
The Trader Event in Grow a Garden has become one of the most anticipated updates in the game, bringing exclusive pets that you can’t obtain through any other method. With limited availability and powerful abilities, these pets are essential for serious players looking to maximize their garden’s potential. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through every single Trader Event pet, how to get them, and which ones you should prioritize for your collection.
| Pet Category | Number of Pets | Acquisition Method |
|---|---|---|
| Gem Chest Pets | 6 | Opening Gem Chests from Trader |
| Crafted Pets | 3 | Pet Workbench recipes |
| Trader Rewards Pets | 2 | Completing Trader streaks |
The Trader Event introduces 11 unique pets that can only be obtained during this limited-time period. These pets are distributed across three different acquisition methods, each requiring different strategies and resources. Understanding how to get each pet will help you plan your approach and maximize your chances of completing the collection.
Unlike regular pets that you can hatch anytime from standard eggs, Trader Event pets offer exclusive abilities specifically designed to enhance your trading and gardening efficiency. These pets provide bonuses like faster plant growth, increased XP for nearby pets, resource conservation, and even automatic fruit harvesting. The limited availability makes them highly sought after by collectors and competitive players alike.

There are three distinct methods to acquire Trader Event pets, and each method requires different resources and strategies.
The Gem Chest is the primary method for obtaining most Trader Event pets. When you successfully trade with the Trader NPC, you have a 5.48% chance of receiving a Gem Chest as your reward. This chest contains six possible pets, each with different drop rates ranging from common to extremely rare.
To maximize your chances of getting Gem Chests, you’ll need to maintain an active trading streak with the Trader. The higher your streak, the better your overall rewards become. Focus on completing trades consistently and stockpiling the plants that the Trader requests most frequently.
Gem Chest Tips:
The Pet Workbench allows you to craft three exclusive pets that cannot be obtained through any chest or egg. These crafted pets require specific ingredients including other pets, food items, and various resources. Each crafting recipe takes 30 minutes to complete, so plan accordingly.
Crafting is the most guaranteed method to get specific pets, but it requires careful resource management. You’ll need to collect the necessary pets first, along with rare food items and crafting materials. The Silver Piggy is a prerequisite for crafting the Golden Piggy, so you’ll need to complete these in order.
Crafting Tips:
The Trader Rewards system offers two mythical pets that can only be obtained through completing trading streaks. As you continue trading with the Trader NPC, you build up streak milestones that unlock better rewards. The Pack Mule has an extremely low drop rate of just 0.25%, making it one of the rarest pets in the entire event.
To access Trader Rewards pets, you need to reach higher streak milestones (typically 12+ streaks and beyond). The Messenger Pigeon and Camel become available at different streak levels, while the Pack Mule remains incredibly rare throughout all streaks.
Trader Rewards Tips:
The Gem Chest contains six pets with varying rarities and abilities. Here’s everything you need to know about each one:
Drop Chance: 34.5%
Ability: Chance to not consume a watering can when used
The Clam is the most common pet from the Gem Chest, but don’t underestimate its usefulness. By preventing watering can consumption, it helps you save significant resources over time, especially if you have a large garden with many plots. This pet is perfect for players who are still building their resource stockpile and want to minimize daily maintenance costs.
Drop Chance: 14.5%
Ability: Selling silver fruit has a chance to grant a random reward
The Magpie provides an interesting gambling mechanic to your gameplay. Every time you sell silver fruit (which you’ll be doing frequently for coins), there’s a chance to receive bonus rewards. These rewards can include rare items, extra coins, or even materials you need for crafting. The Magpie becomes more valuable the more you farm and sell silver fruit.
Drop Chance: 1%
Ability: Occasionally eats all fruit on a Divine+ plant and gives a random egg
The Bearded Dragon is the crown jewel of the Gem Chest pets despite its extremely low drop rate. Its ability to consume fruit from Divine-tier or higher plants and generate random eggs can save you enormous amounts of resources over time. Instead of having to manually harvest and process fruit, the Bearded Dragon does it automatically while giving you valuable eggs that might contain rare pets.
