How much hay should I leave for a rabbit sitter?

Leave enough of your rabbit's usual hay to keep it continuously available throughout the booking, plus extra in case your return is delayed. Store it somewhere dry and show the sitter how much your rabbit typically uses without setting a restrictive hay portion.

Should a rabbit sitter let my rabbit out of the enclosure?

Include exercise only if the sitter can use your established secure area and follow the normal routine safely. Explain the boundaries, supervision required and how your rabbit returns to the enclosure without being chased.

How often should a rabbit sitter send updates?

Agree an update schedule before you leave and ask for notes on food, water, droppings, activity and enclosure security. Make it clear that concerning changes should be reported promptly rather than held for the routine update.

What should a sitter do if my rabbit stops eating?

Your care card should tell the sitter to contact you promptly and follow your veterinary practice's written instructions. Include regular and out-of-hours veterinary details, a backup decision-maker, transport arrangements and the carrier location.

Should I move my rabbit to the sitter's home?

Many routines are easier to preserve in the rabbit's familiar home, but the practical choice depends on your rabbit, the property and the sitter's setup. If another location is used, inspect the enclosure, exercise area, household hazards and separation from other animals beforehand.

How to prepare your rabbit for a pet sitter

By The Pet Care Card teamUpdated 7 September 2026 6 min read

Short answer

Prepare a rabbit sitter handover with pre-measured food, unlimited fresh hay, a tested water setup, cleaning supplies, a secure exercise area and clear daily instructions. Record normal eating, droppings and behaviour, explain handling and home hazards, and leave owner, veterinary and backup contacts for any concern.

The app does not provide medical advice or recommend medications or dosages. It only helps owners organize instructions they provide. Always follow your veterinarian.

Rabbits need more than bowls topped up while you are away. Your sitter needs to understand the normal routine, safe handling, enclosure cleaning and the small changes that should prompt a call.

Set everything out before the handover and put the essential details on one care card. Ask the sitter to complete a practice visit so you can check that each instruction is clear.

Write down your rabbit's normal routine

Describe a typical day in the order tasks happen. Include when your rabbit is usually active, where they rest, how they ask for food and whether they normally approach people or prefer space.

Specific descriptions help the sitter notice change. Instead of writing that your rabbit is quiet, explain where they normally sit, how they react when food arrives and what their usual droppings look like.

Usual feeding and enclosure-check times
Normal activity and resting periods
Preferred hiding and sleeping places
Typical appetite and drinking pattern
Normal litter tray habits
Words, sounds or routines your rabbit recognises

Add the routine to the care card
Show the sitter your rabbit's usual behaviour
Explain which changes should be reported immediately

Prepare hay, food and water

Leave plenty of your rabbit's usual hay and make it clear that fresh hay should remain available. Pre-measure each serving of pellets and greens rather than asking the sitter to estimate portions. Confirm the feeding plan with your veterinarian or the food label.

Do not introduce new foods just before or during your absence. Label every container and list any foods that must not be offered, including treats kept for other pets.

Show the sitter how to refill and test the usual water bowl or bottle. Leave a clean spare so there is an immediate replacement if the main container leaks, tips or stops working.

Usual hay stored somewhere dry and accessible
Daily food portions packed and labelled
Approved treats separated into portions
Fresh greens stored and labelled where appropriate
Water bowl or bottle plus a clean spare
Written list of foods the sitter must not offer

Check that supplies cover the full booking plus a delay
Show how to confirm that water is flowing or accessible
Ask the sitter to record eating and drinking observations

Make enclosure cleaning straightforward

Keep litter, liners, waste bags, a dustpan and rabbit-safe cleaning supplies together. Demonstrate which areas need attention and where used litter should go.

Ask the sitter to keep some familiar bedding and furnishings in place unless they are soiled. Avoid rearranging the enclosure during the booking because familiar hiding places and routes make the routine easier to follow.

Where clean litter and bedding are stored
Which litter tray or areas need routine cleaning
Where waste bags should be placed
How bowls, trays and water containers are cleaned
Which cleaning products are approved for use
How doors, panels and catches should be secured

Leave enough litter and cleaning supplies
Label any similar-looking products
Test every enclosure catch before leaving

Explain exercise and handling

Show the sitter the secure area your rabbit uses outside the enclosure and how access is controlled. State whether exercise must be supervised and identify furniture, cables or gaps that need to remain blocked.

