Best Way to Unlock Extra Pet Equip Slots in Grow A Garden

Unlocking extra pet equip slots in Grow A Garden can feel like a grind—especially if you’re playing free-to-play. With high gem costs and limited-time pets in rotation, finding an efficient strategy is essential. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best method to get all five extra pet equip slots—without spending a dime. Whether you’re starting fresh or deep into the grind, this step-by-step guide breaks everything down clearly so you can maximize your time and pets. Also check out our Grow a Garden Codes for the new Prehistoric event & Grow a Garden Animals Tier List.

How Pet Equip Slots Work

To unlock extra pet equip slots, you’ll need to sacrifice pets at specific level milestones through the Free Upgrade section of the shop. Here’s how it works:

• 1st slot: Requires a Level 20 pet
• 2nd slot: Requires a Level 30 pet
• 3rd slot: Requires a Level 45 pet
• 4th and 5th slots: Likely follow a similar pattern (increasing level requirements)

You don’t just level up any pet—you have to give them up. That’s why it’s important to choose the right pets to level, and more importantly, how to level them fast.

The Two Key XP Booster Pets: Owl vs Mouse

To level pets quickly, you’ll want pets that boost XP gain. There are two standout options:

1. Owls – Passive XP Boosters

Owls are currently the best pets for feeding XP to other pets.

Types of Owls:

• Normal Owl
• Night Owl
• Blood Owl (Best of the three)

Each owl gives a passive XP boost to all active pets on your plot. The Blood Owl gives +61 XP/sec to all active pets, making it the most powerful and surprisingly easiest to get—if you act fast.

How to Get Blood Owl:

• Blood Moon Event (33% spawn rate per hour)
• Look for a server during a Blood Moon, go to the event shop, and buy the Blood Owl for 60 million Shmeckles

Pro tip: Server hop if you’re trying to catch a Blood Moon faster.

However, the Owl is a limited-time pet. If the event has passed or is about to expire, your chances of obtaining one may be low.

2. Mouse – Self XP Leveler

The Brown Mouse is a mythical pet with 27% hatch rate from the Mythical Egg, which itself spawns rarely in the shop.

Unlike owls, the mouse gives XP to itself, meaning it’s perfect for sacrificing at level 45 to unlock equip slots.

Mouse Types:

• Brown Mouse (Best for XP gain)
• Dre Mouse (Weaker version, 35% hatch rate)

Mice gain levels fast and are ideal for solo leveling, but keep in mind—you’ll have to give them up once they reach the required level.

Best Strategy: Mouse + Owl Combo

The most effective method to unlock extra pet slots is:

1. Use 3–5 Blood Owls to passively feed XP
2. Place a single sacrificial pet (like a Hedgehog or Beaver) in the middle of them
3. Alternatively, if you have a Brown Mouse, you can skip the owl setup and let the mouse level itself
4. Once the pet reaches the needed level, sacrifice it to unlock a slot

Important: Pets do not gain XP if they’re not fed. Always keep food stocked to maintain XP gain.

This combo gives you two solid approaches:

• Slow but safe: Use Owls to feed XP to a random pet you don’t mind sacrificing
• Fast but risky: Use a Brown Mouse, level it quickly, then give it up (you’ll need to repeat this process for each slot)

Alternative Methods (If You Missed the Owl Event)

If the event has ended and you couldn’t get the Owls:

• Focus on hatching multiple Mice
• Level them one by one and sacrifice as needed
• Be prepared for RNG—Mythical Eggs are rare, and even then, the mouse isn’t guaranteed

While this method is slower, it’s still 100% free-to-play friendly and gets the job done over time.

Unlocking extra pet equips in Grow A Garden is possible without spending, but it requires smart planning. The Blood Owl + random pet combo is the most efficient long-term strategy, while the Mouse route is great for quick level-ups—if you’re lucky with egg spawns. If the owl event is still ongoing, drop everything and grab some owls now. They’re limited, they stack XP, and they’ll save you hours of grinding. Let us know how your grind is going, and stay tuned for more Grow A Garden guides as the game updates!