Scorpions are tiny, cheap and breed incredibly fast. That makes them one of the best early sources of conservation credits in Franchise mode. It also means you'll see the "Habitat is too small" alert on your scorpion exhibits more than anything else in the zoo.
Setting up an exhibit
Scorpions live in exhibits, not habitats. An exhibit is a small glass box that keepers look after from behind. You need:
- The right temperature and humidity for the species. The exhibit panel tells you both.
- A keeper who can reach the exhibit from a staff path.
- Some decoration inside.
A scorpion exhibit cost me about $3,500 each in Franchise mode.
The ideal group
Scorpions are happiest at around one male with six females. More than that and you'll get the "habitat too small" warning.
When the alert appears, here's what I do:
- Open the exhibit and sort the animals by appeal.
- Keep the highest-appeal male.
- Keep the best six females, especially the pregnant ones.
- Move the rest out: the worst male, and any female that isn't pregnant.
- Quick release the extras for conservation credits, or quick trade them for cash.
The better the animal, the more credits a quick release gives you, so don't accidentally release your best scorpion. I've done it.
Scorpion farming
Because they breed so fast, a lot of players build a scorpion farm: a hidden row of scorpion exhibits backstage, used only to breed scorpions for quick release.
It works, but be realistic:
- It's slow money. Each scorpion is only worth a few credits.
- Each exhibit costs money to build and has upkeep.
- You'll be managing "habitat too small" alerts constantly.
It's a nice extra when you're short on credits for a reserve, not a replacement for proper releases.
Labelling
Rename your exhibits. When you have several scorpion exhibits, the alerts become impossible to follow. Call them "Giant scorpion 1", "Giant scorpion 2" and so on. Be careful though: renaming one exhibit can rename every exhibit of the same type, so check them all after.
Tips
- Scorpions make a good second species for a small satellite zoo, along with snakes and other exhibit animals.
- If an alert says "dangerous animals escaped" and you can't find anything loose, check your exhibits. Very occasionally a glitch reports exhibit animals as escaped.