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Initially, all animals encountered in Rimworld will be wild and totally apathetic to the situation of the survivors controlled by the player, however, after some time and a bit of effort, gamers can tamed, name, and possibly even train a new four-legged friend.
When animals are tamed, Rimworld will give them a generic name that often is composed of the species and a number for simplicity, such as "Husky 1", "Husky 2", and continuing in this pattern. Though, since this default mechanic is quite impersonal, it's understandable that players will want to give their adorable allies a better moniker.
How To Rename Tamed Animals In Rimworld
Firstly, before an animal can be renamed in Rimworld, players will have to tame them, which can take a bit of work unless they get a bit lucky, as is usually the case in a game as unforgiving as this one.
How To Tame Animals In Rimworld
Sometimes, animals that spend a lot of time near the player's colonists will self-tame after a random amount of time, however, a much quicker method is to show the critter how great of a caretaker one can be! If players command one of their colonists to tend to the wounds of an injured animal, that animal will immediately become tamed. Though, it is important to note that a tamed animal is quite different from a trained animal.
How Renaming Works & How To Do It
After an animal has been tamed, players must open up the desired creature's Training Menu, where they will find the text field that lets them change their new pet's name.
To better keep track of one's favorite animal companions, it is recommended to make sure "Show animal names" is active in the options menu, as this will allow the names of animals to appear on the map to more easily keep track of one's non-human allies.
Interestingly, names that are given persist even beyond the expectations of most players. If a named animal is lost or sold, it is possible for them to reappear on the map as a wild animal in the future. They will need to be re-tamed and retrained, however, they will still possess the name given to them by the player, which can make for a warm and unexpected reunion that can make any playthrough more memorable.