Lead with hay, because a rabbit's gut never rests
The first line of your sitter notes for a Harlequin rabbit should be that hay is never rationed. A rabbit's digestive system has to keep moving around the clock, so the sitter needs to know which hay you feed, where the bale or bag is stored, and that the rack and litter corner get topped up at every visit even if some remains. Explain that a Harlequin, a medium-sized breed recognised by its split two-colour face markings, eats roughly its own body size in hay across a day. If the sitter understands hay is the main food rather than bedding decoration, the rest of the feeding plan falls into place.
Pellets, greens, and the treats to leave out
After hay, give exact measures for everything else. State the small daily portion of pellets in the scoop or cup you actually use, and list the leafy greens your Harlequin already eats without loose droppings, since a sitter improvising with unfamiliar vegetables can upset a rabbit's stomach quickly. Note when greens are served and that they should be washed and shaken dry. Be blunt about exclusions: no iceberg lettuce, no sugary shop treats, no muesli-style mixes, and no bread or crackers from the kitchen. A rabbit that fills up on extras stops eating hay, and that is where trouble starts.
Litter, pen time, and rabbit-proofing
Describe the litter setup precisely: which tray, which litter material, and how often to change it, because droppings are the sitter's easiest health readout and a clean tray makes counting them possible. Then cover exercise. Your Harlequin needs daily time out of its enclosure in a pen or a rabbit-proofed room to run and binky, and the sitter should know which cables, skirting boards, and houseplants are blocked off in that space. Rabbits chew constantly to wear their ever-growing teeth, so list the approved chew toys and cardboard already in the pen and remind the sitter that anything new within reach will be tested with teeth.
Handling a Harlequin without frightening it
Rabbits are prey animals, and your notes should tell the sitter that most handling is done at floor level. Explain the safe lift if one is needed: one hand under the chest, the other supporting the hindquarters, held securely against the body, and never, under any circumstances, picked up by the ears or scruff alone. A Harlequin that kicks out unsupported can injure its own spine. Suggest sitting in the pen and letting the rabbit approach for strokes instead, and note your rabbit's personal signals, such as a thump meaning alarm or teeth-purring meaning contentment, so the sitter reads the animal rather than guessing.
The gut warning signs that cannot wait
The most important paragraph in the notes is the emergency one. A Harlequin rabbit that has stopped eating, produces few or no droppings over half a day, sits hunched and grinding its teeth, or refuses a favourite green needs a vet the same day, because gut slowdown in rabbits escalates quickly. Add heat to the list: rabbits cope badly with hot rooms, so panting, sprawled lethargy, or hot ears on a warm day means move the rabbit somewhere cooler and call for advice. Give the rabbit-savvy vet's number and your own, with authority to go straight in. Putting the full routine into KinsLe's Care Pass means your sitter can recheck the hay rule, the greens list, and the emergency signs on the spot, mid-visit, whenever anything looks off.