Animal Care Technician – Feeder Rodents & Insects (Part-Time)
The Reptile Room LLC — Ballwin, MO
Part-time | On-site | Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Hundreds of animals eat because of this job!
The Reptile Room is home to hundreds of reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, and invertebrates. We breed and maintain our own feeder rodents and insects.
Schedule: Part-time, 20 hours per week across four days — Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (roughly 5 hours per day). Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays off.
This role is behind the scenes, and it is the foundation the entire facility stands on. If the colonies are healthy, clean, and organized, everything else works. If they're not, nothing does.
Let's be straight with you about the work
This is physical, hands-on, frequently dirty work. You will clean rodent tubs. You will handle insects with your hands. You will smell things. You will sweat in warm rooms, haul 50-pound feed bags, and go home with bedding dust on your clothes.
This is not a desk job, and it is not a "play with cute animals" job.
It's animal husbandry, the kind that happens every single day whether or not you feel like it, because living creatures are depending on you being consistent.
If that description made you more interested rather than less, keep reading. You might be exactly who we're looking for.
What You'll Do
Rodent Colony Care
- Clean rodent tubs and replace bedding on a set rotation
- Feed and water mice and rats
- Monitor colony health and report concerns promptly
- Harvest and organize feeder rodents
- Maintain accurate colony records and organization
- Grabbing rats or mice for customers
Feeder Insect & Isopod Care
- Feed and maintain cricket colonies
- Care for Dubia roach colonies
- Mealworm and superworm husbandry
- Waxworm and other feeder insect maintenance
- Isopod colony maintenance
- Clean insect bins and replace substrate
Retail Cupping & Packaging
- Cup feeder insects for retail sale - crickets, Dubia roaches, mealworms, superworms, and waxworms
- Count and portion accurately so every cup a customer buys is right
- Add proper substrate, food, and moisture to each cup
- Label, date, and stock finished product
- Monitor retail stock levels and flag shortages before we run out
Diet Prep & Sanitation
- Prepare fresh vegetables and feeder diets
- Wash food containers and equipment
- General cleaning and sanitation of work areas
- Sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping of work areas
- Follow detailed cleaning schedules exactly as written
- Organize and stock supplies
And Beyond
- Help us find better, faster, cleaner ways to run the department
- Other animal care duties as assigned
Physical Requirements
The essential functions of this position require the ability to:
- Repeatedly lift and carry up to 50 pounds
- Stand and move for extended periods
- Bend, kneel, squat, reach, and climb
- Work comfortably in warm environments
- Tolerate strong odors
- Work around dust, bedding, insects, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, and other animals
- Perform repetitive cleaning tasks throughout the shift
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.
Who Thrives Here
The single most important quality is dependability. Animals eat on a schedule. Colonies get cleaned on a schedule. We need someone who shows up, on time, and does the work the same way every day.
Beyond that, you'll do well here if you are:
- Hard-working and self-motivated - you find the next task without being told
- Detail-oriented, and able to follow written procedures exactly - cupped counts go out to paying customers, so accuracy is not optional
- Comfortable working independently for long stretches
- Genuinely unbothered by insects and rodents
- Honest, especially about mistakes
- Someone who takes real pride in a clean, organized space
- Willing to learn, and to be taught our way of doing things
- Fine with getting dirty every single day
Nice to Have (Not Required)
We'll train the right person from scratch. But it helps if you bring:
- Animal care, veterinary assistant, or zoo experience
- Farm or agriculture background
- Reptile keeping experience
- Rodent or insect breeding experience
- Biology coursework
Honestly? A dependable person with farm chores in their background often outperforms someone with a resume full of credentials. We hire for work ethic first.
Work Environment
You will regularly be around rodents, insects, isopods, reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, animal waste, bedding dust, feed, and cleaning chemicals.
Applicants must have no fear of insects or rodents. Cleaning is a major, daily, unavoidable part of this job , not an occasional add-on.
We tell you all of this up front because we'd rather you know now than discover it in week two.
What We Offer
- You work with genuinely amazing animals every day
- Hands-on education in reptile and exotic animal husbandry you can't get anywhere else
- A supportive team that respects this department and the people in it
- Employee discounts
- Cross-training opportunities into other animal care departments
- Real paths for advancement as we grow
- A career you will never once have to describe as boring
How to Apply
Apply directly through Indeed. Tell us in your application why this job caught your attention.
The Reptile Room LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Pay: $17.00 - $18.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Referral program
Application Question(s):
- Are you comfortable working with live rodents, including handling them daily?
- Are you comfortable working with live insects, including crickets, roaches, and worms?
- Are you comfortable cleaning animal waste and soiled bedding every day?
- Have you worked in a physically demanding job before? Briefly describe it.
- Why are you interested in this specific position?
- This position works a fixed part-time schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Are you available all four of those days on an ongoing basis?
- Do you have reliable transportation to Ballwin, MO for consistent on-time arrival?
Work Location: In person
