No Man’s Sky is a largely lonely affair that sees you adventuring out into the huge universe that Hello Games has created. While you’re exploring planets in search of resources and upgrades, you can always find some company in the local wildlife. More specifically, the animals that inhabit these planets.
As you discover new and unknown planets, you’ll more than likely come across a bunch of previously undiscovered animals, too. If you can get close enough to them, you can interact and feed these animals, and by doing so this will make them your pet. You can tell an animal has become your pet by the little smiley face emote that appears just above their heads, but the amount of time that an animal will stay your pet after feeding is a question that many players are wondering.
With the benefits of having a pet ranging from having a happy animal running in your vicinity, to others offering a helping hand in battle or some resources in their poop, the longer a pet stays with you, the better. However, it seems that the animals in No Man’s Sky won’t all stick around for the same amount of time. During our time exploring planets, we came across one species that ate the food and within 30 seconds was running off into the distance. Yet, another species we came across was happy to stick around with us for quite a while.
Therefore, it seems that just like a pet’s ‘perks’ will vary depending on the species, so too will the amount of time they stick along. Or it might just be that some don’t offer any perks and just want you for your food.