss-covered rock), but seeing as you’ve specified emotion-based evolutions for eevee, I’ll keep it at this.

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.

So, I have an Eevee who I would like to evolve into an Umbreon which fits my team best, but after it wouldn’t evolve for a long time with all requirements met, I eventually discovered the Eevee was resisting evolution because he wants to become a Flareon. Is there a way I could at least try to persuade him to become an Umbreon? In the end however, I would never force him if it is something he is that strongly against.

I would hate to tell you this, anonymous, but very likely not, especially if your eevee feels so strongly about a certain evolution that he would resist doing so naturally, despite meeting all of the conditions for it. You could certainly try to outline his options in a tactful manner, but be sure to avoid comparing umbreon to flareon (as this may inadvertently cause him to feel that you would be disappointed in him if he chose not to evolve that way) and emphasize that you would support his evolution, regardless of which form he feels the most comfortable in. If anything, use this opportunity to test the strength of his convictions and ensure that he’s thought his decision all the way through, not because you wish to ensure he’s made the right choice with regards to his evolutionary form but instead because you wish to ensure he’s made the right choice in choosing to evolve at all.

This is because, ultimately, evolution is a permanent thing. While you’ve said you wouldn’t force your eevee to change his mind, this is something I feel is important for trainers to keep in mind generally speaking, as some trainers are not as conscious of their pokémon’s wishes as others. But when you get to the heart of the matter, evolution cannot be reversed, meaning the choice to evolve and the choice of which form to evolve into will affect a pokémon for the rest of their lives. That pokémon must be completely comfortable with both decisions before undergoing the process, or else the process itself will become a traumatic experience, either during or once the realization of what it means settles in. There have been cases of pokémon evolving to the “wrong” evolution (it happens most frequently with members of the oddish line for some reason), only to become far more aggressive once evolved.

So for the sake of your eevee’s sanity, I would suggest trusting his decision if he’s certain of it. If your eevee would be happiest being a flareon and you need an umbreon, there are certainly other options to take as a compromise, including allowing your eevee to evolve and then adopting a second eevee who would be far more open to the idea of filling that niche. Eevee and its evolutions are social pokémon when tamed anyway, so fitting a flareon and an umbreon on the same team can actually produce emotional benefits.