Jerboa
Shoulder Pet · 14 maps
Overview
The Jerboa is a small herbivore tamed as a shoulder pet. It can be carried by larger creatures for transport, making it easy to bring along on expeditions. Its primary role is as a portable companion with no combat or gathering function.
It can be airlifted by Argentavis, Desmodus, Griffin, Karkinos, Megalosaurus, Tropeognathus, Kaprosuchus, Procoptodon, Pteranodon, Quetzal, Tapejara, or Tusoteuthis for fast deployment.
Spawn Locations
14 mapsJerboas spawn in Chalk Hills, Desert, and Oasis biomes. They are very common and appear across 14 ARK maps. Look for them near rocky outcrops and dry riverbeds where vegetation is sparse.
Each shape is a real spawn volume. Click for exact chance and zone info.
Tame the Jerboa using knockout methods. Use a Bola, Bear Trap, or Plant Species Y to immobilize it. Then sedate it with Tranq Arrows from a Bow, Tranquilizer Darts from a Crossbow, or other listed tools.
The best food is Plant Species Y Seed, giving 160 affinity per use. Mejoberry also works well. Taming takes about 3 minutes with no Narcotics needed. Use the calculator below for your settings.
| Food | Qty | Time | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
 Plant Species Y SeedBest | 4 | 1:45 | 74 Lvl (224) |
 Archelon Algae | 4 | 1:05 | 74 Lvl (224) |
 Crops | 15 | 4:01 | 70 Lvl (220) |
 Mejoberry | 20 | 4:01 | 67 Lvl (217) |
    | 30 | 4:01 | 59 Lvl (209) |
| +2 more in calculator→ | |||
Drops & Harvest Resources
Killing a Jerboa yields Hide and Raw Meat. The Hatchet yields the most Hide, while the Pick favors Raw Meat.
Estimates based on game-extracted data (weights, quantities, harvest multipliers, damage type chains). Each harvest event independently rolls each resource - higher weight = higher drop chance. Actual yields vary with RNG.
Gathering Abilities
While mounted, the Jerboa gathers resources through its melee attack. It harvests Berries, Mejoberry, Narcoberry, Stimberry, Mushrooms, Rare Flower, Rare Mushroom, Wood, Cactus Sap, Fiber, and various seeds at 10× efficiency. This includes Plant Species X Seed and Plant Species Y Seed.
Damage Resistances
The Jerboa takes +120% more damage from Instant HurtDinos attacks, making it highly vulnerable to instant-kills. It also takes +55% more damage from Melee DmgMetal RaidDino sources. Conversely, it has -50% damage taken from SpikeWall, Explosion, and Ranged Turret Small DefensePlant sources, making it resilient to base defenses.
Kill XP
Wild Kill (1.25×)0.5 base × 15.9 level × 4 × 1.25× wild kill × 1× server
Server Settings(Game.ini)
Official servers use non-1× defaults; the values above already reflect official rates.
| Stat | Base (Lv.1) | Wild +/Lv | Tamed +/Lv |
|---|---|---|---|
 Health | 55.0 | +11.00 | +4.00% |
 Stamina | 100.0 | +10.00 | +2.00% |
 Torpidity | 30.0 | +1.80 | +0.00% |
 Oxygen | 150.0 | +15.00 | +2.00% |
 Food | 450.0 | +45.00 | +2.00% |
 Weight | 120.0 | +2.40 | +0.80% |
 Melee Damage Multiplier | 100.0% | +5.00% | +10.00% |
 Speed Multiplier | 100.0% | +0.00% | +1.00% |
Hitbox Multipliers
The Jerboa has a head hitbox that takes 1.5× damage, allowing for faster knockouts when targeted. Focus headshots during taming for optimal efficiency.
Can Damage
Can break Thatch. Build at least in Wood.
Thatch
Wood
Stone
Metal
Tek| Attack | Base | Thatch | Wood | Stone | Metal | Tek |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MeleeHerbivore Small | 3 | 16.5 | — | — | — | — |
Numbers reflect base melee at level 1, 100% TE, no imprint. The damage calculator lets you scale by melee %, server multipliers, and pick a specific structure for exact hit counts.
Tools & Guides
Jerboa Tips & Tricks
The Jerboa takes +120% more damage from instant-damage sources, so avoid areas with automated kill zones.
It is resistant to SpikeWall, Explosion, and Ranged Turret Small DefensePlant damage, making it surprisingly durable against base defenses.
It can be carried by flyers like Argentavis or swimming mounts like Tusoteuthis for safe transport.
Its melee attack gathers most plant-based resources at 10× efficiency, useful for quick foraging while riding.
This page details the Jerboa's taming, breeding, harvesting, and combat stats. For precise calculations, use the taming calculator, breeding timer, and spawn map tools available below.
