Looking after rabbits requires more than topping up a bowl. A sitter needs to understand the existing routine, recognise when something is different and know how to obtain appropriate help. Choose someone able to provide the care your rabbits need.
Show the routine in person
Walk through the enclosure, food storage, water provision and cleaning equipment. Explain the current feeding instructions without asking the sitter to invent substitutions. Keep any veterinary directions clear and attached to the relevant labelled supplies.
If the rabbits look similar, provide a reliable way for the sitter to distinguish them. A description and recent photograph may be useful, but do not add an unsafe marker or accessory for convenience.
Explain what to report
Describe the ordinary pattern you observe for each rabbit, using concrete details. Agree that a change in eating, droppings, activity or apparent comfort should prompt timely contact with a rabbit-experienced veterinarian, rather than waiting for the next scheduled update.
Provide the practice’s details and the available out-of-hours service. Confirm arrangements directly with the providers before leaving.
Make the written plan short
- Daily care tasks and where supplies are kept.
- Individual identification and relevant veterinary instructions.
- Transport equipment and access arrangements.
- Your contact and a backup person.
- The plan if your return is delayed.
Keep security and personal information private. Ask the sitter to talk through what they would do if they could not reach you, and clarify any uncertainty before the handover ends.
Afterwards, date the final instructions and remove outdated copies from the shared folder. One accurate plan is easier to follow than several slightly different versions circulating in messages.
Keep reading: another guide from our pet journal.
