Apprenticeships for animal keepers: information, offers and provider overview

Training to become an animal keeper (adult apprenticeship) includes both practical experience on the job and theoretical knowledge taught at the vocational college. The course content is based on the chosen specialization - pets, laboratory animals or wild animals - and covers a wide range of topics from different areas.

Central topics of the school-based training to become an animal keeper:

• Biology: basics of anatomy and physiology, genetics, reproduction, ethology, ecology and domestication
• Animal husbandry and care: husbandry systems, species-appropriate care, feeding, behavior recognition and health monitoring
• Hygiene and diseases: Hygiene regulations, disease prevention, first aid, parasites, quarantine measures
• Business organization and logistics: work planning, warehouse management, transport of animals, materials science, safety
• Law and professional ethics: animal welfare laws, operational responsibility, ethical principles in dealing with animals
• Communication and customer contact: Conducting conversations, advising pet owners, documentation and passing on information
• Specialized knowledge depending on the field:
  • Pets: breed knowledge, care, breeding, administration
  • Laboratory animals: animal experiments, laboratory animal care, breeding and hygiene
  • Wild animals: zoo biology, keeping poisonous animals, knowledge of species

In addition, general skills such as numeracy, IT, administration and security awareness are also taught.

Training to become an animal keeper provides comprehensive preparation for everyday working life - from understanding biological relationships to the safe and responsible care of a wide range of animal species.

Important: The exact content of the animal keeper apprenticeship can vary depending on the school and training company. To obtain binding information, it is advisable to contact the respective school directly. You can use our contact form to forward your question directly to the desired school - quickly and easily.

Depending on the specialization chosen during an apprenticeship as an animal keeper Federal VET Diploma, graduates can find employment in a variety of places, for example in companies that look after pets, in research facilities of Universities and industry and in special laboratory animal breeding facilities or in zoos, animal parks, possibly in the pet trade and similar businesses.

Training in animal care for adults lasts two years and is completed in the training companies for animal keepers. It takes place alongside work at vocational school and in inter-company courses.

Adults who are interested in an apprenticeship as an animal keeper and would like to take part in the qualification procedure (formerly the final apprenticeship examination LAP) in order to obtain the Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training (Federal VET Diploma) must provide evidence of at least five years of professional experience before the examination, of which at least three years must be in animal care.

Apprenticeships for animal keepers can be completed in very different areas. Before starting their basic training, the prospective apprentices decide on one of the three specializations:

• Pets
• Wild animals
• Laboratory animals

For adults who are interested in apprenticeships as animal keepers, there are special part-time courses that prepare them for the Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training (VET Diploma) and enable them to continue working. This allows adults to catch up on their vocational qualification alongside their conventional work.