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The differences between wild animal caretakers and pet care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a wild animal caretaker and a pet care associate. Additionally, a pet care associate has an average salary of $35,635, which is higher than the $27,846 average annual salary of a wild animal caretaker.
The top three skills for a wild animal caretaker include animal handling, facility laundry and general care. The most important skills for a pet care associate are PET, customer service, and sales floor.
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Pet Care Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $27,846 | $35,635 |
| Hourly rate | $13.39 | $17.13 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 11,735 | 84,256 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
A wild animal caretaker is responsible for administering care to animals at pet shops, kennels, aquariums, zoos, and research labs. They are tasked with grooming, feeding, giving water to, and exercising animals. They monitor animals, record their health conditions, and report any problems. They must have excellent communication, interpersonal, and time-management skills to excel in this role.
Pet care associates, though holding a small position, will find its scope much larger than one would initially expect. This position requires an individual with gentleness, patience, confidence, carefulness, diligence, and a hard-working attitude. Paying out at around $33K per year, those who choose this career will be required to help customers with questions and issues related to small mammals, reptiles, fish, and birds.
Wild animal caretakers and pet care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Pet Care Associate | |
| Average salary | $27,846 | $35,635 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $37,000 | Between $26,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Minneapolis, MN |
| Highest paying state | - | Oregon |
| Best paying company | - | Purr'n Pooch |
| Best paying industry | - | Retail |
There are a few differences between a wild animal caretaker and a pet care associate in terms of educational background:
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Pet Care Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | New York University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between wild animal caretakers' and pet care associates' demographics:
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Pet Care Associate | |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8% | Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |