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Part-time Animal Keeper

Thank you for your interest in joining the Riverside Reptiles Education Center animal care team.

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We are currently seeking a qualified, dependable Part-Time Animal Keeper to work approximately 24 hours per week over three days. Additional hours may become available in the new year.

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This is a hands-on animal care position involving feeding, cleaning, enclosure maintenance, recordkeeping, animal observation, aquatic husbandry, and other daily keeper responsibilities. Applicants should understand that professional animal keeping involves significant cleaning and physical work in addition to working directly with animals.

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Please answer all questions completely and accurately. Due to the specialized nature of this position, preference will be given to applicants with professional or substantial structured experience caring for reptiles, amphibians, fish, and/or invertebrates.

 

The application consists of 35 questions and should take 15 - 20 minutes to complete. Questions marked with an * are mandatory and must be completed in order to submit your application. 

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SECTION 1 - Contact & Availability

  1. This position is approximately 24 hours per week, consisting of three 8-hour workdays. Are you able to consistently commit to this schedule?

Single choice
Yes
No

  1. Please select ALL days that you are regularly available to work.

Multi choice

  1. Please explain any recurring limitations on your availability - school, another job, recurring appointments, etc.

  1. Additional hours may become available after the new year. Would you potentially be interested in increasing your hours if additional shifts become available?

Single choice
Yes
Possibly
No

SECTION 2 - Experience

  1. Which statement BEST describes your animal-care experience?

Single choice
My experience is primarily caring for my own pets.
I have volunteered with animals but have little professional husbandry experience.
I have completed an animal-care internship or similar structured training.
I have less than 1 year of professional animal-care experience.
I have 1–3 years of professional animal-care experience.
I have more than 3 years of professional animal-care experience.

For this application, professional/structured experience means employment, internship, substantial volunteer work, veterinary work, zoo/aquarium work, breeding facility work, research work, or another organized animal-care environment. Personal pet ownership alone should not be counted as professional experience.

  1. Describe your professional or structured animal-care experience.

Please include the organization(s), your position or role, approximate length of time, and your primary animal-care responsibilities.

SECTION 3 - Species Experience

  1. Which animal groups have you PERSONALLY cared for in a professional or structured animal-care setting?

Multi choice

  1. For the groups selected above, please describe the species you have worked with and what YOU were personally responsible for.

SECTION 4 - Husbandry Skills

The current position includes diet preparation, feeding, cleaning, enclosure maintenance, health/behavior monitoring, recordkeeping, water-quality testing and medical documentation.

  1. Which of the following tasks have you personally performed in a professional or structured animal-care setting?

Multi choice

  1. Describe your experience with aquatic animal care and water-quality testing. What parameters have you tested?

  1. Describe your experience administering medications or other medical treatments to animals.

SECTION 5 - Observation & Animal Health

Your job description specifically emphasizes being highly observant and monitoring animal health and behavior.

  1. Give an example of a subtle change in an animal's behavior, appearance, appetite, or condition that you noticed and investigated further.

SECTION 6 - Handling & Safety

The job requires safely handling animals without creating unnecessary risk to the animal, keeper, or people nearby.

  1. Describe your experience capturing and restraining reptiles or other animals.

Please include examples of species and the circumstances in which you performed the restraint.

  1. Have you worked professionally or in a structured program with venomous reptiles?

Single choice
No
Yes, under direct supervision
Yes, as an assistant
Yes, as an independently authorized handler/keeper

  1. IF YES: Describe your venomous reptile experience.

Please include the types/species, approximately how long you worked with them, your responsibilities, and the safety protocols under which you worked.

  1. Have you worked with large or potentially dangerous reptiles?

Single choice
Yes
No

  1. IF YES: Please describe the species and your responsibilities.

SECTION 7 - Situational Questions

  1. You begin your morning rounds and notice that an animal that normally approaches immediately for food remains hidden and appears less responsive than usual. What would you do?

  1. While performing husbandry, you notice something about an animal's enclosure or diet that you believe should be changed. What would you do?

  1. You discover that a feeding, husbandry, or medical record from the previous day appears incomplete. What would you do?

  1. You observe another employee performing an animal-handling procedure differently from established protocol. What would you do?

SECTION 8 - The Reality of Animal Keeping

  1. Animal keeping involves substantial cleaning and physical work. Are you comfortable routinely working around animal waste, strong odors, wet/dirty areas, insects, rodents and other prey items?

Single choice
Yes
No

  1. This position requires the ability to lift at least 50 pounds from the ground. Are you able to perform this essential job function, with or without reasonable accommodation?

Single choice
Yes
No

SECTION 9 - Motivation & Work Style

  1. Why do you want to work as an Animal Keeper at Riverside Reptiles Education Center?

  1. What do you believe is the most important quality of a good animal keeper, and why?

SECTION 10 - Education & Leadership

  1. Do you have education or coursework in any of the following areas?

Multi choice

  1. Please describe any experience supervising, training, or mentoring volunteers, interns, students, or employees.

SECTION 11 - Resume & Certification

  1. Upload your current resume.

  1. Is there anything else about your animal-care background, experience, education, or skills that you believe would make you particularly well suited for this position?

35.Applicant Certification


I certify that the information provided in this application is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that providing false or misleading information may disqualify me from consideration or, if employed, may result in disciplinary action.

132 S Rd Enfield, CT 06082
(860) 207-9335
CONTACT US

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