Zoo keeper vs pet care associate

The differences between zoo keepers 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 zoo keeper and a pet care associate. Additionally, a pet care associate has an average salary of $35,635, which is higher than the $33,617 average annual salary of a zoo keeper.

The top three skills for a zoo keeper include animal husbandry, animal exhibits and AZA. The most important skills for a pet care associate are PET, customer service, and sales floor.

Zoo keeper vs pet care associate overview

	Zoo Keeper	Pet Care Associate
Yearly salary	$33,617	$35,635
Hourly rate	$16.16	$17.13
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	4,468	84,256
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Zoo keeper vs pet care associate salary

Zoo keepers and pet care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Zoo Keeper	Pet Care Associate
Average salary	$33,617	$35,635
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $49,000	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

Differences between zoo keeper and pet care associate education

There are a few differences between a zoo keeper and a pet care associate in terms of educational background:

	Zoo Keeper	Pet Care Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Cornell University	Northwestern University

Zoo keeper vs pet care associate demographics

Here are the differences between zoo keepers' and pet care associates' demographics:

	Zoo Keeper	Pet Care Associate
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%	Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
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, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between zoo keeper and pet care associate 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.

Pet care associate example responsibilities.

Achieve detailed grooming including skin, ear, nail care, coat clips and dental care.
Prepare foods for various animals to include reptiles, snakes, hamsters, and birds etc.
Communicate with customers about events/concerns in which include their pet.
Assist patients in meeting their personal care needs and provide individualized interventions while encouraging patient involvement and promoting independence.
Used touch point and SMS and can quickly adapt to other computer software's.

Zoo keeper vs pet care associate skills

Common zoo keeper skills

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

Common pet care associate skills

PET, 55%
Customer Service, 21%
Sales Floor, 4%
Quality Care, 3%
Administer Medications, 2%
Fish Tanks, 2%