This pet is best used near your highest-tier plants. Position it strategically in your garden where it can access multiple Divine, Mythical, or Galactic plants. The random eggs it produces can contain pets from various egg types, making it essentially a passive egg-farming machine.
Drop Chance: Varies (Available in both Gem Chest and Exotic Gem Chest)
Ability: Provides trading bonuses
The Sheckling is specifically designed to enhance your trading capabilities during the event. While the exact mechanics of its ability may vary, it generally provides benefits related to trade quality or frequency. This makes it valuable for players who are actively grinding trades to maintain high streaks.
Drop Chance: Available through Trader Rewards
Ability: Assists with trading and communication mechanics
The Messenger Pigeon serves as a support pet for trading operations. Its abilities likely relate to trade notifications, faster trade completions, or enhanced rewards from specific trade types.
Drop Chance: Available through Trader Rewards
Ability: Provides trading and resource benefits
The Camel is another Trader Rewards pet designed to support your trading endeavors. Its desert-themed design fits perfectly with the merchant/trader aesthetic of the event.
These three pets require careful preparation and resource gathering. You cannot hatch them from any chest or egg crafting is the only way.
Rarity: Legendary
Ability: Nearby plants grow faster for each Silver Ingot Cosmetic in your garden
Crafting Time: 30 minutes
Crafting Recipe:
The Silver Piggy introduces an interesting scaling mechanic to the game. The more Silver Ingot Cosmetics you place in your garden, the faster your plants will grow when near this pet. This creates a powerful synergy for players who invest in decorating their garden with the appropriate cosmetics.
To craft the Silver Piggy, you’ll first need to obtain a regular Pig pet, which is relatively common from early-game eggs. The Sushi requires cooking skills, while the Lightning Rod and Medium Toy are items you can obtain through various gameplay methods. Make sure you have all ingredients ready before starting the crafting process, as you won’t be able to use these items elsewhere once committed.
Optimal Placement Strategy:
Rarity: Mythical
Ability: Nearby pets gain extra XP for each Gold Ingot Cosmetic in your garden
Crafting Time: 30 minutes
Crafting Recipe:
The Golden Piggy takes the concept introduced by the Silver Piggy and elevates it to mythical tier. Instead of boosting plant growth, it accelerates pet leveling for all nearby pets based on your Gold Ingot Cosmetic count. This is invaluable for players looking to maximize their pet levels quickly.
Since crafting the Golden Piggy requires a Silver Piggy, you’ll need to plan for at least 60 minutes of total crafting time (30 minutes for each pet). The Spaghetti is another cooking recipe, the Tanning Mirror is a rare item, and the Medium Treat is a pet-related consumable.
Optimal Placement Strategy:
Rarity: Mythical
Ability: Combines abilities from Lion, Goat, and Sand Snake with added bonuses
Crafting Recipe:
The Chimera is perhaps the most unique crafted pet in the game, as it literally fuses three different pets into one powerful hybrid. By combining the Lion, Goat, and Sand Snake, you create a pet that has all three of their abilities active simultaneously, plus additional bonuses from the fusion itself.
The Chimera Stone is a special event item that can be obtained through Trader Rewards at higher streaks. This makes the Chimera particularly challenging to craft, as you need both the component pets and the rare Chimera Stone. However, the payoff is enormous having three pet abilities in a single pet slot opens up new strategic possibilities for your garden layout.
Component Pet Abilities:
When combined, these abilities work together synergistically, making the Chimera one of the most powerful pets available during the Trader Event.
Rarity: Mythical
Drop Chance: 0.25% (from Trader Rewards)
Ability: Supply Line – Crafted pets can gain base weight
The Pack Mule is the rarest pet in the entire Trader Event with its microscopic 0.25% drop rate. Its unique ability allows crafted pets to gain base weight, which likely affects their stat distributions or effectiveness in specific mechanics. The Supply Line ability suggests it works best when used alongside other crafted pets, creating a support network.
