Start With the Food She Already Eats
For a Holland Lop's week away, pack continuity above everything. Send enough of her usual hay for seven days plus a spare handful for the carrier, her pellets pre-measured or clearly marked with the daily amount for a small lop, and the leafy greens she normally rotates through, bought in two fresh batches so the second half of the week is not limp leftovers. A Holland Lop is a compact breed with a flatter face than most rabbits, and her teeth and digestion both do better on the exact diet her gut bacteria are used to. Resist packing a novelty treat bag for the sitter to spoil her with; an unfamiliar rich food midweek is a common route to loose droppings in a rabbit this size.
Her Home Comforts: Hide, Litter and Something That Smells of You
Pack her own litter tray with a week's supply of her usual litter, because a new litter texture underfoot can make a tidy rabbit refuse the tray and soil her bedding instead. Her hide house, a fleece she sleeps on, and one or two favourite chews carry home scent into the sitter's room and give her somewhere to retreat while she maps the new sounds. Include the carrier she knows, lined with hay, for the journey and in case a vet trip is needed, plus a spare fleece in case the first gets wet. A small rabbit hides stress quietly, so familiar objects do real work in keeping her eating.
Ear and Breathing Notes Unique to a Lop
Holland Lops carry their ears down against the head, which traps warmth and moisture and makes ear checks part of the packing list conversation. Ask the sitter to lift each ear flap every couple of days and look for redness, crusting or a sour smell, and to note any new head tilt or repeated ear scratching for the vet. Her flatter face also means breathing deserves a line on the sheet: mild snuffling at rest in a warm room, open-mouth breathing, or a wet nose that was not there before are all reasons to phone the vet rather than wait. Pack a note of what her normal breathing and ears look like, because the sitter has no baseline to compare against.
The Care Sheet and Vet Details
Write her feeding times, pellet measure, greens list, litter routine, and handling guidance: scoop her up with hindquarters supported, keep her low, and let her come out of the hide in her own time rather than pulling her out. Add your vet's number, the emergency alternative, your own contact details, and written permission for urgent care, with the Holland Lop specific red flags highlighted: not eating across half a day, tiny or absent droppings, teeth grinding while hunched, or discharge from the eyes, which her facial shape makes her prone to.
Settling Logistics for the Sitter
Ask the sitter to set her pen in a quiet, dog-free corner before she arrives, put the litter tray in the corner she chooses on day one and leave it there, and keep handling brief for the first day while she settles. A midweek photo of her eating hay tells you more than any reassurance text. If another rabbit lives in that house, her pen should be in a separate room, with hands washed between animals.
One Brief Your Sitter Can Re-Open All Week
The ear checks, breathing baseline, pellet measure and litter routine are easy to forget by day four, so they belong together in a single handover rather than scattered across messages. KinsLe's Care Pass gives your Holland Lop's sitter temporary, clear access to her routine and key details for the whole week.