Pack for your rabbit's or guinea pig's boarding stay around one priority: their digestion must not pause. That means generous quantities of the hay they actually eat, their measured pellets, familiar bedding and a hide, a water setup they recognise, and written instructions a stranger could follow at six in the morning. Boarding goes wrong for these animals when food changes abruptly or runs out, so overpack the essentials and label everything.
Food: send more than the stay needs
Send hay in quantity — a rabbit or guinea pig eats roughly its own body size in hay daily, and a delayed return should never become a hay shortage, so add at least two extra days' worth. Bag pellets in daily portions so the boarder cannot overfeed, which matters particularly for guinea pigs who will choose pellets over hay if allowed. Write down the greens routine precisely: which leaves, roughly how much, and at what time of day, and note any foods your pet must not have. Guinea pigs also need their dependable vitamin C source continued exactly as at home, so name it in the notes and send enough for the whole stay plus the buffer days.
Bedding, shelter, and the comfort items
Include bedding or fleece from home that carries the pet's scent, a sturdy hide they already sleep in, and a familiar chew item to keep teeth and boredom in check. Rabbits may also need a litter setup described clearly — which tray, which litter material, where it sits — because a rabbit whose toilet arrangements change completely may stop using any tray and soil its sleeping area. Send a spare fleece in case the first is soiled, and keep everything replaceable: boarding laundry is vigorous and small items occasionally go astray.
Water, health notes, and emergency details
Send the bottle or bowl style your pet already drinks from, and say so in the notes — some guinea pigs will not investigate an unfamiliar bottle quickly enough. Write down your veterinarian's name and number, the signs your individual pet shows when unwell, and what normal looks like for them: typical droppings, appetite, activity at dusk. Mention known quirks honestly, such as a rabbit who dislikes being picked up or a guinea pig with long hair needing a quick daily brush to prevent matting. If your pet has had recent treatment or is being monitored for anything, that history belongs in writing, not in a hurried doorstep conversation.
Instructions a stranger can follow at dawn
Lay the written routine out in the order of the day: morning hay top-up and water check, pellet portion, evening greens, litter or bedding spot-clean, and the handling your pet accepts. Note where they like to be stroked, how they are lifted — supporting chest and hindquarters — and any handling to avoid. Add your contact details, a backup person who can collect early, and permission arrangements for veterinary care if you will be hard to reach. The clearer this sheet is, the less the boarder has to improvise, and improvisation is where feeding mistakes happen.
Do a final check before you hand them over
Run through the bag against your list the night before: hay, portioned pellets, greens notes, bedding plus spare, hide, chew, water bottle, vet and contact sheet, and the routine in day order. Confirm drop-off and collection times with the boarder and ask how they will report eating and droppings during the stay. When the paperwork travels as carefully as the hay, KinsLe's Care Pass supports the same idea digitally, giving your boarder temporary, clear access to your rabbit's or guinea pig's care routine and key details for exactly the length of the stay.