How to Tame Tidepup (Small) in ARK
Complete walkthrough for taming Tidepup (Small): gear, food, knockout strategy, and tips.
Quick Facts
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Temperament
- Curious
- Tame Method
- Knockout
- Rideable
- No
Tidepup (Small) Taming Details
Tidepup (Small) is a knockout tame. Its most effective taming food is Kibble (preferred) or Raw Mutton.
Alternative foods: Cooked Lamb Chop, Raw Prime Meat, Cooked Prime Meat, Raw Meat.
Taming Steps
1. Prepare your gear
Bring Tranq Arrows or Tranq Darts, a Crossbow or Longneck Rifle, Narcotics or Narcoberries, and bug repellent.
2. Locate the creature
Find a wild Tidepup (Small) on supported maps. Check the spawn map and bring a fast mount or a flyer for transport.
3. Knock it out
Tidepup (Small) is a knockout tame. Use a Crossbow, Longneck Rifle with Tranq Darts, or Shocking Tranq Darts. Aim for the head for bonus torpor and keep distance to avoid aggro damage.
4. Feed the right food
Place Kibble (preferred) or Raw Mutton in its inventory (alternatives: Cooked Lamb Chop, Raw Prime Meat, Cooked Prime Meat, Raw Meat). Higher-tier food gives faster taming and higher level bonuses.
5. Maintain torpor
Watch the torpor bar. Feed Narcoberries or Narcotics to prevent it from waking up before the tame completes.
6. Claim & saddle
Once tamed, Tidepup (Small) will follow your commands. It cannot be ridden.
Tidepup (Small) base stats
Level 1 wild values, with the gain each point adds in the wild and after taming.
| Stat | Base | Per wild level | Per tamed level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 100 | +20.0% | +27.0% |
| Stamina | 100 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Food | 900 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Weight | 150 | +2.0% | +4.0% |
| Melee damage | 1 | +5.0% | +10.0% |
| Movement speed | 1 | +0.0% | +1.0% |
| Torpidity | 200 | +6.0% | +0.0% |
Taming & saddle figures
Breeding & movement
Where it spawns & other details
Tidepup (Small) spawns on Genesis Part 1, Astraeos.
Related tools & resources
Tidepup (Small) — Background & Lore
The small 
Tidepup is the shoulder-pet stage of the Tidepup in ASA. It is fragile but useful: it speeds up its owner's health regeneration and can later evolve into a large, rideable healer.
Where to find it
It spawns on Genesis Part 1 and Astraeos, and in our data every Tidepup spawn on those maps is this small form.
Taming
A passive tame with a twist. Lead it to a player or tame whose health is below 10%; standing near a campfire or using a 
Blood Extraction Syringe works. It heals the target and then naps. Feed it while it naps, and repeat until it is tamed. Good foods are 
Cooked Lamb Chop, 
Raw Meat, 
Raw Mutton and 
Regular Kibble.
Breeding
It lays eggs. An egg hatches in about 5 hours, and the baby matures in about 1.5 days at 1x.
Uses
- Shoulder buff: about 250% faster health regeneration and less oxygen use.
- Protection: a health buffer that turns damage into healing, and a dispel for the first negative effect.
Tips
Healing you and your tames is what pushes it toward the large form. Choose Neotenic Stabilization to keep it small for good.