Also called: Animal Care Technician
Feeds, cleans, and checks on animals in research facilities.
Changes hundreds of mouse cages, refills water, checks every animal for signs of illness, and logs anything unusual.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. High school diploma; AALAS ALAT certification available.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Animal Science (certificate).
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years). Estimate.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Automated cage washers and sensors help, but daily animal health checks and cleaning stay hands-on.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to research labs, universities or companies like Charles River and Inotiv for animal caretaker jobs
Classes: Biology, Animal science CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 39-2021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.