What information do i need to leave for the pet sitter?

[Cocoa]

For Spring Break I will be out of town, and my brother is pet sitting. He isn’t very used to handling bunnies so I will leave a list of information about them. So far I have 5 pages of info. It includes the food, hay, water, veggies, vet phone numbers, each bunnies personality, signs that they are sick, and a lot of extra info. What are some other important things he needs to know? I will be gone for 9 days so i want to make sure he knows everything. 

[Luna]

That’s a pretty good list! I can’t think of anything else to add. Does he know how to clean their litter boxes and cage? Will he be able to reach you if he has any other questions?

[Cocoa]

He is coming over soon to meet them and i will show him how to care for them. I added the litter box. I included my phone number. My two oldest brothers will be there, so they can check on them through out the day. One of my brothers is allergic to everything so he cant touch the bunnies or cat. He is just there for the hermit crab, and dogs. Even though he cant touch them, he will be able to be near the cage so he can see if they are acting odd. My brothers will probably be annoyed because I leave very long lists of how to care for each of my pets. Is it necessary to cancel their spay? It is scheduled for 1 week before i leave. If they are not doing well at the end of the week i would either stay home or board them at the vet. Most likely i would stay home.

[DanaNM]

That sounds pretty good! This site has a handy guide for pet sitters that might have some more helpful info.
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/24/PID/940/Default.aspx

I think my favorite thing from it is for the pet sitter to do a “health check” each day (or twice a day since he will be living there), where they offer the bunny a piece of cilantro or another favorite treat (not too much of course). If the bunny doesn’t eat it or leaves it on the ground, then they know something is wrong.

Will he have to actually handle them? If so, it would be good to teach him how to safely do this, and practice with him. I usually don’t have my pet sitters handle the buns, but I have showed them how to get them in their carriers in case there is an emergency.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Cocoa]

Yes he will have to handle them. The cage has legs attached to it so he has to pick them up to move them to their exercise pen or inside to play with them. One of them is living in a small dog crate right now since they had to be separated. I will talk to my parents about just letting her stay in my bathroom. I have a large bathroom and my parents wont be home so i don’t think they will care. I don’t have an extra carrier right now. I have a cat carrier which we normally use but since i only had one litter box i am using half of the cat carrier. My bunnies have a stroller which i can close so they cant jump out. Its a small dog stroller but it works fine. That cant go in the car but it can get the bunnies out of the house. If there was an emergency, they can put one in the stroller and the other in the dog crate. Would that work?

[Wick & Fable]

I would include their typical schedule for feeding, cleaning, sleeping, and expected for you to begin interacting with them (i.e. when you usually come home and pet and cuddle vs. when you leave them alone). Rabbits learn routine quick, so if he is familiar with what they’ll expect when, that’d be good.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Cocoa]

Each of the times is included in each thing. In the paragraph about food (pellets) it says what time to feed them. I will talk to my parents about letting them inside so they have more space. They will each only get 30 minutes out of their cage. I know they need more than that, but my brother has to work a lot and its hard to find a pet sitter who can spend 2 hours with each bunny.

[LittlePuffyTail]

While the out-time situation is not ideal, I’m sure they will be fine temporarily.

Sounds like you have everything well prepared. When you said you have 5 pages of info, it reminded me of this I saw on FB recently:

And don’t worry, I’m the same way when I leave my buns. 

[Cocoa]

LOL that sounds about right. This is the first time ive left them for more than 1 night

[DanaNM]

OMG same. 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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