Rabbit Sitting and Travel Prep
What to Tell Your Rabbit Sitter Before Travel
Clear rabbit sitting notes help your sitter understand your bunny's normal routine before you leave. Feeding details, hay habits, water preferences, litter box output, behavior, safety concerns, and emergency instructions all matter.
Important Rabbit Safety Note
If your rabbit stops eating, stops pooping, produces fewer or smaller droppings, seems bloated, sits hunched in pain, becomes weak, has trouble breathing, collapses, has a serious injury, or suddenly seems severely unwell, contact a rabbit-savvy veterinarian or emergency clinic immediately.
Quick Answer
Before travel, tell your rabbit sitter about your rabbit's feeding routine, hay setup, water preferences, litter box habits, normal behavior, hiding spots, enrichment, habitat setup, medication instructions, health history, emergency contacts, carrier location, home access, and what signs should trigger a call.
Rabbits often do best when their routine stays familiar. A sitter can follow that routine more closely when the instructions are clear, specific, and easy to find.
Your sitter should know what is normal for your rabbit before the first visit. That includes how much your rabbit usually eats, what droppings usually look like, where they like to rest, and what behavior would be unusual.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for veterinary care. If your rabbit has appetite changes, droppings changes, pain signs, breathing changes, injury, or sudden illness, contact a rabbit-savvy veterinarian.
Feeding Notes
Tell Your Sitter Exactly What Your Rabbit Eats
Rabbit feeding instructions should be detailed. Include hay type, pellets, greens, herbs, treats, serving amounts, feeding times, and any foods your rabbit should never have.
Tell your sitter what your rabbit normally gets excited about, what they sometimes ignore, and whether any foods are used for medication or trust-building.
Appetite changes matter for rabbits, so your sitter should know what normal eating looks like.
Hay Routine
Explain Hay Setup and Hay Habits
Hay is a major part of rabbit care. Your sitter should know where the hay is stored, where it should be placed, and how much your rabbit normally eats.
Include whether hay goes in a rack, box, litter area, pile, bowl, or specific corner.
If your rabbit suddenly refuses hay, eats much less hay, or leaves hay untouched, your sitter should know that this is important.
Water Preferences
Describe Water Bowls, Bottles, and Drinking Habits
Tell your sitter whether your rabbit drinks from a bowl, bottle, or both. Include where water should be placed and how often it should be refreshed.
Some rabbits are particular about water placement, bowl type, cleanliness, or bottle function.
If your rabbit drinks noticeably less, drinks much more, tips bowls, ignores bottles, or has urinary history, include that in the notes.
Litter Box Details
Tell Your Sitter What Normal Litter Habits Look Like
Litter box notes should include where the box is, what litter to use, how often to scoop or change it, where waste bags are kept, and where trash should go.
Tell your sitter what normal droppings look like for your rabbit. Include whether stray droppings are normal, whether urine accidents happen, and whether your rabbit has any litter box history.
Fewer droppings, smaller droppings, no droppings, urine changes, or sudden litter box changes should be reported quickly.
Habitat Setup
Explain the Rabbit's Space Clearly
Your sitter should know how the rabbit's enclosure, pen, room, free-roam area, rugs, gates, litter box, hay, water, and hiding spots should be arranged.
Include notes about doors, baby gates, hardwood floors, cords, plants, furniture, exercise pens, fans, lights, blinds, and areas your rabbit should not enter.
A clear habitat setup helps your sitter leave the space safe and familiar after each visit.
Rabbit Sitter Notes Checklist
What to Tell Your Rabbit Sitter Before Travel
Good sitter notes help protect routine, reduce confusion, and make health changes easier to notice.
Food and hay
Feeding times, hay type, hay placement, pellets, greens, treats, and foods to avoid.
Water and litter
Bowl or bottle setup, normal drinking habits, litter care, and droppings notes.
Behavior and safety
Hiding spots, social habits, floor preferences, chewing risks, gates, and approved areas.
Emergency plan
Vet contacts, carrier location, medications, warning signs, and backup contacts.
