How Long Does It Take For A Sniffer To Grow Up In Minecraft Complete Growth And Care Guide

The Sniffer is one of the most unique and recently added mobs in Minecraft, introduced in the 1.20 \"Trails & Tales\" update. Unlike passive animals such as cows or chickens, the Sniffer hatches from ancient seeds found in archaeological sites and goes through a distinct growth cycle. Understanding how long it takes for a Sniffer to mature—and how to properly care for it—can significantly enhance your exploration and farming experience. This comprehensive guide breaks down the Sniffer’s lifecycle, growth mechanics, care requirements, and practical uses in-game.

Growth Timeline: How Long Until a Sniffer Grows Up?

When you hatch a Sniffer egg (obtained by planting the Ancient Seed found via suspicious gravel excavation), the baby Sniffer begins its life with a juvenile appearance. The time it takes for a Sniffer to fully grow into an adult is fixed and not influenced by feeding, unlike other mobs such as pandas or turtles.

A baby Sniffer takes exactly 60 minutes (in-game time) to reach adulthood. Since one full Minecraft day lasts 20 real-time minutes, this equates to three full days and nights in the game world. During this period, the Sniffer cannot breed, use its special abilities, or reproduce.

“Sniffers represent a shift toward slower, more intentional gameplay—they reward patience and curiosity.” — Henrik Kniberg, Mojang Gameplay Designer

This extended maturation period emphasizes the importance of protection and planning when raising Sniffers. Unlike faster-growing mobs, players must commit time and resources to ensure the juvenile survives predators, environmental hazards, and accidental damage.

Step-by-Step: Hatching and Raising a Sniffer

1. Locate Suspicious Gravel: Found in trial chambers, these blocks can be brushed using a brush to potentially reveal Ancient Seeds.
2. Plant the Ancient Seed: Use the seed on dirt, coarse dirt, or rooted dirt during daylight hours.
3. Wait for Hatching: After 10–30 seconds, a baby Sniffer will emerge from the planted seed.
4. Protect the Juvenile: Keep it safe from hostile mobs and falls. Consider fencing or a secure pen.
5. Wait 60 Minutes: No food accelerates growth; simply allow the in-game clock to progress.
6. Adult Behavior Activates: Once mature, the Sniffer will begin sniffing around, eventually digging up rare plants like torchflowers.

Tip: Speed up perceived wait time by sleeping through nights or using commands like /time add 1000 to advance the clock.

Caring for Your Sniffer: Environment and Safety

While Sniffers do not require food to grow, their survival depends heavily on environmental safety. Baby Sniffers have low health and cannot defend themselves. They also lack any aggression or escape mechanisms, making them vulnerable.

Provide a secure, enclosed space with soft landing surfaces (like hay bales or water) to prevent fall damage. Avoid placing them near lava, cacti, or open cliffs. A simple wooden fence with a roofed shelter works well. Lighting the area prevents hostile mob spawns at night.

Sniffers are non-hostile and do not attack, nor do they flee from players. However, they may wander if not contained. Their movement is slow and deliberate, often stopping to \"sniff\" blocks. This behavior intensifies once they reach adulthood.

What Adult Sniffers Can Do

• Dig up Torchflower Seeds and Pitcher Plants—two new flora exclusive to 1.20.
• Follow players holding specific items (currently no lead interaction).
• Breed with other adult Sniffers when fed Sweet Berries (one per Sniffer).
• Spawn only from Ancient Seeds, not through breeding exclusively.

Once mature, Sniffers spend much of their time scanning nearby blocks. When they locate plantable soil beneath certain conditions, they dig and may unearth rare seeds. This makes them invaluable for sustainable farming of decorative and functional flora.

Sniffer Care Checklist

Your Sniffer Care Routine:

• ✅ Excavate suspicious gravel in Trial Chambers to find Ancient Seeds
• ✅ Plant the seed on valid dirt blocks in well-lit areas
• ✅ Protect the baby Sniffer from mobs and environmental hazards
• ✅ Wait 60 minutes of continuous game time for maturity
• ✅ Provide space for digging behavior once adult
• ✅ Breed adults with Sweet Berries to produce more Sniffers
• ✅ Collect Torchflower Seeds and Pitcher Pods from dug-up soil

Do’s and Don’ts of Sniffer Management

Do’s	Don’ts
Keep baby Sniffers in enclosed pens with lighting	Leave them exposed to monsters or high drops
Use time commands or sleep to speed up growth perception	Expect feeding to accelerate growth (it doesn’t work)
Breed adults with Sweet Berries for offspring	Attempt to ride, leash, or control movement directly
Place them near farmland or flower beds to encourage digging	Put them on soul sand, mycelium, or podzol (they won’t dig)
Collect rare plants they uncover for decoration or composting	Ignore their spawning limitations—only one per Ancient Seed

Real Example: Building a Sniffer Garden

Jessica, a seasoned Minecraft builder, wanted to create a botanical sanctuary featuring the new 1.20 flora. She excavated multiple Trial Chambers until she obtained four Ancient Seeds. Each was planted in a custom greenhouse built over fertile dirt.

To manage growth time efficiently, she set up individual pens inside the greenhouse, each lit and fenced. While waiting, she automated crop collection systems nearby. After roughly three in-game days, all four Sniffers matured. She placed them in a shared garden zone filled with dirt and coarse dirt layers.

Within hours, the Sniffers began unearthing Torchflower Seeds and Pitcher Plants. Jessica collected these to expand her garden and even traded excess seeds with villagers. Her project became a self-sustaining ecosystem powered entirely by Sniffer behavior—a testament to patient, strategic mob utilization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you speed up a Sniffer’s growth with food?

No. Unlike cows, pigs, or chickens, Sniffers cannot be fed to accelerate growth. Their development is strictly time-based, requiring 60 full minutes of in-game time regardless of external input.

Where do Sniffers spawn naturally?

Sniffers do not spawn naturally in the world. They must be hatched from Ancient Seeds, which are obtained by brushing Suspicious Gravel primarily found in Trial Chambers. These underground structures are accessible through trial spawners scattered across the Overworld.

What happens when two adult Sniffers are bred?

When two adult Sniffers are fed Sweet Berries, they enter love mode and produce a single baby Sniffer. This offspring still requires 60 minutes to grow and behaves identically to those hatched from seeds. Breeding does not yield items or immediate benefits beyond population increase.

Final Thoughts: Patience Pays Off

Raising a Sniffer isn’t about quick rewards—it’s about embracing a slower, more thoughtful layer of gameplay. With a fixed 60-minute maturation period and no shortcuts, the Sniffer teaches players to plan ahead, protect their investments, and appreciate incremental progress. Whether you're cultivating rare flowers, designing immersive builds, or simply enjoying the novelty of this ancient creature, proper care ensures long-term success.

💬 Have you successfully raised a Sniffer? Share your setup tips or breeding experiences in the community! Help fellow players discover the joy of nurturing Minecraft’s most curious mob.