The real money (and fun) in Roblox Build a Zoo starts when you unlock Big Pets and start experimenting with mutations. Since these two systems work so well hand in hand, I decided to mix them in a single, complete guide to help you get the most out of it (and fully understand how each works).
Here’s everything you need to know about these systems that massively increase your earnings if you know how to play them right.
Big Pets in Build a Zoo
These big pets are super-sized, awesome critters you can keep in your displays, and they’re not just there for the looks: they’re also super-sized earners. As a small con, they require dedicated podiums inside your zoo – and you only have three of them:
- Front podium (regular pet) – 30,000 Cash.
- Second front podium (regular pet) – 299 Robux.
- Fishing area podium (fish only) – 50,000 Cash.
The moment you unlock a podium, the game automatically places a Pet on it. As you level them, the Pets grow larger and generate more money.
You can swap them out when they reach certain level thresholds, though some special ones only come from rare Eggs.
Special Big Pets and Cash Bonuses
Not all Big Pets are created equal. Some special dinosaur-type Pets offer permanent percentage boosts to cash generation, making them more desirable than standard podium fillers. Here is what I mean:
| Big Pet | Bonus to Cash Earned |
|---|---|
| Ankylosaurus | +5% |
| Velociraptor | +10% |
| Stegosaurus | +10% |
| Triceratops | +20% |
| Pachycephalosaur | +20% |
| Pterosaur | +20% |
| Brontosaurus | +30% |
| Plesiosaur | +30% |
| Tyrannosaurus | +40% |
As you can see, with the right pets, you can truly boost your income. And this is just an example, as there are more in the game – as well as additional bonuses you can get.
To get a bit of a boost, I recommend checking out my list of updated codes for the game.
Feeding and Leveling Big Pets
To grow a Big Pet, you’ll need food – plenty of it, actually, and the better the food you can feed your pets, the better.
You will unlock the Food Shop after unlocking your first Big Pet podium. It sells various items on a rotating stock every five minutes.
Each fruit grants Hunger Points (which is basically XP for Big Pets) and sometimes carries a side effect like triggering a mutation or unlocking a dinosaur. Here is a list of all the food items in the game:
| Food Item | Hunger Points | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Strawberry | 600 | — |
| Blueberry | 1,250 | — |
| Watermelon | 3,200 | — |
| Apple | 8,000 | — |
| Orange | 20,000 | — |
| Corn | 50,000 | — |
| Banana | 120,000 | — |
| Grape | 300,000 | — |
| Pear | 800,000 | Chance for Gold mutation |
| Pineapple | 1.5M | Chance for Diamond mutation |
| Dragon Fruit | 3M | Chance for Electric mutation |
| Gold Mango | 4M | Chance for Fire mutation |
| Bloodstone Cycad | 5M | Unlocks common dinosaur (Mountain Big Pet only) |
| Colossal Pinecone | 8M | Unlocks rare dinosaur (Mountain Big Pet only) |
| Volt Ginkgo | 20M | Chance for Jurassic mutation |
| Deepsea Pearl Fruit | 8M | Unlocks rare Ocean Pet |
| Durian | 20M | Chance for Snow mutation |
Since restocks are random, keep checking back and try to focus on the high-end fruits. The general rule of thumb here is that you should focus on getting the more expensive ones, as these are generally the better ones.
Mutations in Build a Zoo
Now that we’ve learned more about Big Pets, let’s move to what makes them truly special: mutations. They apply multipliers to your Pets and fish, raising both selling value and per-second earnings. This is where the real grind efficiency comes from.
All Mutations and How to Get Them
Here’s a list of the current in-game mutations, based on the latest update that was just released in Build a ZOO:
Gold (2x multiplier): Buy Gold Eggs (pets) | Catch Gold Eggs (fish) | Feed Pear (Big Pet/Fish)
Diamond (3x multiplier): Buy Diamond Eggs (pets) | Catch Diamond Eggs (fish) |Feed Pineapple (Big Pet/Fish)
Electric (5x multiplier): Buy Electric Eggs (pets) | Catch Electric Eggs (fish) | Feed Dragon Fruit (Big Pet/Fish)
Fire (10x multiplier): Buy Fire Eggs (pets) | Catch Fire Eggs (fish)| Feed Gold Mango (Big Pet/Fish)
Jurassic (12x multiplier): Buy Jurassic Eggs (Meteor Heaven required) | Feed Volt Ginkgo (Big Pet/Fish)
Snow: Feed Durian (Big Pet/Fish) | Obtain from event reward eggs
Meteor Heaven and Jurassic Eggs
Jurassic mutations are locked behind the rarest item in the game: Meteor Heaven. You only get it via the Season Pass spin at a 1% chance.
Use Lucky Tickets to spin the wheel, and once you land Meteor Heaven, you can activate it to spawn Jurassic Eggs on your conveyor belt.
Can Mutations Stack?
On normal pets and fish, mutations are tied to the egg you use, so you just hatch the one you want. For Big Pets and Big Fish, until recently, you could only have one mutation applied at a time.
However, the biggest change in Update 24 (Snow) is that Big Pet mutation bonuses now stack. This means that now you will want to improve your strategy by working on getting complementary Big Pet mutations for truly awesome bonuses, like Coin Boost + Speed Boost or Speed + Happiness.
Strategy Tips
Here are a few tips and tricks dedicated exclusively to big pets and mutations. For a more generic guide, I recommend checking out my Build a Zoo guide here.
Unlock the 30,000 Cash podium early. The sooner you get your chance at Big Pets, the better. Do the same with the Fish one, after getting the first unlocked.
Check the Food shop on every restock – snagging Pear, Pineapple, or Dragon Fruit early accelerates your mutation grind. Once you have a solid income coming, don’t even look at the low-value food items.
Treat Meteor Heaven as endgame. Don’t stress over Jurassic mutations until you’re deep into the loop. You can still have plenty of fun even without it, and chances of getting it anyway are tiny.
However, special dinosaur Big Pets are worth grinding for, since they apply permanent % bonuses, as we’ve seen in the table above.
Also read: If you think you’ve had enough Build a Zoo for now, why not take a look at Steal a Brainrot: All Brainrots in the Game?
Wrapping Up
Big Pets and mutations are the backbone of long-term progression in Build a Zoo. Prioritize podiums, feed wisely, and lock in the highest multipliers you can, as soon as possible.
Once you hit Jurassic mutations and start unlocking rare dinos, your zoo will go from pocket change to cash empire, but remember that a lot of grinding is required here, so take your time and don’t forget to actually enjoy the game: that’s why you’re playing it in the first place!
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I am not sure what a mountain pet is. Is there a way to tell?