when the petsitter comes...

[aggiegirl]

We are homebodies. We rarely leave for vacation and when we do, only some of us go (ie kids and I minus hubby.) So, when we all went on vacation together, I had relatives watch all our pets. I left two pages of information regarding the pets alone. Needless to say, there were some issues---although all of my critters did survive.
I just wanted to start a list of information that would be helpful to leave with a petsitter. Or, if any of you have other helpful pet-sitter related info, I would love to hear it.

Name, age, sex, species of each pet--pref on cage too.
Names and numbers of persons to call with questions if you can't be reached. I even left this site as a reference/sounding board.
Veterinary facilities and their numbers. Also price ceilings for various animals (if these apply.) Travel cages for transport.
Instructions for feeding/watering each pet. Leave all measuring/preparation devices handy and designate a specific part of the refrigerator a "pet section."
Handling instructions---including which ones can be handled and where they can be handled.
Instructions for waste removal/disposal/clean up.
Extra bedding materials. Spare food/water bowls so sitter won't need to clean these.
Set timers but explain heat lamp safety if the sitter doesn't know about this.

Gotta go to bed now. Suprise me with your brillant ideas! When my sitters see my next instruction manual, they will probably ask for a raise.

[Fatal_S]

I would have the sitter come in the day before and go through with them the entire shebang. Give them a notepad and pen so they can write down questions, and teach them how to handle each animal. Instructions alone may be useless.

[RocketRocks]

Where in Texas do you live aggiegirl? I live in Houston and there's a place here that takes care of reptiles when you go on vacation. My brother has left his skink there before and Astro was well taken care of. I can give you some more information if you need it in the future.

[Leigh]

The rep shop I use has an on holiday section,it would all depend on how many and what sort of pets you refer to, as to what to inform the sitter of, in my case they'd be looking after 1 skink, 1 beardie and a fish tank,if you'll only be gone a week,you can get away with just a request to change drinking water(they'll live without food easily for that long) my mrs's stupid dad fed the fish one weeks food at the end of the week, needless to say loads were dead when we came back and the tank had to be drained down and the filter sorting. I would have to say that the least for them(the sitter) to do the better.

NOTES TO PET SITTER.

1= Do not handle herps. If you want to GET YOUR OWN....
2= Change water every other day,regardless of amount and quality.
3= Thaw and feed every other day (make portions up and pre-freeze)
4= Clean out any pooh, EVERY TIME you visit (leave kitchen roll and bin)
5= Sterilise hands after sorting out pets (leave hand gel, cleaner than letting them use sink)
6= Double check all tank doors are closed PROPERLY before you leave.
7= Change basking lamp if needed (have a spare sat there)

Any more info than this maybe daunting and confusing, and might put them off. Because they can go for a while without food(blues) maybe just make them do the water change.

[Tattoo]

NOTES TO PET SITTER.

1= Do not handle herps. If you want to GET YOUR OWN....

TOO RIGHT !!!

[aggiegirl]

Ya'll are too funny!
My blueys are accustomed to getting out every day but I agree that I'd rather have them safe in their enclosures. The recent escapes on this board have me a bit paranoid.

I like the idea of changing out the water daily---regardless of its status. I came home and my dog's bowl had mold in it. My cresty always defecates in his and it isn't noticeable b/c his water bowl has a green bottom.

I agree with the "demonstrations of care" and this eliminated several potential oversights. The relatives aren't herp folks so I gave them the instructions then demonstrated how to care for each critter. We also have a bathroom that is dedicated to herps. I mentioned hand washing between critters but forgot to add that to my caresheets. Darned, are we at three pages now?

I do think I would use a real herp sitter if I went anywhere for a long period of time. We have a beardy lady who will come to my house. She charges $20/day and will care for the dog too. That is really cheap considering how many critters I have. We even have an exotic pet store that boards herps. I know blueys are hardy but I worry about them picking something up there. Besides, they are happier in their own large enclosures and I know their temp zones are good.

