Daily Feeding and Droppings Entries
The sitter's morning and evening entries should cover hay refreshed and eaten, water checked, the measured pellet portion, and the familiar greens given — written as what actually happened, so a refused feed is recorded as refused rather than silently corrected later. Droppings get their own honest line: approximate amount, size, and any change from the normal you demonstrated before leaving. A Holland Lop whose droppings shrink across two entries while hay interest fades is showing the pattern that should trigger a call, and only a written log makes that progression visible to someone who has known the rabbit for two days. Litter changes are logged too, keeping hygiene — and the evidence of output — easy to audit.
The Lop Ear Check, Logged Gently
Build the ear observation into the log on the days you specify: the sitter notes whether the rabbit shook its head, scratched at one ear, objected to a gentle look, or seemed entirely unbothered, and whether anything looked or smelled different from the normal you described. The sitter is observing, not probing — the log should say plainly that anything like a tilt, persistent scratching, or discharge means a call to you and, if you direct it, the vet, whose numbers sit at the front of the log. Recording normal ear days matters as much as problems, because a run of unremarkable entries either side of one odd evening tells a vet a great deal about whether an episode was passing or progressive.
Comfort, Teeth Signs, and Behaviour Notes
Warm-weather entries deserve their own prompt in the log: room conditions, whether the frozen bottle or cool tile was offered, and how the Lop responded — sprawled and panting is a flag, relaxed grazing is reassurance — since lops tolerate heat poorly. Teeth signals are logged in feeding language: drooling, dropping pellets, choosing soft greens while leaving hay, or taking longer over meals, each dated as first seen. Behaviour completes the picture: hiding beyond the usual nap pattern, hunched sitting with teeth grinding, or a normally friendly lop lunging at a hand are all worth an entry in the moment. Dated small observations, not end-of-stay impressions, are what make a sitter's log medically useful.
Notes on Handling Confidence and Routine Timing
Ask the sitter to log handling honestly as well: whether the Lop came willingly for checks, froze, or retreated, and whether feeds and cleaning happened near the usual times or drifted. A lop whose routine slides by hours can eat less hay simply because the pattern broke, and the log should reveal that rather than leave you suspecting illness. Note any household events in the same entries — visitors, a dog in the house, loud work nearby — because a single off day with a dated explanation is reassurance, while the same day unexplained becomes a worry. Honest timing notes make the whole log trustworthy.
Escalation Rules and the Return Handover
Set the red lines in writing at the front: not eating, no droppings, laboured breathing, a head tilt, or collapse means the vet is called at once and you are messaged in parallel, under the authority you have signed there. Lesser changes — one refused feed, smaller droppings — are logged and messaged the same day so you can judge. When you return, go through the log with the sitter, ask about anything flagged, and file the completed log with the Lop's health record so the stay becomes part of its history. Sharing the routine, ear-check rhythm, contacts, and log through KinsLe with Care Pass hands the sitter temporary access to everything needed, and nothing extra, for the duration of the stay.