How to Get Sniffer Eggs in Minecraft (Step-by-Step)

May 27, 2026

Sniffer Eggs were added in Minecraft 1.20 and do not spawn naturally. You can only get them by brushing suspicious sand in warm ocean ruins.

QUICK ANSWER

Find warm ocean ruins where suspicious sand blocks generate
Craft a brush using a copper ingot, feather, and stick
Brush suspicious sand carefully to uncover sniffer eggs

Table of Contents show

Steps to Find Sniffer Eggs in Minecraft

To get Sniffer Eggs in Minecraft, you’ll need to gear up for a dive into warm ocean ruins and use the archaeology system. Follow these steps carefully to avoid destroying the loot.

Step 1: Craft a Brush Tool

You need a brush before you can collect anything from suspicious sand. Without it, breaking the block will destroy the item inside.

*Brush crafting recipe using a feather, copper ingot, and stick*

To craft a brush, combine one feather, one copper ingot, and one stick. Make an extra brush if possible since it has limited durability.

Step 2: Find Warm Ocean Ruins

Start by locating a warm ocean biome. These biomes have bright blue water, coral reefs, and lots of tropical fish.

*Warm ocean ruins on the ocean floor, where Sniffer Eggs can be found in suspicious sand*

Ocean ruins can generate in any ocean biome, but only warm ocean ruins contain suspicious sand with Sniffer Eggs.

Look for these signs:

Broken stone structure made of sandstone, stone bricks, and gravel
Ruins sitting directly on the ocean floor
Groups of ruins instead of a single structure

Suspicious sand is usually mixed in with normal sand around these structures. It also appears in desert pyramids, but only warm ocean ruins can contain Sniffer Eggs.

On Java Edition, press F3 to confirm you’re in a warm ocean biome.

Step 3: Brush Suspicious Sand Blocks Carefully

Use your brush on suspicious sand blocks and hold the action until the item appears. If you stop early, progress resets, and if you break the block, the item is lost permanently.

*Brushing suspicious sand in warm ocean ruins to uncover a Sniffer Egg*

Suspicious sand looks a bit different from regular sand. It has a rougher texture and faint markings, so it stands out once you know what to look for.

*Close-up of suspicious sand showing its rough texture and faint markings*

Sniffer Eggs only have a 6.7% chance to appear, so you may need to brush several blocks.

Step 4: Collect and Store Sniffer Eggs

Once revealed, the Sniffer Egg drops as an item. Pick it up quickly and make sure you have inventory space.

*Sniffer Egg revealed after brushing suspicious sand in warm ocean ruins*

Keep an eye on your oxygen while underwater. It’s easy to lose track of time while brushing multiple blocks.

Where to Find Sniffer Eggs in Minecraft

Sniffer Eggs only appear in suspicious sand blocks inside warm ocean ruins. They do not generate in desert pyramids or cold ocean ruins.

*Warm ocean biome with coral reefs where ocean ruins can generate*

Focus on warm ocean biomes with coral reefs and explore multiple ruins to improve your chances.

How to Hatch Sniffer Eggs in Minecraft

To hatch a Sniffer Egg, place it on any block and wait. The egg will pass through three stages (normal → slightly cracked → very cracked) before hatching.

*A Sniffer Egg in its final cracked stage, ready to hatch into a baby Sniffer*

Sniffer Eggs hatch in about 20 minutes, or around 10 minutes on a moss block. No special conditions like light or biome are required.

After fully cracking, the egg hatches into a baby Sniffer (Snifflet). It takes about another 20 minutes to grow into an adult.

*A baby Sniffer (Snifflet) right after hatching from its egg*

What Sniffers Do and Why They’re Useful

Sniffers are passive mobs in Minecraft that dig up rare seeds like torchflower and pitcher pod, which you can’t find any other way.

*A fully grown torchflower, one of the rare plants found by Sniffers*

They wander around, sniff the ground, and occasionally dig up seeds you can plant and grow.

Why Sniffers are useful:

Only way to get torchflower and pitcher pod plants
Provide a renewable source of rare seeds
Great for unique decorative builds
Can be bred to produce more Sniffer Eggs

Sniffers can’t be tamed, but you can breed them using torchflower seeds to get more eggs.

Breeding Sniffers for More Eggs

You can get more Sniffer Eggs by breeding Sniffers, but you’ll first need at least two adult Sniffers.

Feed torchflower seeds to two adult Sniffers, and they will produce a Sniffer Egg, which drops as an item.

*Two Sniffers breeding after being fed torchflower seeds, producing a Sniffer Egg*

Torchflower seeds are found when Sniffers dig them up, so gathering enough may take some time early on since they don’t dig constantly.

After breeding, Sniffers have a 5-minute cooldown before they can breed again.

You must first obtain Sniffer Eggs from warm ocean ruins before you can hatch your first Sniffers and begin breeding.

Best Tips for Finding Sniffer Eggs Faster

Finding Sniffer Eggs can take time since not all warm ocean ruins contain suspicious sand. The key is spotting suspicious sand quickly and moving between ruins efficiently.

Use Night Vision: Makes suspicious sand and ruin structures much easier to spot in murky water
Search Warm Ocean Biomes: Sniffer Eggs are only found in suspicious sand within warm ocean ruins
Look for Suspicious Sand: Only suspicious sand contains eggs, regular sand does not
Move Efficiently: Use Depth Strider boots or Dolphin’s Grace to search ruins faster
Extend Underwater Time: Water Breathing potions or a door or turtle helmet reduce the need to surface
Bring Extra Brushes: Suspicious sand breaks after brushing, so having backups saves time

Once a ruin is cleared, move on since rechecking the same structure won’t yield new Sniffer Eggs.

Common Mistakes When Getting Sniffer Eggs

Many players miss Sniffer Eggs due to simple mistakes while exploring ruins.

Breaking Blocks: Breaking suspicious sand instead of brushing it destroys the loot instantly
Not Enough Brushes: Running out mid-ruin means you can’t search the remaining suspicious sand
Wrong Biome: Searching outside warm ocean ruins means Sniffer Eggs will never generate
Low Visibility: Poor lighting or murky water makes suspicious sand easy to miss
Item Loss: Dying underwater can cause you to lose valuable loot, so consider enabling keep inventory if needed

Fixing these mistakes will make your search more efficient and help you find Sniffer Eggs faster.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get Sniffer Eggs in Minecraft?

You get Sniffer Eggs by brushing suspicious sand in warm ocean ruins.

Where do you find Sniffer Eggs?

Sniffer Eggs are found in suspicious sand within warm ocean ruins, which generate in warm ocean biomes.

Do Sniffer Eggs spawn naturally?

No, Sniffer Eggs do not spawn naturally and must be uncovered by brushing suspicious sand.

How rare are Sniffer Eggs?

Sniffer Eggs have about a 6.7% chance to appear per suspicious sand block.

How long do Sniffer Eggs take to hatch?

Sniffer Eggs take about 20 minutes to hatch, or around 10 minutes when placed on a moss block.

What do Sniffers eat in Minecraft?

Sniffers eat torchflower seeds, which are used to breed them and produce Sniffer Eggs.

Can you move Sniffer Eggs after placing them?

Yes, Sniffer Eggs can be safely picked up and moved by breaking them, which drops them as an item.

What do Sniffers do?

Sniffers dig up rare seeds such as torchflower seeds and pitcher pods.

Can you breed Sniffers?

Yes, feeding torchflower seeds to two adult Sniffers produces a Sniffer Egg.