Animal Caretakers


Overview

Animal Caretakers

Introduction

Animal caretakers, as the name implies, take care of animals. The job ranges from the day-to-day normal activities for a healthy animal to caring for sick, injured, or aging animals. The daily animal caretaking routine usually involves feeding and providing drinking water for each animal, making sure that their enclosure is clean, safe, appropriately warm, and, if needed, stocked with materials to keep the animal active and engaged. Caretakers may be responsible for creating different enrichment materials so that the animal is chall...

Quick Facts


More

Median Salary

$31,200

More

Employment Prospects

Good

More

Minimum Education Level

Associates Degree|Bachelors Degree


More

Experience

Internship, volunteer, or part-time experience


More

Skills

Interpersonal|Mechanical/Manual Dexterity|Organizational


More

Personality Traits

Conventional|Hands On|Helpful

Earnings

The median annual earnings for nonfarm animal caretakers was $31,200 in May 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The top 10 percent earned more than $45,080, and the bottom 10 percent earned less than $23,180 a year. Indeed.com reported that animal caretakers employed in the United States in July 2024 earned an average of $35,438 per year.

Self-employed animal caretakers who ...

Work Environment

Animals may either be kept indoors or outdoors, in any type of weather. Eagles dont come in from the rain, so animal caretakers caring for eagles still have to traipse outside to feed them when its raining. Horses are turned out in the middle of the winter, so horse grooms still have to carry bales of hay to the pasture in the middle of January snowdrifts. Though currying, saddling, exercising,...

Outlook

Employment in the animal care field is expected to grow by 16 percent through 2032, much faster than the average for all careers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Many people have pets and are concerned with their pets care. Owners who work full-time away from their homes will also want their pets cared for in their absence. Dog-walking services, pet sitting and in-house care, boardin...