A Holland Lop is an easy rabbit to fall for and a slightly trickier one to sit than a sitter might expect, because the breed's folded ears and sensitive digestion both need deliberate attention. A clear written sheet turns a well-meaning friend into a competent stand-in: organise it by daily jobs, weekly jobs, and emergencies, and your lop's routine survives your holiday intact.
The daily feeding sheet, lop-sized
Hay comes first, unlimited and refreshed twice a day, with the note that hay is the main food rather than bedding decoration — a Holland Lop should spend much of the day eating it. Then the measured pellets, stated in the scoop or cup the sitter will actually hold, and the greens rotation with the day's portion named, since this compact breed gains weight readily on enthusiastic feeding. Water instructions should cover both bottle and bowl if you provide them, with a daily check that the bottle is flowing. Add the treat rule in plain terms: one small piece for training or greeting is plenty, and sweet novelty treats from a pet-shop run are not authorised, however pleading the audience.
Ear checks and handling a folded-ear rabbit
Those lopped ears fold over the ear canal, limiting airflow, so build a gentle ear look into the stay: every couple of days, lift each ear flap in good light and look for redness, crusty patches, or an unusual smell, and note head shaking or scratching at the ears. The sitter is observing and reporting, not probing or cleaning deep inside — write that boundary down too. Handling instructions follow from the breed's small, solid build: scoop with one hand under the chest and the other supporting the hindquarters, hold close and low, and never lift by the ears. Floor-level interaction is the default, with the pen arrangement and chew toys described so boredom chewing does not redirect to skirting boards.
Comfort, company, and reading the rabbit
Describe your individual lop's normal day: active spells morning and evening, the midday flop, favourite corner, and how he or she usually greets a familiar person. That picture lets a sitter notice the abnormal version — a rabbit hunched in a corner at treat time — and take it seriously. Cover spot-cleaning, the litter routine, and keeping the pen's layout unchanged, because rabbits navigate partly by learned geography and a rearranged pen is a stressor nobody needs mid-holiday. If your lop is bonded to another rabbit, say so and include both animals' notes; if he lives as a single house rabbit with human company, name the social time the sitter should provide.
The not-eating rule and final details
Print the emergency rule without softening it: a Holland Lop who refuses food, produces no droppings across half a day, or sits grinding teeth needs veterinary help the same day — rabbit digestion does not pause safely. Leave the vet's number, your number, and care permission together. Given through KinsLe's Care Pass, the ear routine, feeding measures, and that hard not-eating rule reach your Holland Lop's sitter as temporary clear access, easy to re-check on the spot.