Install Animania on your server

Animania replaces the passive animals in Minecraft with breeds that have genders, new behaviours and care needs. Animals have to be fed and watered, they breed only when they are happy, and some new species join the world. The original mod runs on Forge 1.12.2, and since version 2.0.0 it comes as a base mod plus addons. This guide installs the base, the Farm addon and the Extra addon on a Forge 1.12.2 server.

Checked against Animania Base 2.0.3.28, Farm 1.0.2.28 and Extra 1.0.2.28 on Forge 1.12.2, October 2026.

What you need

CurseForge lists these files for Minecraft 1.12.2:

• Animania Base 2.0.3.28, which every other piece needs.
• Animania Farm 1.0.2.28, which adds the farm animals such as cows. Its page says the module requires Animania Base.
• Animania Extra Animals 1.0.2.28, which adds animals such as ferrets and hedgehogs. It also requires the base.
• CraftStudio API, a library the base requires. CurseForge marks its 1.12.2 files as beta, and the newest is 1.0.1.95.
• Optionally Animania Cats & Dogs 1.0.0.28, a beta addon whose pets are bought from a Pet Merchant.

The project page says that from version 2.0.0 you must download the Farm and Extra addons to get the animals you used to get, and that configs must be regenerated after the split.

Switch to Forge 1.12.2

Open JAR Manager under More, choose Forge under Server software and 1.12.2 under Minecraft version, then press Apply change. The panel picks Java 8 for that version. The switch reinstalls the server and keeps your world, so make a backup in the Backups tab first. Change your Minecraft version or mod loader has the full steps.

Install it

Animania is not on Modrinth, so use CurseForge.

1. Open Mods under Content and choose the CurseForge chip in the source chip row at the top of the tab.
2. Search for Animania, find Animania Base and press Install. A prompt titled "Needs 1 more add-on" names CraftStudio API. Press Install all.
3. Search again for Animania Farm and install it, then do the same for Animania Extra Animals.
4. Restart from the Console tab.

Open the Installed view to check. Every piece should be listed with no Failed to load badge.

Players need it too

The project page does not say which side needs the files, so give each player the same Animania files and CraftStudio API for Forge 1.12.2. Join a modded server from your launcher covers the player side.

What changes in the world

The project page describes animals that need food and water: they become unhappy without them, make less noise and give off smoke particles, and they breed or drop their best resources only when they are happy. Troughs, open water or a bucket supply water. Animals can be led with a lead and named with a name tag. WAILA, The One Probe and JEI show extra information when they are installed.

Settings

The page says drops can be customised in the config and that Animania's replacement of vanilla animals can be turned off there. Forge 1.12.2 writes animania.cfg in the config folder after the first start, with animania_farm.cfg and animania_extra.cfg beside it for the Farm and Extra Animals add-ons. Stop the server before you edit it in the File Manager.

Common problems

• The server stops at startup: a piece is missing. The Farm jar asks for Animania 2.0.0 or newer, and the base asks for CraftStudio API and Forge 14.23.5.2847 or newer.
• Other crashes: Fix mod and plugin errors on Minecraft covers reading the Console log.