Lead with the hocks: the Rex instruction
Put the breed-critical point at the top of the sitter's sheet, in plain language: this Rex stays on soft surfaces. Rex fur gives the hocks far less protection than a typical rabbit's coat, and days spent sitting on thinner bedding or a hard pen floor while you are away is exactly how sore hocks start or worsen. Tell the sitter the bedding depth to maintain, that exercise happens on the usual padded rugs and fleeces and never on bare boards, laminate or concrete, and that the litter tray is the low-entry one provided. Ask for a daily glance at both hocks during the evening check, and define what to report: new pinkness or fur loss means message you; broken skin, swelling or limping means you and the vet the same day.
If your Rex already has a hock history, say so, and note the current state so the sitter judges change against a baseline, not a guess.
Feeding, water and daily care
Give the routine in visit order: hay topped up freely at every visit — a Rex who eats well keeps both gut and weight in the range that protects those hocks — pellets and known greens measured at the usual times, water refreshed and checked, litter spot-cleaned and bedding kept dry, because damp padding against Rex skin invites soreness. List where hay, food, spare fleece and cleaning supplies are stored, and the exact greens your rabbit knows.
Exercise instructions should name the padded area, the usual duration, and the scatter-feeding or forage routine your Rex enjoys, so the sitter reproduces a normal day rather than inventing entertainment on inappropriate floors.
Handling, behaviour and red flags
Explain calm handling: floor-level interaction, full support of the hindquarters for any lift, no chasing a Rex who has retreated to its hide. Describe what is normal for your individual rabbit — appetite, droppings, active times, favourite foods — and list the red flags that mean same-day contact with you and your vet: not eating, few or no droppings, limping or shifting weight, hock wounds, teeth grinding, diarrhoea, or a rabbit sitting hunched and disinterested.
Leave your phone number, your vet's details including out-of-hours cover, and written emergency wishes. A sitter who knows the threshold in advance acts in minutes; one who has to guess waits, and with rabbit gut slowdown and open hock wounds, waiting is the costly option.
Brief the sitter at the pen, not just on paper
Walk the sitter through the setup once before you travel: part the hock fur so they see what healthy looks like on your Rex, show the bedding depth you mean, and watch them top up hay and check water. Then leave the full written routine where it will be seen at every visit.
For the health background behind the hock instructions, KinsLe Pet Passport keeps your Rex rabbit's records, past hock notes and vet details in one packet the sitter can reference throughout the stay.