Welfare (IMPORTANT! READ ALL SECTIONS)

Animal Welfare Standards

Animal welfare rules apply to all animals at all times, including animals being bred, sold, culled, boarded, transported, or kept in temporary accommodation. Enclosures must be checked before animals are placed inside them. Owners are responsible for ensuring that every current and potential animal, including offspring, has suitable space, shelter, water, grazing, food, and enrichment. Please note that certain animals may have SPECIFIED requirements for welfare, such as horses requiring troughs/half barrels for water (or a natural source) - please refer to each individual species' specific needs on their respective horse welfare or animal welfare tab.

Topic Requirement
Why Welfare Standards Exist Welfare standards support realistic farming and reduce server lag. All players must follow them, regardless of property type, facility ownership, or how briefly an animal is housed in an area.
Safe Accommodation Check all enclosures before adding animals. Pens must be secure, appropriately sized, and contain everything required by the species. “Temporary” housing is not exempt from welfare rules.
Breeding Accommodation Breeding areas must meet the needs of the parents and every possible offspring. Baby animals require the same appropriate welfare provisions as adults. Do not breed animals in an area that cannot safely accommodate the resulting offspring.
Water Water may be a natural water source or a clear decorative source, such as a bowl or trough. Water must be accessible to the animals. Sensible water sources count toward the enclosure’s available block space. When using bowls, use the Pet Water Bowl from MOA DECOR: GARDEN. Do not use the Water Bowl from Fancy Ferrets or bowls from Hamtastic Hamsters, as they may disappear.
Food Bowls When using bowls, use the Pet Food Bowl from MOA DECOR: GARDEN. Do not use the Food Bowl or Seed Bowl from Fancy Ferrets or Hamtastic Hamsters.
Shelter Shelter is any accessible structure an animal can fit beneath that protects it from weather such as rain. Dedicated, clearly visible shelters are recommended. 
Grazing Grazing must consist of accessible vanilla grass blocks. Please ensure there's an appropriate amount so animals that physically eat the grass do not run out.
Usable Block Space Sensible food, water, shelter, and enrichment items, such as scratching poles, do not take away from overall block space. 


Animal Caps & Storage

Topic Requirement
Personal Animal Caps By default, each player may have 16 of each animal or mob species physically spawned and 20 of each species in storage through Mob Capturing Tools or similar storage. Horses are an exception. The default horse cap is 25. Horses may only be placed in Mob Capturing Tools temporarily for quick transportation (eg. going to an event) and may not be kept in the Mob Capturing Tool to bypass welfare, housing, aging, etc.

Our animal caps include all animals owned by a player (regardless of whether they are spread out over multiple properties). 
Breeding Over Cap Players may temporarily exceed the 16-animal limit only when breeding, this is to help encourage resource gathering. The population must be culled or returned to storage before the player logs off. Staff may require an immediate reduction if the number is excessive or the allowance is being misused. 
12-Chunk Limit Within any 12-chunk radius, there may be no more than the applicable cap for each species. By default, this means no more than 16 pigs, 16 cows, and so on within that radius. If you are sharing a property, additional animals owned by other players must be housed at least 12 chunks away.
Increased Caps Players may obtain additional permanent livestock capacity through an approved facility type. 
Using Additional Slots Personal bonus slots may be used in the same area as your existing animals. For example, a player with two additional horse slots may keep 20 horses together. Facility caps and facility-specific permissions may operate differently and may only be used for their approved purpose.


Welfare Checks & Owner Responsibility

Topic Requirement
Optional Staff Checks Staff may inspect a pen before animals are added for $300. This is optional and depends on staff availability. Being unable to find an available staff member is not permission to use an unsuitable enclosure.
Measuring Enclosures Players are responsible for checking their own enclosure sizes. Tools such as the craftable in-game abacus and measuring tape may be used to count blocks.
Trusted Players Property owners are responsible for anyone they allow into their area. Only trust players who will follow welfare rules, caps, and enclosure requirements. Another player causing the issue does not remove the owner’s responsibility.


Violations, Confiscation & Reclaiming Animals

Topic Enforcement
Incorrect Welfare Animals found without correct welfare may be confiscated immediately by staff or a rescue manager without prior warning. This applies to all animals, including SWEM horses.
Over-Cap While Offline If a property is over the applicable animal cap while its owner is offline, animals may be removed immediately until the correct limit is reached, even when the animals otherwise meet welfare requirements.
Rescue Hold Confiscated animals are held at the rescue for five days. The five-day period begins when the mailbox notification is sent and is displayed according to the player’s timezone.
Reclaiming Animals The reclaiming fee is $400 per animal. The full amount must be paid within five days of the mailbox notification. Extensions are not provided, however you may ask another player to collect your animals on your behalf.

Players must pay for and collect the entire backpack’s worth of confiscated animals. Individual animals may not be selected while leaving the others behind.

Submit payment at /warp Safehoof Cay (on /server Bluewater-Bay), in the first building on the right. Place the payment in a clearly labelled chest containing your username and the amount owed. Payment may be submitted as soon as the mailbox notification is received. The animals must be paid for and collected within the deadline. After collection, the knapsack that contained the Mob Capturing Tools must be returned to the designated chest and not kept.
Repeated Violations Repeated welfare or cap violations, particularly within a short period, may result in additional consequences, including a rescue ban and server moderation action at our discretion.