User blog:PopsicleNinja/An Extensive Guide To Caring For Your Slimes

It's about time that I gave a guide for this. Many ranchers think that slimes are easy to raise, but in truth, they require a fair bit of management -consider them like livestock rather than get-rich-quick moneymakers. There are other ranchers who have absolutely no idea what they are doing, probably because they are new to the game. And then there are ranchers who are having trouble, but they might not know where they went wrong. This guide has been made to share information about managing a slime's basic needs, the great corraling debate, and what to do if you can't care for your slimes. I will not cover largos or how to locate your slimes, I have made seperate guides for that.

Managing A Slime's Basic Needs
In truth, despite looking easy to raise, a rancher must keep in mind that slimes have basic needs that are a bit more than just food and a place to live -and even then, they don't always get it right, either. This section is about what you should know about managing a slime's needs, and how to do it correctly.

Food
Food is a vital part of raising slimes, of course. It allows them to stay happy and to produce plorts. The problem that ranchers often encounter is not finding the correct food, it is about making sure to feed your slimes enough. Of course, the problem will be different depending on if you use corrals or don't use corrals, but it's the same concept, with the same causes: The two biggest causes of this problem are traveling for long periods of time, and having too many slimes to feed -see the section about living space.

When You Use Corrals
Using corrals can be a time-consuming decision, as you most likely need to feed your slimes manually -this is especially time-consuming when you have three or more areas on your ranch. This is problematic when you travel for long periods of time, especially to the Glass Desert, as that place is very far away with no teleporter that leads to it. To combat this problem, give your slimes some extra food via an automatic feeder before you leave, and don't travel for more than two full day/night cycles. And regarding automatic feeders, they are not reliable for everyday use -only use them when you travel long distances.

When You Use Free-Range
Some people are under the misconception that if they let their slimes roam free, then they don't have to manage them as much -after all, they do have free access to food. I admit myself that even I made that mistake at first. However, I can tell you from personal experience that this is not necessarily the case. For one, there is a glitch where largos cannot jump over chicken coop walls, so you will have to put the chickens in first and wait some time before putting the slimes in -chickens can actually reproduce outside of corrals, and curiously, don't fall under the 12-chicken limit. And with slimes that eat crops, you have to remember that the crops may stop growing while you are away, and that there is a glitch where herbivore slimes outside of corrals forget to eat when you are away. However, don't let the length of this passage scare you -these problems are quite easy to fix: don't combine two slimes with the same diet, and don't use vegetables. And when you travel, make sure to wait until the crops have been replanted.

A Short Note About Puddle/Fire Slimes
Yes, it may seem like you can leave them alone, but in truth, they still need some management. Actually, their water/ash supply will go down over time, so you periodically need to refill it from time to time -but overall, they require much less care than other slimes. This is not a problem when you use the pond in the docks.

To Summarize!

 * Having corrals is quite time consuming. Are you prepared for that responsibility?
 * Automatic feeders are useful for traveling, but not everyday use.
 * Free-ranging your slimes does not make it easier.
 * You cannot use coops to free-range your slimes, but you can still use chickens.
 * There is a glitch where herbivores will not notice their food and starve.
 * Puddle slimes and fire slimes still need mantainence.

Living Space
Ah, space. It is such a basic need, and yet, too often, ranchers completely ignore it. All you have to do is only have so many slimes at a time. There are several issues that arise from overcrowding your slimes. First up, you'll encounter a situation where you don't have enough food to feed all of your slimes. The other problem is that it will be difficult to handle harmful slimes, especially if haven't been fed.

How To Tell If You Have Too Many Slimes
I have come up with a few simple rules of thumb to tell when your slimes are overcrowded. For corrals, remember that you can only keep six slimes or three largos at a time, although some species are exceptions for the reason of needing more space than usual. For free-ranging, it is a bit more difficult to tell, but in general, if you cannot get around without constantly being next to more than three slimes, and they aren't tabbies or hunters, then they are overcrowded. However, tabby and hunter slimes are different, so if you have difficulty getting around, then then are overcrowded -this is a more foolproof way of telling when your slimes are overcrowded. In general, if there always a few slimes who don't eat when they have free access to food, or it looks as if they are competing for food, then they are also overcrowded. If you ultimately find that your slimes pass the above tests, and yet you still cannot take care of them, then please, only raise as many slimes as you can handle.

When You Do Have Too Many Slimes...
In any scenario where you have too many slimes, the only ways to solve it are to either move some of your slimes to a different corral, or if you can't, then release your slimes (unless you are a heartless monster with an incinerator). I know, it's hard, but you have to do it, it's for the best.

To Summarize!

 * You can only keep six small slimes or three large slimes in a corral.
 * Some slimes need more space, so you can keep less of them in a corral.
 * You have too many slimes if:
 * You cannot walk around in an area without constantly being next to more than three slimes, and it's not because they are tabby or hunter slimes.
 * You have trouble walking around an area.
 * At feeding time, not all of the slimes can eat, and they act as if they are competing for food.
 * And finally, if your slimes pass the above tests, but you still can't take care of them.
 * If you do have too many slimes, then either move them to a new corral, or release them.

