Portions Written for a Rabbit That Weighs Very Little
Everything about a Netherland Dwarf's care sheet shrinks with the rabbit. Give the sitter the pellet amount as an exact measure, not a scoop and a guess, because a generous handful that suits a larger breed can crowd out hay eating in a dwarf and push weight on fast. Hay stays unlimited and should be refreshed so it smells fresh, since a small rabbit may ignore dusty leftovers. List the greens in current rotation with rough quantities, note the water setup your rabbit actually uses, bowl or bottle, and warn the sitter to check a bottle's ball valve daily because a stuck valve dehydrates a tiny animal quickly.
Escape-Proofing Notes a Bigger Rabbit Would Never Need
Walk the home through dwarf-sized eyes before you write this section. A Netherland Dwarf can squeeze through pen spacing and under-door gaps that look impossibly narrow, so tell the sitter which barriers must stay in place during floor time, which rooms are off limits, and where the known squeeze points are: behind the sofa, beside the washing machine, under the gate. If your rabbit is a chewer, name the protected cables and the wooden chew toys it should be redirected to. The sitter also needs the pen latch explained, because a small, determined rabbit learns a loose latch faster than most people expect.
Handling Guidance That Respects a Wary Little Rabbit
Many Netherland Dwarfs are alert and not naturally cuddly, so be honest about yours. Describe whether your rabbit tolerates brief lifts for health checks or prefers all contact at floor level, how it signals it has had enough, and the right way to support its whole body securely if a lift is unavoidable, since a kicking dwarf can injure its own back. Ask the sitter to let the rabbit come to them during floor time, to avoid grabbing from above like a predator, and to keep visiting dogs and enthusiastic children out of the room rather than testing the rabbit's nerves.
Teeth, Droppings, and the Daily Five-Minute Check
Dwarf breeds carry compact jaws, so ask the sitter to watch eating behavior rather than attempt any mouth inspection: a rabbit that approaches food, chews one-sided, drools, or drops pellets it wanted is telling you its teeth hurt. Droppings are the other daily report: note what normal output looks like in the litter tray so the sitter can spot a sharp drop in quantity. Because a Netherland Dwarf has so little reserve, the threshold for calling is lower than for a big rabbit: off food at two consecutive checks, silent and hunched, or no droppings across a morning all mean phone you and the vet the same day, not after the weekend.
Vet Details and Emergency Basics for a Fragile Patient
Write the exotic vet's name, address, phone, and out-of-hours arrangement at the top of the notes, plus where the carrier lives and how your rabbit is usually coaxed into it with a familiar blanket and greens. Mention any history the sitter might need in a hurry: previous gut slowdowns, dental work, or a known sensitivity, and where you keep a small reserve of its usual hay and pellets so a supply run never means a sudden brand change. A photo of your rabbit and its markings is worth adding too, in case descriptions are ever needed.
One Walkthrough Beats a Perfect Document
Before you travel, have the sitter do one full round with you watching: feed, water check, tray clean, and a short floor-time session closed up properly. That rehearsal surfaces the questions a sheet cannot predict, like how stiff the latch is or where your rabbit hides at pen-up time. Storing the finished notes in KinsLe as a Care Pass lets the sitter pull up the dwarf-sized portions, escape notes, and vet contacts from one link instead of hunting through a paper folder while a very small rabbit watches for an open gap.