Who is an animal technician and what do they do? An animal technician is a worker who breeds, rears and looks after animals for laboratory and experimental purposes.
What are the activities of an animal technician? Prepares and measures the doses of feeds for animals kept for experimental purposes, feeds the animals and cleans their housing facilities, monitors the health of the animals, takes care of them, or calls a vet if necessary. With more experience, the technician may also take part in the scientific experiments carried out on the animals.
Where is it done and under what conditions? Indoors, in specialised housing facilities for these animals; unpleasant smells, and contact with animal hair (which may cause allergies) must be expected.
What tools/equipment do an animal technician use? Various scientific and technical instruments may be used for experimental purposes, if the technician is working in a laboratory or experimental establishment, but the day to day care of the animals requires more simple cleaning and feeding equipment and tools.
What do you need to succeed? You need to complete an apprenticeship. Some scientific background or qualification is helpful. You also need to be able to pay close attention to detail and keep accurate records.