What is the husbandry like for a pokemon like Boldore? Is it minimal, like a pet rock, or is it deceptively complex?
boldore are living beings, so their care is much more complex than just taking care of a rock. they are actually pretty hard to care for! the main reason is that providing a proper habitat for them is complicated.
boldore are cave-dwelling pokemon that rely on sound to help them navigate their environment. they do best in an artificial cave habitat with plenty of surfaces for noises to bounce off of. auditory enrichment is super important for these guys! they also need several shallow pools of water that they can stoop down to drink from without having to step into. they're a lot more active than a lot of people assume they are, and they need more space than most people can provide.
in addition, they need opportunities to expel excess energy. in the wild, they have plenty of opportunities to do this by defending themselves and establishing territory. in captivity, they require regular battling. they're pretty difficult to train unless you have experience working with mineral-form pokemon, and you have to be prepared for just how powerful they are. a boldore that really wants something will just push its way through, and given that their energy crystals can break diamonds, that can be super dangerous! a boldore can easily just headbutt (or body slam, i guess?) through whatever's in its way.
roggenrola are simpler and safer to care for, though they still need a lot of the same environmental upkeep, just on a smaller scale. generally if someone wants a roggenrola as a pet the recommendation is not to evolve it, because most people can't handle the needs of a pet boldore.
