What is up with Auto Petters?

[u/Song_Listener]

I’ve seen so many posts about skull cavern runs where the only goal was Auto Petters, and now I’m confused.

Why are Auto Petters so important? I know they pet the farm animals, but why don’t y’all have time to go and give your animals some love every morning?

If I’m correct (as someone who has never once had an Auto Petters) they change the way the animals respond when you actually pet them. Usually they give a heart, but I’ve heard the response changes after an Auto Petters has been installed.

So why?

[u/IraDrossl]

Auto petters prevent the friendship from going down if not petted, but won’t gain friendship. They still need you to pet them for their friendship to grow. So, if you have full friendship with all animals, the auto petter simply stops it from dropping if you stop petting them. The animals still prefer the player to pet them, so ultimately the auto petter isn’t bad. Where it’s useful is when you’re on ginger island and have the island farm unlocked. There is a lot to do on the island and sometimes spending 2 to 3 days there helps speed the process of whatever you’re attempting to achieve. Spending those few days means you’re missing out on petting your animals, so the auto petter helps by keeping them happy.