A guinea pig handoff fails or succeeds on hay and vitamin C, so those two lines belong at the top of the sheet, in amounts rather than intentions. Write that hay is unlimited and gets refreshed a minimum of two times daily, name the measured pellet portion, and list the daily vegetables by name and quantity — a pepper strip, a handful of leafy greens — because a guinea pig cannot make its own vitamin C and a vague instruction to feed 'some veg' quietly drops it.
Food, cleaning and company, stated exactly
Cleaning jobs deserve the same precision as feeding. Spot-clean the enclosure daily, change bedding fully on the home schedule, and check each water bottle actually flows by touching the spout, since a blocked bottle looks full. Companions stay together: bonded guinea pigs travel, rest and eat as a unit, and separating them 'to make cleaning easier' creates two stressed animals instead of one calm pair.
Floor time happens only in the pig-proofed area, with cables lifted, gaps behind furniture blocked and other pets shut out. Note how each pig likes to be handled — most prefer being scooped with support rather than lifted from above — and where each one hides when startled.
The vet-call list, in plain language
- Not eating, or hay going untouched across the day
- Far fewer droppings than usual, or small, dry ones
- Breathing difficulty, discharge, collapse or injury
- Behaviour clearly unlike this animal, including hiding away
Beside that list go your vet's number, the emergency clinic and the fastest way to reach you. Add one line describing normal for these pigs — who wheeks at the fridge, who naps where — because a sitter who knows normal recognises trouble while it is still small.
A short trial before a long trip
If the sitter is new to guinea pigs, invite them for one evening visit first: let them top up the hay, hand over the named vegetables and watch which pig runs the kitchen corner. Pigs who have already heard the sitter's voice at feeding time settle faster, and questions about amounts surface while you can still answer them.
Leaving it ready to use
Stock the hay, pellets and vegetables for the whole stay plus a spare day, portioned or labelled so the sitter is never guessing at quantities. Walk them round the enclosure once before you leave, then leave the sheet beside it.
You can share that same handoff through Care Pass in KinsLe, where temporary access ends when the trip does and the sitter needs no account to open it.