How to Get a Dinosaur in Stardew Valley
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Stardew Valley
How to Get a Dinosaur in Stardew Valley
Dinosaur Tips
The Dinosaur is one of the most charming and sought-after animals in Stardew Valley — a genuine prehistoric creature living on your farm that most players never get because the egg is so rare. The most reliable strategy is patience: dig every artifact spot on the Mountain consistently throughout Year 1 and Year 2, fish with Treasure Hunter tackle whenever possible, and eventually an egg will appear. Once you have one Dinosaur the rest is easy — it reproduces its own eggs every week, making the second and third Dinosaur trivial to obtain compared to the agonising search for the first egg.
FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
How to Get a Dinosaur
Find a Dinosaur Egg — the rarest artifact in the game — then place it in a Big Coop incubator to hatch a Dinosaur. The egg is found by digging artifact spots in the Mountain area, fishing treasure chests, or rarely from Pepper Rex monsters in the Skull Cavern and Prehistoric Floors.
1
Find a Dinosaur Egg. This is the hardest part — Dinosaur Eggs are among the rarest items in Stardew Valley. The main sources are: digging artifact spots (the worm tiles) on the Mountain or in the Mines, fishing treasure chests with a high Fishing level and Treasure Hunter tackle, and killing Pepper Rex dinosaur enemies on Prehistoric Floors in the Skull Cavern or via the Statue of Perfection area. Artifact spots on the Mountain are the most consistent method — check them every time you visit.
2
Build or upgrade to a Big Coop. Dinosaur Eggs require a Big Coop (second tier coop) to incubate. If you already have a regular Coop, ask Robin to upgrade it for 10,000g, 400 Wood, and 150 Stone — the upgrade takes 3 days. The Big Coop adds the incubator slot that hatches the egg. See the full guide: how to get a chicken covers the coop building process.
3
Decide: donate or incubate. Before placing the egg in the incubator, consider donating it to Gunther’s Museum first — it counts as a museum artifact and earns a reward. However you can only donate it once. After donating the first egg, place subsequent Dinosaur Eggs in the incubator. If you only find one egg ever, decide which you value more: the museum completion or the dinosaur pet.
4
Place the Dinosaur Egg in the Big Coop incubator. Open your Big Coop, interact with the incubator, and place the egg inside. It takes 12.5 in-game days to hatch (6.25 days with the Coopmaster profession). Once hatched you will have a Dinosaur living in your coop — name it and pet it daily like any other animal.
5
Collect Dinosaur Eggs from your Dinosaur. Once your Dinosaur reaches full friendship it produces a Dinosaur Egg every 7 days. These eggs sell for 350g each (490g with Artisan profession processed as a mayo-equivalent) — and more importantly you can use them to hatch additional Dinosaurs, building up a full coop of them over time.
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Prehistoric Floors in Skull Cavern: on rare occasions the Skull Cavern generates «Prehistoric Floors» filled with Pepper Rex dinosaurs. These enemies have a small chance to drop a Dinosaur Egg — exploring the Skull Cavern regularly is one of the better mid-game sources once deep mining is accessible.
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Treasure Hunter tackle improves fishing finds: attach a Treasure Hunter tackle to your fishing rod to increase the frequency of treasure chests while fishing. Combined with a high Fishing level, this dramatically improves your odds of finding a Dinosaur Egg from fishing — one of the most consistent methods if you fish regularly.
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Dinosaur Eggs sell for more than mayo: unlike most animal products, Dinosaur Eggs are worth more sold directly (350g) than processed into Dinosaur Mayonnaise (340g) without the Artisan profession. With the Artisan profession, Dinosaur Mayo jumps to 476g — only then is processing worthwhile.
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Fill a coop with Dinosaurs: once you have your first Dinosaur producing eggs every 7 days, you can hatch another every week. A full Big Coop of 8 Dinosaurs produces 8 eggs per week — a passive income of 2,800g+ per week from eggs alone, plus the satisfaction of owning a dinosaur farm.
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Check artifact spots on the Mountain daily: artifact spots respawn regularly and the Mountain area has a higher weighting for Dinosaur Eggs than other zones. Every time you visit Robin or the mines, scan the Mountain area for worm tiles and dig every one you see — over several seasons your odds of finding an egg improve substantially.
What is the easiest way to get a Dinosaur Egg in Stardew Valley?
Digging artifact spots on the Mountain is the most consistent method over time. Fishing with a Treasure Hunter tackle at high Fishing level is a good secondary source. Killing Pepper Rex dinosaurs on Prehistoric Floors in the Skull Cavern also has a small drop chance. There is no guaranteed single method — persistence with all three sources is the best approach.
What coop do I need to hatch a Dinosaur Egg?
You need a Big Coop — the second tier of coop upgrade. The Big Coop adds an incubator that can hatch any egg including Dinosaur Eggs. A regular Coop does not have an incubator. Ask Robin at her Carpenter Shop to upgrade your existing Coop for 10,000g, 400 Wood, and 150 Stone.
How long does a Dinosaur Egg take to hatch?
A Dinosaur Egg takes 12.5 in-game days to hatch in the Big Coop incubator. With the Coopmaster profession at Farming level 10, hatching time is halved to approximately 6.25 days. Once hatched the Dinosaur lives permanently in your coop and begins producing eggs after reaching full friendship.
How often does a Dinosaur produce eggs in Stardew Valley?
A Dinosaur at full friendship produces one Dinosaur Egg every 7 days. Unlike chickens which produce daily, Dinosaurs have a weekly production cycle. The eggs sell for 350g each or can be placed in the incubator to hatch additional Dinosaurs, building up your collection over time.