Given its extreme rarity, obtaining the Pack Mule requires dedication and patience. You’ll need to maintain high trading streaks and complete numerous trades to even have a chance at receiving this mythical pet. Many players complete the entire event without ever seeing a Pack Mule drop.
Is the Pack Mule Worth the Grind?
For completionists and collectors, absolutely yes. For casual players focused on gameplay efficiency, the 0.25% drop rate makes it more of a bonus than a must-have. Focus on obtaining the Bearded Dragon and Golden Piggy first, then work on the Pack Mule if you have time remaining in the event.
Acquisition: Trader Rewards at medium streaks
Ability: Enhances trading operations and communication
The Messenger Pigeon becomes available at mid-tier streak levels (typically around streak 12+). It serves as a quality-of-life pet for active traders, making the trading process smoother and more rewarding.
Acquisition: Trader Rewards at medium-high streaks
Ability: Provides resource and trading benefits
The Camel unlocks at slightly higher streak levels than the Messenger Pigeon. Its desert-merchant theme makes it a thematic fit for the trading event, and its abilities support sustained trading operations.
Not all Trader Event pets are created equal. If you have limited time or resources, focus on obtaining these top-tier pets first:
Despite the challenging 1% drop rate from Gem Chests, the Bearded Dragon stands as the single best pet from the entire event. Its ability to automatically consume fruit from Divine-tier or higher plants and generate random eggs creates a passive income stream of both resources and potential rare pets.
Why It’s #1:
How to Get It Efficiently: Open as many Gem Chests as possible. Trade consistently with the Trader to maximize your Gem Chest acquisition rate. The 1% drop rate means you’ll need approximately 100 Gem Chests on average to obtain one, though you could get lucky much sooner or take much longer.
The Golden Piggy’s ability to accelerate pet XP based on Gold Ingot Cosmetic count makes it essential for long-term account progression. Leveling pets is one of the most time-consuming aspects of Grow a Garden, and this pet dramatically reduces that grind.
Why It’s #2:
How to Get It Efficiently: Focus on crafting the Silver Piggy first, then gather the materials for Golden Piggy. Prioritize cooking recipes to ensure you have Sushi and Spaghetti ready. The total investment of 60 minutes of crafting time plus material gathering is worth it for the long-term XP gains.
Having three pet abilities in a single pet slot is an incredible space-saver and efficiency boost. The Chimera lets you consolidate your pet effects while freeing up slots for other specialized pets.
Why It’s #3:
How to Get It Efficiently: Start collecting the Lion, Goat, and Sand Snake pets early. These might come from various eggs, so diversify your hatching strategy. Focus on reaching high trading streaks to obtain the Chimera Stone from Trader Rewards.
While not as flashy as the mythical-tier pets, the Clam’s 34.5% drop rate makes it very accessible, and its watering can conservation ability provides consistent daily value.
Why It’s Worth Getting:
How to Get It Efficiently: You’ll likely get multiple Clams while hunting for rarer Gem Chest pets. Keep your first one and use extras for trading or crafting materials if the game allows.
Your trading streak directly affects your reward quality and access to higher-tier reward pools. Breaking your streak sets you back significantly, especially if you’re hunting for Trader Rewards pets like the Pack Mule or Chimera Stone.
Solution: Set daily reminders to complete at least one trade with the Trader. Stock up on commonly requested plants so you’re always prepared.
Some players focus exclusively on opening chests and forget about the crafted pets entirely. This means missing out on guaranteed mythical-tier pets like the Golden Piggy.
Solution: Start gathering crafting materials from day one of the event. Prioritize obtaining the component pets and rare items needed for recipes.
Running out of the specific plants that the Trader requests can halt your progress completely.
