Starsand Island Pets Guide: Octa, Capybara & Adoptables
Pets in Starsand Island are the named wild animals you meet around the island — cats at the Community Center, a squirrel in the woods, a capybara by the water — not the chickens, sheep or horses you keep on the farm. You win them over by feeding and interacting every day, adopt them once their affection is high enough, and from then on they can follow you around, be petted, spun and hugged, and be dressed in outfits from the pet shop. This page lists every adoptable animal with its birthday and favourite foods, gives the fox Octa (the most-searched pet) its own section, and explains where pet outfits come from. Animal names and birthdays come from the Early Access character data export, food preferences from the same export plus a player-tested Early Access guide; the adoption and outfit descriptions come from the official February 8, 2026 Steam post. Nothing here has been re-verified for 1.0 yet.
Farm animals, breeding and mounts are separate systems: see the animal breeding guide and vehicles guide.
How adoption works (official description)
The February 8, 2026 countdown post describes the loop: animals wander set spots on the island, and “by feeding and interacting with them daily” their affection grows until you can adopt them. Treating them to favourite snacks speeds this up. After adoption you unlock more interactions (petting, spinning together, a hug), can switch on Follow so the pet trails you on foot or on a vehicle, and can place a dedicated food bowl, a pet bed and even a pet treadmill at home. The same post promised more species later, naming otters and red pandas. Exact affection numbers for adoption are not published anywhere reviewed — Unconfirmed as of August 23, 2026.
All adoptable animals
Twelve named animals are marked adoptable in the Early Access character list; two pandas are not. Birthdays use the in-game seasons. “Loved” items are from the player-tested guide (February–March 2026) where it recorded them; several animals had no tested entries.
| Name | Species (data ID) | Birthday | Loved (tested) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Octa | Fox (Fox_01), female | Winter 26 | Basic Carnivore Pet Food, Pet Energy Bar, Yellowtail Damselfish, Tilapia, Butterflyfish, Crispy Noodles | See section below |
| Mellowhen | Capybara (Capybara_01) | Winter 26 | Herbivore Pet Food, Dragon Fruit, Cucumber, Cabbage, Wafers; dislikes Glazed Cicada | ”Wise and enlightened”, always looks deep in thought |
| Booboo | Panda (Panda_01), female | Winter 26 | — (not tested) | Gnaws bamboo shoots; the adoptable panda |
| Zippy | Squirrel-like creature (Squirrel_02) | Summer 20 | Peanuts, Herbivore Pet Food, Dragon Fruit, Celeste Berry; likes Cabbage, Leek, Fresh Bamboo Shoot, Pasture Grass | Candy-coloured, obsessed with dragon fruit |
| 404 | Ragdoll cat (Cat_Animal_04) | Winter 29 | Carnivore Pet Food, Chinese Hooksnout Carp, Sheep Cheese Block, Fowl, Butterflyfish, Tilapia; dislikes Celeste Berry, Dragon Fruit | Disappears when approached — hence the name |
| Meow Alum | Cat (Cat_Animal_01) | Autumn 23 | Carnivore Pet Food, Tilapia, Fowl; dislikes Mushroom, Celeste Berry | ”Twelve-Hydrate Sulfate Kitty” |
| Crescent | Cat (Cat_Animal_02) | Spring 9 | Basic Carnivore Pet Food, Beef; likes Glazed Cicada, BC Milk; dislikes Celeste Berry | Only eats high-protein treats |
| Sheriff | Black cat (Cat_Animal_03) | Winter 16 | — (only a dislike for Celeste Berry recorded) | The cats’ self-appointed sheriff |
| Nana | Cat (Cat_Animal_07) | Winter 16 | — (not tested) | Smudges dirt on her face like make-up |
| Scrappy | Small dog (LittleDog_01) | Summer 27 | Basic Carnivore Pet Food, Wafers; likes Celeste Berry, Soybean, French Fries | Roams the island; home-decor connoisseur |
| Bobo | Black Shiba Inu (LittleDog_02) | Spring 12 | Carnivore Pet Food (Basic/Intermediate), Wafers, Fowl, Mutton; dislikes Mushroom, Glazed Cicada, Pasture Grass | Friendly; “never let him see his reflection” |
| Sarge | Small dog (LittleDog_07) | Summer 23 | — (not tested) | Dreams of being a police dog |
Not adoptable: Bao (baby panda, Panda_03) and Grumpy (medium panda, Panda_02) can be fed and interacted with but stay wild. Pudding (BigDog_01, birthday Winter 25) is Stella’s own dog. The export also names a stray kitten and a number of creatures (Cotton Candy, Cashpaw, Ollie, Fluffbun, Rooibos, Silky, Teaffy and others) that do not appear in player adoption lists; whether any are catchable in 1.0 is Unconfirmed.
Octa the fox: profile and favourite foods
Octa is the fox you will see “mysteriously scurrying around the island, gathering intel” — checking who is cooking and whose bin lid is loose, as her profile puts it. She is female, her birthday is Winter 26, and “Octa” is not a human NPC despite turning up next to islander names in search suggestions (see the characters page for that clarification).