Safety
Now, here is a short section about safety: there are certain things that can cause problems that will endanger your slimes. No, I will not cover specific species here, there will be an entire article dedicated to that. As such, I will only be covering things that apply to all slimes.

Tarr Prevention
There is a very basic rule to follow: don't put more than two different species in the same place. Put simply, if there is a plort, a slime will eat it. With corrals, be very careful about escaping slimes, especially near honey slimes. And I won't even get started with tangle slimes. With free range, if you are using range exchange and your gift is plorts, vac them up as soon as you get them, as I once had a slime turn to a Tarr this way (but luckily, I was able to prevent damage).

The Incinerator
If you free-range, then largos may accidentially bump into the incinerator. Granted, this is actually a quite easy problem to fix: due to the glitch with not jumping over things, all you have to do is get the ash trough.

To Summarize!

 * Don't put more than two species in the same place.
 * If there is a plort, a slime will eat it.
 * Be careful about escaping slimes.
 * If you free-range slimes in the main ranch and your range exchange is plorts, then vac them up as soon as you get them.
 * You shouldn't worry about the incinerator, because you can exploit a glitch where largos can't jump over absurdly low things -get the ash trough.

The Great Corralling Debate
No, I'm not trying to start an argument. I'm not here to say that one of these is better than the other. I understand that ranchers have differing views, so I will be very careful to remain neutral, and thus, I refuse to state my opinion. All this section is about are the pros and cons of corrals VS free-range, and how to decide for yourself which option you should choose if you are having trouble deciding.

Pros:

 * You can have an easier time collecting plorts.
 * You can keep more types of slimes on your ranch.
 * You have to do more work to keep your slimes, and some ranchers like this challenge.
 * You can keep phosphor slimes outside of the grotto if for some reason you can't use the grotto.
 * You have an easier time navigating around harmful slimes.
 * It is easier to tell if your slimes are overcrowded.
 * Some ranchers need to be able to make room for a new slime quickly, and free-ranging slimes in an area is a long-term committment.

Cons:

 * You can't keep as many slimes.
 * This means less plorts at a time.
 * It is far easier to overcrowd your slimes.
 * Due to the variety of slimes in an area, it is easier for a careless rancher to have a Tarr outbreak.
 * You have to do lots of work to maintain your slimes when you have three or more areas, which some ranchers cannot handle or just plain dislike.
 * You can still get attached to your slimes, but it just isn't the same.
 * Some slimes need more space, meaning that you can keep even less of those slimes.

Pros:

 * You can have more slimes.
 * It is not as easy to overcrowd.
 * Caring for your slimes is less time-consuming.
 * There are more plorts to sell at a time.
 * Tarr outbreaks are almost impossible.
 * You have plenty of time to get attached, because adding new slimes is a long-term committment.
 * You can easily keep slimes that need more space.

Cons:

 * You can keep less types of slimes.
 * Collecting plorts in the Overgrowth is a real pain.
 * Inserting a particular slime into an area is a long-term committment, bad if you frequently want to change slimes. You have to carefully think before adding a slime to an area.
 * It is harder to tell if your slimes are overcrowded.
 * If you want phosphor slimes, you are kind of limited in where you can keep them.
 * It is harder to navigate an area that contains dangerous slimes.
 * It is easy to make the misconception that because it takes less time to care for your slimes, that it must be less work-this is not true, making it easy to underestimate the work required.

Troubleshooting
Sometimes, a rancher will mess up. They underestimate the work required, or they find that they have too many slimes, or that they are having trouble caring for their slimes. When this happens, you need to know what went wrong, and what to do about it.

Help! My slimes have access to food, and yet when I travel, they don't eat at all!
You appear to be experiencing some sort of glitch. There is a glitch where largos cannot jump over chicken coop walls, this is fixed by removing the coops -but don't worry, you can still use chickens. If you are growing vegetables, then it is most likely caused by a glitch where herbivores don't notice their food -remove the vegetables and combine these slimes with a slime that does not eat vegetables.

I travel too much to care for my slimes! What should I do?
There is nothing that will get rid of the problem, however, there are things that will make it easier on you. First up, if you own corrals, then you can add automatic feeders to use while you are away. If you are free-ranging your slimes, then always wait until after you replant your crops -or just raise carnivores. In addition, the overgrowth will make it easier.

If you have problems, then state them in the comments, and I will add them.

When You Can't Care For Your Slimes...
So you have tried everything, yet you're still having trouble. In that case, you have to make the difficult decision to release your slimes. If you are particularly attached, I understand. However, it is for the best of the slime. Please only care for as many slimes as you can handle, that will make your life easier, and if there is a particular species you can't take care of, then replace it with a different species.