Zoo keeper vs groomer assistant

The differences between zoo keepers and groomer assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a zoo keeper and a groomer assistant. Additionally, a zoo keeper has an average salary of $33,617, which is higher than the $30,725 average annual salary of a groomer assistant.

The top three skills for a zoo keeper include animal husbandry, animal exhibits and AZA. The most important skills for a groomer assistant are PET, customer service, and appointment scheduling.

Zoo keeper vs groomer assistant overview

	Zoo Keeper	Groomer Assistant
Yearly salary	$33,617	$30,725
Hourly rate	$16.16	$14.77
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	4,468	9,294
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Zoo keeper vs groomer assistant salary

Zoo keepers and groomer assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Zoo Keeper	Groomer Assistant
Average salary	$33,617	$30,725
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $49,000	Between $21,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between zoo keeper and groomer assistant education

There are a few differences between a zoo keeper and a groomer assistant in terms of educational background:

	Zoo Keeper	Groomer Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	Vermont Technical College

Zoo keeper vs groomer assistant demographics

Here are the differences between zoo keepers' and groomer assistants' demographics:

	Zoo Keeper	Groomer Assistant
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%	Male, 16.6% Female, 83.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between zoo keeper and groomer assistant duties and responsibilities

Zoo keeper example responsibilities.

Manage complicated water filtration systems, and implement nutrition plans for a variety of snake species.
Assist in producing illustrations and animation material to develop tutoring videos for math and physics.
Provide environmental enrichment for various mammal and raptor species.

Groomer assistant example responsibilities.

Manage all breeding, whelping, raising of puppies, grooming and showing of dogs for owners in the AKC.
Perform animal grooming duties such as washing, brushing, clipping and trimming coats.
Bath animals: clean ears, express anal glands, trim nails, dry & brush coats.
Wash, dry, and brush dogs of various breed and temperament, as well as clipping nails and cleaning ears.
Bath dogs and perform related activities, including nail clipping and grinding, ear cleaning and plucking, and gland expression.
Maintain electronic record of pet information and file paper documents.

Zoo keeper vs groomer assistant skills

Common zoo keeper skills

Animal Husbandry, 17%
Animal Exhibits, 16%
AZA, 12%
USDA, 4%
Hoof, 4%
Animal Food, 4%

Common groomer assistant skills

PET, 39%
Customer Service, 19%
Appointment Scheduling, 12%
Coats, 5%
Teeth, 4%
Front Desk, 3%