Her preferences follow the generic Fox table in the data export (144 Loved items) and the tested guide agrees on the core:
- Loved: Pet Energy Bar; Basic and Advanced Carnivore Pet Food; a long list of fish including Giant Barb, Cleaner Fish, Pumpkinseed, Butterflyfish, Tilapia, Yellowtail Damselfish, Comet and Fringetail Glowfish and even king fish such as Arapaima (King) and Swordfish (King); meat (Beef, Mutton); and snack foods such as Star Ramen, French Fries, Crispy Noodles, Jelly, Latiao, Tofu, Dried Figs, Sunflower Seeds, BC Milk and Strawberry Milk.
- Liked: Dragon Fruit, Celeste Berry, Basic Herbivore Pet Food.
- Hated: every bait (Bug, Veggie, Meat), every fertilizer grade (Ripening, Yield, Gmax), Nutrient Soil, all fireworks and firecrackers, Resin and Thick Resin.
In practice: a cheap fish from any pond or a bag of carnivore pet food from the shop is the safe daily treat, and the same bait you carry for fishing is the easiest way to annoy her. Where to catch the glowfish she loves is on the rare fish locations page.
Preferences by pet type
The data export has a preference table per species, and the pattern is consistent:
| Type | Likes | Examples of Loved items |
|---|---|---|
| Capybara | Fruit and vegetables | Cherry Tomato, Pineapple, Strawberry, Corn, Apple, Dragon Fruit, Celeste Berry, Cabbage, Cucumber, Carrot, Herbivore Pet Food |
| Cat | Fish and meat | Carnivore Pet Food, Basic Cat Food, most fish, Beef, Mutton |
| Dog | Meat, dairy, eggs | Carnivore Pet Food, Basic Dog Food, Beef, Mutton, Pork, Beef Jerky, Milk, Sheep Cheese Block, Eggs, Honey |
| Fox | Fish, meat, snacks | As Octa above |
| Squirrel | Seeds, fruit, insects | Sunflower Seeds, Strawberry, Apple, Dragon Fruit, fireflies and dragonflies |
| Panda | Bamboo | Fresh Bamboo Shoot, Shiny Carrot; likes Bamboo Leaf, Hardy Bamboo |
| Ferret, Parrot, Little Panda | Present in the data (ferrets eat like cats; parrots and red pandas like seeds, fruit and snacks) | Not yet seen as adoptable in player reports — availability Unconfirmed; red pandas were announced as a future addition |
Pet Energy Bar is Loved by every type except the panda, which makes it the universal pet treat.
Pet shop, outfits and the costume contest
The pet shop is Woof & Wow Pets in Maple Reed, run by Stella (her cousin Sylvain covers shifts in winter when she is at the hot springs). The official pet post says the shop stocks “a wide range of outfits” for pets — lion-dance costumes, flower hats, headpieces and tail accessories — so you can give a pet its own outfit of the day. How outfits are equipped, their prices and whether they are seasonal is not documented in any source reviewed: Unconfirmed as of August 23, 2026. The Starsand Chic costume design contest that opened on August 18, 2026 has a separate Pet category, and winning designs may be added to the game. Player clothing is covered in the character creation and outfits guide.
White horse, lop-eared rabbit, Luna Rabbit
These search terms are animals, but not pets in the sense above:
- White Horse and Lop-eared Rabbit are livestock subspecies obtained through breeding; a patch fixed a case where they “could not be obtained through breeding”, and the white horse is also tied to the Senior Rancher training quest. Horses are rideable — see the animal breeding guide and vehicles guide.
- Luna Rabbit appears in the data only as an item name on Alex’s Loved list; what it is in game is Unconfirmed.
FAQ
What is Octa’s favourite food?
Pet Energy Bar, carnivore pet food, fish (Tilapia, Butterflyfish, Yellowtail Damselfish are the tested ones) and meat. Never bait, fertilizer or fireworks.
Can you adopt a capybara?
Yes — Mellowhen. He loves herbivore pet food, dragon fruit, cucumber and cabbage.
How do you adopt a pet?
Feed and interact with the animal every day where it hangs out; once its affection is high enough the adopt option appears (official description; the exact threshold is not published).
Are there pet outfits?
Yes, sold at Woof & Wow Pets — costumes, hats, headpieces and tail accessories according to the developers. Details of the menu and prices are unconfirmed.
Related guides
- Characters index — Stella, Sylvain and the human cast
- Gifts guide — gifts for people rather than pets
- Animal breeding guide — livestock subspecies such as white horses
- Rare fish locations — glowfish Octa loves
- Fishing guide — bait (keep it away from pets)
Last reviewed: August 23, 2026 — sources: official Steam pet-system post (Feb 8, 2026) and launch posts, Early Access character and gift-preference data export, player-tested Early Access gift guide.
Thanks for the feedback!