Behavior Notes
Explain What Is Normal for Your Rabbit
Tell your sitter whether your rabbit is social, shy, cautious, playful, food-motivated, easily startled, or slow to warm up.
Include favorite hiding spots, petting preferences, thumping habits, normal activity level, floor preferences, and whether your rabbit usually comes out during visits.
Normal behavior is different for every rabbit. A shy rabbit who hides but eats well may be acting normally. A social rabbit who suddenly hides and refuses food may not be.
Enrichment and Chewing
List Approved Toys, Chews, and Enrichment
Include which toys, tunnels, cardboard boxes, chew items, forage games, or digging areas your rabbit is allowed to use.
Also list anything that should be avoided, such as unsafe cardboard, fabric, rugs, cords, plastic, small parts, or items your rabbit may swallow.
A sitter should not introduce new treats, greens, toys, or materials without permission.
Health and Medication
Share Health History and Medication Instructions
If your rabbit takes medication, write the medication name, dose, timing, route, storage instructions, and what to do if a dose is missed or refused.
Include medical history, dental concerns, digestive concerns, urinary history, mobility issues, appetite sensitivity, or recent vet notes.
Health information should be easy to find during a visit, not buried in a long message thread.
Warning Signs
Tell Your Sitter What Should Trigger a Call
Rabbit warning signs should be written clearly. Do not assume a sitter will know which changes matter most for your rabbit.
Tell your sitter to contact you, your vet, or an emergency clinic if your rabbit stops eating, stops pooping, produces fewer droppings, seems bloated, sits hunched, becomes weak, has breathing trouble, or seems suddenly unwell.
Include how you want updates handled if the sitter notices something concerning.
Emergency Contacts
Leave Vet, Carrier, and Emergency Details
Leave your rabbit-savvy veterinarian's name, clinic phone number, emergency clinic information, backup contact, and your travel contact details.
Tell your sitter where the carrier is, how to use it, and whether your rabbit has any handling concerns.
If you have emergency authorization or payment preferences, write those down before travel.
Home Access
Include Keys, Codes, Parking, and Home Instructions
Rabbit sitting notes should include how to enter the home, where keys or codes are located, whether there is an alarm, and where to park.
Include any home details that affect the visit, such as sticky doors, tricky locks, lights, trash, temperature, fans, cameras, or rooms that should stay closed.
Clear access instructions help the sitter focus on the rabbit instead of troubleshooting the home.
Supplies
Put Supplies Where the Sitter Can Find Them
Store hay, pellets, greens, treats, litter, waste bags, cleaning supplies, medications, syringes, towels, and extra bowls where they are easy to find.
Label anything that may be confusing. If two containers look similar, make the difference clear.
The easier supplies are to find, the more time the sitter can spend on care, observation, and comfort.
Visit Updates
Say What You Want Included in Updates
Rabbit updates are most useful when they include appetite, hay interest, water access, litter box output, behavior, enclosure checks, and any concerns.
Photos and videos can be helpful, but written details matter too.
If your rabbit has a medical history, tell your sitter which details you want checked and mentioned every visit.
Final Check
Review Everything Before You Leave
Before travel, review your rabbit sitting notes and make sure food, hay, water, litter, supplies, keys, access instructions, emergency contacts, and carrier information are ready.
Make sure your sitter knows where the instructions are and how the rabbit's space should look at the end of each visit.
Clear notes can make travel calmer for you, your sitter, and your bunny.
Charlottesville Rabbit Sitting
In-Home Rabbit Sitting in Charlottesville
Megan's Pet Sitting provides in-home rabbit sitting in Charlottesville, VA, with thoughtful drop-in visits designed around each rabbit's routine, safety needs, comfort level, and personality.
Visits may include fresh hay, food, water, litter box care, enclosure checks, habitat checks, gentle companionship when wanted, observation, photos, videos, and detailed updates.
Planning Rabbit Care?
Need Rabbit Sitting in Charlottesville?
If your rabbit needs careful observation, fresh hay, clean water, litter box checks, familiar routines, habitat care, and detailed updates, Megan's Pet Sitting can help you explore whether drop-in rabbit sitting is the right fit.
Contact Megan's Pet Sitting