Animal handler vs animal attendant

The differences between animal handlers and animal attendants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both an animal handler and an animal attendant. Additionally, an animal handler has an average salary of $27,820, which is higher than the $26,394 average annual salary of an animal attendant.

The top three skills for an animal handler include animal handling, goats and animal species. The most important skills for an animal attendant are PET, patients, and animal handling.

Animal handler vs animal attendant overview

	Animal Handler	Animal Attendant
Yearly salary	$27,820	$26,394
Hourly rate	$13.38	$12.69
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	28,040	53,000
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Animal handler vs animal attendant salary

Animal handlers and animal attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animal Handler	Animal Attendant
Average salary	$27,820	$26,394
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $40,000	Between $20,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	-	Ithaca, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Baylor College of Medicine
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between animal handler and animal attendant education

There are a few differences between an animal handler and an animal attendant in terms of educational background:

	Animal Handler	Animal Attendant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Northwestern University	Ohio State University

Animal handler vs animal attendant demographics

Here are the differences between animal handlers' and animal attendants' demographics:

	Animal Handler	Animal Attendant
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 38.8% Female, 61.2%	Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between animal handler and animal attendant duties and responsibilities

Animal handler example responsibilities.

Handle, dogs pigs, donkey, and horses.
Assist veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants in providing the best care possible for patients.
Provide environmental enrichment for various mammal and raptor species.

Animal attendant example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Skil at handling, restraining, husbandry and veterinary procedures with reptiles, mammals, raptors, amphibians, and songbirds.
Clean goat and pig yards, train goats and pigs, keep records.
Serve as midwife for birthing dogs, cats and goats.
Care for goats by providing them with feed every week.
Maintain cleanliness of the shelter and medicate animals direct by supervisor as needed.

Animal handler vs animal attendant skills

Common animal handler skills

Animal Handling, 55%
Goats, 13%
Animal Species, 8%
Exotic Animals, 4%
Zoo Animals, 3%
Animal Welfare, 3%

Common animal attendant skills

PET, 59%
Patients, 6%
Animal Handling, 6%
Cleanliness, 3%
Euthanasia, 3%
Autoclaves, 2%