I like the idea of preportioned frozen portions. I just had the sitter use Wellness catfood. It has some veggies in it. Needless to say, they did not get roaches while I was gone. Also, the roaches did not get fed while I was gone!

Oh, neat trick for those of you with kids and fish or needing a fish petsitter. If you measure out the needed amounts into one of those daily pill keepers, even clueless kids or relatives can care for your fish! My grandmother with Alzheimers no longer overfeeds her Betta now b/c of this method. (Not my idea but I wish I could claim it. I stole it from Family Fun magazine.)

R--My parents live in Houston. I may PM you for more info about the Houston sitter!

I've come to the conclusion that many people keep herps but most only give minimal care. It frustrates me that many people feel that herps warrant a lower standard of care. Of course, most people don't have blueys either!

[Raven_Vivi]

wow, I should think of finding me a petsitter when I leave the country for a month...too bad all my friends are scared spineless of my poor adorable Duke.

The only reptile guy I know that I can think of, I don't trust. ^_^

So I'll prolly end up training my best friend's little sister. She's the only one I think I can trust with my Precious ;D

And by training I mean I'll train her for a week straight before i leave and spend a fortune calling everyday overseas and interrogating her ^_^

Lol, I wonder what I'll do when I have to leave for college...@_@
Prolly threaten my mom that I won't come back unless she feeds Duke once a week >_<

[SailleSkinklover]

I have seen lots of pet sitters advertised on craigslist under the pets section. You can always meet the person at a coffee shop or somewhere public to determine if you trust them enough with your herps. If they pass the showing up/appearance test and after introductions you'd be comfy with them in your home, then you can walk them throuh the herp care.

I know there are scammers on CL, but I personally have had great luck with it because I always meet the people in Starbucks or somewhere very public.
See if your state has a reptile club (like a herp society or something) or if your herp vet can recommend anyone as well, you might get lucky!

[MartinsPerson]

I do quite a bit of pet sitting and I can say this, the more instructions the better! I really like it when owners are anal about how they want me to care for their pet, particularly when its a species that I'm not familiar with. Also, label your tanks with a label maker or something similar. Don't assume that your pet sitter will know what a corn snake is vs. a king snake. Or a bluey vs. a leopard gecko. It seems common sense, but some folks don't think of it.
Leave a master sheet of emergency information, and the location of useful websites (such as this one) where they can go to ask a question if they aren't sure that the animal is healthy. Maybe also leave a phone number of a friend who is familiar with the animals and would be available for questions.
I also like to see a feeding schedule laid out. Instead of writing "feed every other day" Write "Feed Monday, Wednesday, Friday." Don't know why, its just more fool proof. Good luck!

[Reptilestop]

I actually have someone come stay in my home while I'm gone. I trained him for a couple days before we left and I typed up feeding instructions and labeled each cage with the needs of the animal. I label all food (dog, beardy, skink) and premake everything I can. lol I go to lengths for my babies!

[Fatal_S]

I don't even trust my own sisters with my animals, never mind a stranger. Thankfully I have a few reptile-savvy friends who can help me out.

[Leigh]

We have a beardy lady who will come to my house. She charges $20/day

OMG.... I laughed for ages at this I thought it said BEARDED LADY at first I crack myself up sometimes

[Tattoo]

I read it the same way Leigh.

[Raven_Vivi]

ME THREE!~
>_<

i was like, "AWOh?!?" O-o

I didn't realize what you meant until i read leigh's post ^_^

I think I am going to train my friend's sister to look after my skink.

Only worry I have is that she might starve it @_@
She insists that it's fat. >_>
I'll just have to be very very insistent about the feeding schedule and amounts.
Plus cage cleaning ;D
Unless she wants her room to smell like death for a month ^_^

[Lisa]

We have a beardy lady who will come to my house. She charges $20/day

OMG.... I laughed for ages at this I thought it said BEARDED LADY at first I crack myself up sometimes

Yeah, you'd think charging 20 bucks a day she could afford some electrolysis or at least a disposable razor.

Poor Kathy, she wont' be able to look at her bearded .. I mean beardy.. lady in the face again now