How to catch a shiny Bulbasaur in Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO's Mega Moment event is now in the rearview mirror. Trainers who missed out on the uptick in starter Pokemon in the wild will now have an uphill climb to acquire shiny Pokemon, including Bulbasaur, Kanto's original Grass-type starter.

It's still very much possible to capture a shiny Bulbasaur in Pokemon GO. However, without the aid of an event like Mega Moment, the effort required is more significant. Trainers will have to rely on capturing the Pokemon in the wild until it appears in eggs, raids, or another event that features it.

Like many shiny Pokemon, catching a shiny Bulbasaur in the wild without help will take plenty of effort and likely more than a few items.

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What to do to capture a shiny Bulbasaur in the wild in Pokemon GO

Bulbasaur's shiny variant compared to its standard appearance (Image via Niantic)

Pokemon GO trainers hoping to catch a shiny Bulbasaur in the wild between events will have their hands full. This is especially because the Season of Alola is prioritizing the appearances of Pokemon from the Alola region.

However, with enough determination, a sizable amount of items, and a fair bit of luck, capturing shiny Bulbasaur is still very much possible.

It's obviously easier to catch this particular shiny during events, but sometimes, that option simply isn't on the table for trainers.

Things players can do to catch a wild shiny Bulbasaur

1. To maximize spawn potential, Pokemon GO trainers will want to head to an area where Grass-type Pokemon typically appear, such as a park, nature reserve, or rural areas. Doing so should skew the spawns towards Grass and Bug-type Pokemon, though this depends on the location.
2. Items are incredibly helpful in finding shinies. Specifically, utilizing incense and lure modules increases the spawns around a player or an attached Pokestop, respectively. If one uses these items in the areas outlined in Step 1, it's possible that Bulbasaur spawns in the area may increase. Considering the low chances of Bulbasaur's shiny appearing, trainers need as many encounters as they can get.
3. Keep moving! Players moving ensures that the spawns in an area in-game continue to refresh. If a trainer is stationary, even with active items, they're missing out on potential spawns appearing.
4. If things are still looking bleak, it may not hurt to check third-party sources for Bulbasaur nests. These indicate locations near the player that may be spawning the Seed Pokemon, providing the potential to find multiple encounters at once.

Sadly, without assistance from Pokemon GO events, the only way to find a shiny Bulbasaur is to keep looking for it as much as you can.

The chances of most shiny Pokemon appearing are incredibly small, but the number isn't zero. With enough time and searching invested, eventually, an encounter with Bulbasaur will trigger a small percentage of a shiny appearing.

Otherwise, trainers may be best served waiting for another event similar to Mega Moment, which has Bulbasaur as one of its featured Pokemon.