Start with the wool: the sitter's defining task
A Lionhead sitter can follow a feeding chart for any rabbit; what they cannot improvise is wool care. Write the grooming routine explicitly: a gentle daily comb-through of the mane and the skirt, working in small sections with fingers first, easing tangles rather than pulling them, and stopping if the rabbit is stressed, with the rest finished at the next visit. State the prohibitions as clearly as the tasks — never cut a mat that sits tight against skin, never pull a tangle out, and leave anything matted for you or a groomer unless it is trapping soiling.
The hygiene check is non-negotiable and daily: look at the rear and underside, confirm they are clean and dry, and gently remove hay or bedding caught in the wool. Trapped droppings in a Lionhead skirt are a flystrike risk in warm weather, so tell the sitter this check happens every visit, without exception, and that a soiled rear they cannot clean gently means calling you the same day.
Feeding, water and the daily basics
Give the standard rabbit essentials in Lionhead-specific amounts: hay freely available and topped up at every visit, the usual pellets and known greens at set times, fresh water checked and refilled, litter tray spot-cleaned and droppings observed. Name the greens your rabbit knows, note favourites that tempt a shy eater, and show where hay, food and bedding are stored, with spare supplies identified.
Exercise guidance should note the coat too: time out of the pen on clean, dry flooring, because wet or dirty floors drag through a skirt and undo the grooming, and a cool area in warm weather, since a woolly rabbit overheats faster than a short-coated one.
Handling, behaviour and red flags
Explain calm, low handling: sit at floor level, let the Lionhead approach, support the body fully for any lift, and keep grooming sessions short and rewarding. Describe your rabbit's normal pattern — active times, appetite, droppings, favourite resting spot — so the sitter can judge change. Red flags to report to you and your vet the same day: not eating or no droppings, diarrhoea, skin redness or sores found under wool, fly eggs or maggots anywhere on the coat, laboured breathing, or a rabbit hunched and grinding teeth.
Leave your contact details, your vet's details with out-of-hours information, and clear emergency wishes covering treatment authorisation if you are unreachable.
Walk the sitter through the grooming once
Do not leave wool care as theory. Before you travel, groom your Lionhead with the sitter watching and helping, so they feel how much pressure is gentle, see where mats form on your individual rabbit, and practise the rear check. That single rehearsal prevents the two common sitter errors: skipping grooming because it looks complicated, and attacking tangles too roughly.
Then hand the whole routine over in writing for the trip, which KinsLe Care Pass does by giving your sitter temporary clear access to your Lionhead's care details and daily tasks.