Do not assume a sitter will know how your rabbit prefers to be approached. Demonstrate your usual method and explain whether your rabbit accepts being picked up. The sitter should not force handling or chase a rabbit around the room.

If transport becomes necessary, the sitter should use the prepared carrier and follow your written contact plan rather than improvising.

Approved exercise area and boundaries
Doors that must remain closed
Usual approach and handling preferences
Where the carrier is stored
How to guide the rabbit back without chasing
Whether other pets must be secured elsewhere

Remove accessible cables and unsafe objects
Block gaps behind furniture and appliances
Practise opening and closing the exercise area

Remove household and garden hazards

Walk through the rooms the sitter will use and remove anything your rabbit could chew, pull down or become trapped behind. Keep household products, human food, medicines and unsuitable plants out of reach.

If your rabbit has outdoor access, write down exactly when and where it is allowed. Check fencing, overhead protection, gates and shelter before you leave. The sitter should not use an unapproved outdoor area.

Electrical cables and chargers
Houseplants and cut flowers
Cleaning products and medicines
Open doors, windows and low barriers
Reclining furniture and moving mechanisms
Access to other pets or unfamiliar visitors

Inspect the space from floor level
Secure rooms that are out of bounds
Tell the sitter who may enter the home

Leave a clear contact and escalation plan

Ask the sitter to contact you promptly if your rabbit is not eating normally, produces noticeably fewer droppings, seems unusually withdrawn, has difficulty breathing, is bleeding or cannot move normally. The sitter should then follow your veterinary practice's written instructions.

Leave the veterinary practice's contact details, an out-of-hours contact, your preferred transport arrangement and a nearby backup person. If your rabbit has any prescribed care, provide the veterinarian's written directions and do not ask the sitter to change them.

State who can approve veterinary care if you cannot be reached. Keep the carrier easy to find and place any relevant records beside it.

Your primary and alternative contact details
Regular veterinary practice details
Out-of-hours veterinary contact
Local backup person's details
Transport plan and carrier location
Written veterinary instructions where applicable

Confirm that every phone number is current
Agree when the sitter should call rather than message
Tell the backup person the booking dates
Ask the sitter to follow written veterinary instructions

Complete a practice handover

Invite the sitter to complete the routine while you watch. Let them refill hay and water, secure the enclosure, find the cleaning supplies and walk through the exercise setup.

Finish by asking the sitter to explain the routine back to you. This quickly reveals missing information and gives you time to simplify the care card before you leave.

Show the location of every supply
Demonstrate all doors, gates and catches
Introduce the rabbit without forcing contact
Review normal behaviour and reportable changes
Test access to the home
Agree how daily updates will be sent

Stock extra hay, food and litter
Label food and cleaning supplies
Leave the care card somewhere obvious
Place the carrier where it is accessible
Share the final instructions with the backup contact

Frequently asked questions

How much hay should I leave for a rabbit sitter?: Leave enough of your rabbit's usual hay to keep it continuously available throughout the booking, plus extra in case your return is delayed. Store it somewhere dry and show the sitter how much your rabbit typically uses without setting a restrictive hay portion.
Should a rabbit sitter let my rabbit out of the enclosure?: Include exercise only if the sitter can use your established secure area and follow the normal routine safely. Explain the boundaries, supervision required and how your rabbit returns to the enclosure without being chased.
How often should a rabbit sitter send updates?: Agree an update schedule before you leave and ask for notes on food, water, droppings, activity and enclosure security. Make it clear that concerning changes should be reported promptly rather than held for the routine update.
What should a sitter do if my rabbit stops eating?: Your care card should tell the sitter to contact you promptly and follow your veterinary practice's written instructions. Include regular and out-of-hours veterinary details, a backup decision-maker, transport arrangements and the carrier location.
Should I move my rabbit to the sitter's home?: Many routines are easier to preserve in the rabbit's familiar home, but the practical choice depends on your rabbit, the property and the sitter's setup. If another location is used, inspect the enclosure, exercise area, household hazards and separation from other animals beforehand.