Hello! I saw your blog from a pal that was reblogging your stuff. I know you’ve done Clodesire and Quagsire, but what’s your stance on Wooper?
As a big fan of this pokémon myself, it gives me no joy to report that a wooper might not be the best pet for a lot of potential owners, all due to a mix of their environmental needs, biology, and potentially dangerous abilities. But…. I mean…. They’re so cute….
At just over a foot tall and weighing less than twenty pounds, a wooper is the perfect size to be a house pet. As for whether you would want to keep one inside, well… it might not be ideal. Wild woopers make their homes in cold, muddy waters, emerging only to look for food when the temperatures are cold enough for them (Gold, Ruby/Sapphire, Emerald, LeafGreen, Diamond, Pearl, HeartGold, X, Y, OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire, Sword, BrilliantDiamond, ShiningPearl). Providing and maintaining such a habitat for a wooper may be beyond the means of a lot of owners. This isn’t a situation that we’ve seen with a lot of other Water-Type pokémon, where one could utilize a multi-use space, like a pool, to accommodate them: wooper’s needs for low temperatures and plenty of mud makes their habitat requirements a bit more specific. This isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker or anything, but it is something that may make them an ill-fit for some.
The other issue that comes up with woopers is that touching one barehanded can have detrimental effects. When woopers emerge from their underwater homes, they coat their bodies in a transparent, toxic film in order to protect their skin from dehydration (Silver, Crystal, Ruby/Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, Platinum, SoulSilver, Black/White, Black2/White2, OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire, Shield, Scarlet, Violet). This film does not seem to be toxic to a deadly level, but it can cause numbness and shooting pains (Crystal, Scarlet), meaning that it is highly recommended that a wooper only be handled with protective gear. This is less than ideal for anyone looking for a cuddly pet: woopers only really come out of the water at night, and when they do you should not handle them without taking careful precautions.
When it comes to their moves, there aren’t many that raise concern, but those that do are a pretty big deal. For on,e you have Toxic; while the membrane on a wooper’s skin may only cause numbness, they are capable of causing some more serious poisoning at a range. Then there’s Earthquake, which has been discussed at some length on this blog before: this 100% accurate, high damage move could cause some serious damage to structures, making it a threat to any human homes around them. While woopers don’t appear to be particularly aggressive or anything, these moves cause a lot of concern.
Caring for a wooper would require a very particular habitat, protective precautions, and a lot of training to prevent danger to humans and human structures through moves like Earthquake. Despite their small size, woopers are going to be beyond the means of a lot of owners, but not necessarily all owners. If you have the resources and are dedicated enough, you could make it work. And I would. I mean, look at them!