Solution: Maintain a diverse garden with at least a few plots dedicated to each plant type. Focus extra attention on Divine-tier and higher plants as these are most valuable for trades.
Opening Gem Chests without a strategy leads to duplicate pets and inefficient resource usage.
Solution: Track which pets you’ve already obtained. If the game allows trading, consider exchanging duplicates with other players for pets you’re missing.
Crafted pets take 30 minutes each to complete. Starting your crafting attempts on the final day of the event might leave you without enough time.
Solution: Create a schedule that spaces out your crafting attempts throughout the event duration. This ensures you have time to gather any missing materials.
If your primary goal is obtaining the Pack Mule or Chimera Stone, focus exclusively on building and maintaining the highest possible trading streak. This means:
For players hunting the Bearded Dragon or completing their Gem Chest pet collection:
Most players will benefit from a balanced strategy that works toward all pet types simultaneously:
For players who want maximum results with minimum time investment:
The Trader Event is a limited-time occurrence in Grow a Garden, typically lasting between 1-2 weeks. Based on the game’s update schedule, the event appears periodically (potentially quarterly or semi-annually), though exact dates vary.
Important: Once the event ends, there is no other way to obtain these pets until the event returns. This makes the Trader Event a high-priority period for dedicated players.
To stay updated on when the Trader Event begins and ends:
The Trader Event automatically begins when the update goes live in Grow a Garden. You’ll see the Trader NPC appear in the designated trading area of your garden. Simply approach the Trader and interact with them to start trading. You’ll exchange plants from your garden for various rewards including seeds, eggs, gears, and the exclusive Trader Event pets. No special requirements are needed to participate the event is available to all players regardless of level.
The Pack Mule is the rarest pet in the entire Trader Event with an extremely low drop rate of just 0.25% from the Trader Rewards system. This mythical-tier pet can only be obtained through completing trades and building your trading streak it’s not available in any chest or through crafting. The Bearded Dragon, while also very rare at 1% from Gem Chests, is significantly more common than the Pack Mule.
No, Trader Event pets are exclusive to the event period and cannot be obtained through any other means once the event concludes. This is what makes them so valuable and sought-after by collectors. However, the Trader Event does return periodically in Grow a Garden, so if you miss pets this time, you’ll have another opportunity when the event comes back in a future update. Keep an eye on official announcements for information about when the next Trader Event will occur.
To craft the Golden Piggy, you need to first craft the Silver Piggy, then use it as the main ingredient along with Spaghetti, a Tanning Mirror, and a Medium Treat. Access the Pet Workbench in your garden, select the Golden Piggy recipe, and place all four required items. The crafting process takes 30 minutes to complete. Make sure you have all materials ready before starting, as you cannot cancel or retrieve items once crafting begins.
The best strategy for obtaining the Bearded Dragon is to maximize your Gem Chest acquisition rate by trading frequently with the Trader. Focus on maintaining your trading streak and stockpiling the plants that the Trader requests most often. Since the Bearded Dragon has a 1% drop rate from Gem Chests, you’ll need to open approximately 100 chests on average to receive one, though RNG can favor you earlier or take longer. Trade as much as possible throughout the event duration and open every Gem Chest immediately to track your progress.
The Trader Event in Grow a Garden represents a unique opportunity to acquire some of the game’s most powerful and exclusive pets. With 11 total pets spread across three acquisition methods, there’s plenty of content to keep you engaged throughout the entire event period.
Focus your efforts on obtaining the Bearded Dragon and Golden Piggy first, as these provide the highest long-term value for your account. The Chimera offers incredible versatility, while the Clam provides consistent daily savings. The Pack Mule remains the ultimate collector’s prize, though its 0.25% drop rate makes it more of a bonus than a necessity.
Remember that these pets are only available during the event period, so make the most of every day. Maintain your trading streaks, manage your resources carefully, and don’t forget to start crafting early. With the strategies outlined in this guide, you’ll be well-equipped to maximize your Trader Event success and build an impressive collection of exclusive pets.