doccuments to give to a bunny babysitter

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

maxysmummy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
671
Reaction score
1
Location
Sydney, , Australia
we will be providing all the food, shelter, litter etc so it's not a matter of giving him any dietary or housing information, does anyone have any doccuments that i can give him for the babysitting period?

i want to arm him with as much information as possible, but not too much to overwhelm him.

can anyone help me out? anyone have any booklets they've made for their bun babysitters or any relevant information?

thanks heaps guys, x
 
I have a pretty substantial document that I created based on Mike Scone's bunny sitting sheet and suggestions from other members last year. If you PM me your email address I would be happy to send it to you.
I left Sabrina with non-bunny savvy people for 12 days so I was definitely nervous but I think that being overly informative and having a practice session really helped!
 
I found this one http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/pet-care-instructions-TC006091278.aspx. It is a generic pet template, so you might be able to customize it if needed. You can probably find other ones if you look.

Basically, write everything down from feeding to cleaning and handling. Be specific, don't just say 'feed at 10am', put what to give and how much. It can be: 'Give 1/8 of a cup of pellets in the morning and evening (total 1/4 cup per day), fill hay rack when giving pellets, make sure water bowl/bottle is more than 1/2 fill (if 1/2 or less refill), give veggies once a day (put the amount and type or make them up in advance). For clenaing, make a step by step guide of how you want it done.
Put what behaviour is normal for your rabbit. Some rabbits eat pellets very quickly while others eat throughout the day. If your rabbit always eats all the pellets, say that and if there are some left to call you. Some may leave a few in the bowl which can be ok, but an uneaten bowl is not. If you rabbit is usually active and wanting to be pet in the morning, but it lethargic when they come, get them to call you. A rabbit can act differently with new people, so take that into account as a friendly bunny might be more shy with a new person around. Some people give a treat every day and if the rabbit doesn't take it they know something it up, you can try that and get the sitter to offer treats when you have the over to go over everything.
Write down your routine for the rabbits. What time you feed, cleaning schedule, when you let him out to run around and other important stuff.

Make sure you have enough food and litter to last the amount of time plus extra. If you are low, buy more so the sitter doesn't have to. If you give veggies, try to buy enough for the time you are away. If you are gone for more than a week, leave some extra money and a list of what and how much to buy so the sitter can pick some up.

Put down as much contact info as you can. If you are staying in one place, put the phone number of that down. If you stay in a hotel, call when you arrive and give the room number. Also give the phone number of where you will spend most of your time, like a relatives house so they can contact you during the day. If you have a cell phone that you are bringing, leave that number as well as keep the phone charged and with you. Also put down your e-mail just in case and check it at least once a day if you can. Include your travel times and when you expect to get back. If you fly, say you should arrive at your destination at a certain time. Give an estimated time of you coming back. When you get back, call the sitter so they know you are back and don't need to come check the rabbit again.

Have emergency contacts that are near where you live. This should inclue your regular vet, an emergency vet and a friend who you trust to help make a decision if you cannot be reached. A rabbit savvy friend would be best, but someone you trust is a very good idea. Let your vet know you are going away and that you give permission for the sitter to seek vet care if needed. You should be able to give instructions of what care they can give before contacting you. Leave a credit card number to pay for things if needed.
 
Just so everyone else knows, the link Kate posted, you'll need to take the period off at the end of it for it to work. =)
 
I think that while instructions are good, it's good to physically show the person what to do. I guess people learn in different ways but no matter how clearly you think written instructions are, I reckon a person will feel more like they know what they're meant to do if they have been shown. And even give them a chance to do it on their own under your instruction if you want.

From my small experience as a pet sitter, the suggestion to tell your vet you are going away and have some kind of account set up is a great idea. I have minded the same peoples animals twice, one time the rabbit had fur mites and the other time one of their poor bunnies had myxo so he had to go to the vet. there wasn't too much trouble because the vet just kept the account for them to pay but it could cause a problem, especially if you take their pet to a different vet for some reason.

Leaving an emergency fund couldn't hurt too just in case they need to buy more litter, hay, vegies etc.
 
Back
Top