What should you leave behind when a friend, family member, pet sitter, or boarding service is caring for your guinea pigs? More than just a bag of hay and a note that says “feed them twice a day.” 🐹💛

Guinea pigs thrive on consistency. When their usual human is away, having a simple, organized care guide can make the experience easier for everyone—including your piggies.

That’s why we recommend creating a Guinea Pig Pet-Sitter Handbook: one small binder or folder containing everything someone needs to know about your guinea pigs, their daily routine, their favorite foods, their personalities, their normal behavior, and what to do if something seems wrong.

Think of it as your guinea pigs’ very own instruction manual.

Disclosure: Tiny Zoomies may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through Amazon affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we believe can be useful for guinea pig families.

Why a Guinea Pig Pet-Sitter Handbook Is Worth Making

When someone else is caring for your guinea pigs, even a very responsible person may not know all of their little quirks.

They may not know that one pig refuses vegetables unless they are cut a certain way. They may not realize that another pig always hides when someone enters the room. They may not know which water bottle tends to drip, which hideout is the favorite, or what your guinea pigs normally sound like.

Those details may seem small to us—but they can be extremely useful to the person looking after them.

A written guide also means your pet sitter doesn’t have to rely on memory or repeatedly text you with questions.

Instead, they can simply open the handbook and check.

What to Put Inside Your Guinea Pig Care Binder

You don’t need anything fancy. A basic three-ring binder with a few dividers can become an incredibly useful guinea pig care station.

🐹 Shop small three-ring binders on Amazon

📁 Shop sheet protectors on Amazon

Here are the sections I recommend.

1. The “Meet My Guinea Pigs” Page

Start with the fun stuff!

Give your pet sitter a quick introduction to each guinea pig.

• Name: Blueberry
• Nickname: Add yours here
• Sex: Add yours here
• Approximate age: Add yours here
• Personality: Explorer, shy, food-motivated, cuddly, bossy, etc.
• Favorite vegetable: Add yours here
• Favorite hideout: Add yours here
• Things that scare them: Add yours here
• Anything unusual about their normal behavior: Add yours here

This is also a wonderful place to add a photograph of each piggy.

After all, if someone is going to care for your guinea pigs, they should know who is who! 🥰

2. The Daily Feeding Instructions

Don’t simply write “give them vegetables.” Be specific.

Write down exactly what your guinea pigs normally receive and approximately when they receive it.

• Morning hay refill
• Morning vegetables
• Pellets, if part of their normal diet
• Afternoon/evening vegetables
• Fresh water checks
• Any normal treats

Your pet sitter should follow your guinea pigs’ established diet rather than experimenting with new foods while you’re away.

For more information about creating variety safely, send them to the Guinea Pig Veggie Rotation Guide.

3. The “Where Everything Lives” Page

This section sounds ridiculously simple—but it can save a surprising amount of time.

Take photographs of where you keep:

• Hay
• Pellets
• Vegetables
• Cleaning supplies
• Extra bedding or fleece
• Water bottles
• Food bowls
• Hideouts
• Carrier
• Emergency supplies

Then label the photographs.

Instead of your pet sitter texting, “Where are the extra towels?” they can simply look at the handbook.

4. The “Normal for My Guinea Pig” Page

This may be the most important page in the entire handbook.

Every guinea pig has individual habits. Your pet sitter needs to understand what is normal for your pigs.

For example:

• “Blueberry hides when someone enters the room but comes out when food appears.”
• “Ginger drinks more immediately after fresh vegetables.”
• “They sometimes nap in their hideout during the afternoon.”
• “They become very vocal around feeding time.”

Knowing these details can help a sitter distinguish an ordinary personality quirk from something that genuinely deserves your attention.

You can also pair this page with Tiny Zoomies’ guide on guinea pig behavior and body language.

5. The “What Would Make Me Call You?” Page

Give your pet sitter clear instructions about when you want to be contacted.

For example:

• “Please text me if they refuse food.”
• “Please call me if you notice a significant change in behavior.”
• “Please contact me immediately if there is an obvious injury.”
• “If you cannot reach me and it appears urgent, contact the veterinarian listed below.”

Do not expect a pet sitter to diagnose a medical problem. Their job is to notice something unusual and alert you or seek veterinary assistance according to your instructions.

Your handbook should include:

• Your phone number
• A backup contact
• Your guinea pig’s veterinarian
• Veterinary clinic phone number
• Emergency veterinary information
• Any relevant authorization or payment instructions

You can also have your sitter review the Guinea Pig Emergency Kit guide before you leave.

Create a Simple Guinea Pig Daily Checklist

One of the easiest ways to make pet sitting less stressful is to create a one-page checklist.

For example:

Task	Morning	Evening
Fresh hay	☐	☐
Fresh vegetables	☐	☐
Fresh water	☐	☐
Spot clean	☐	☐
Quick behavior check	☐	☐

Keep the checklist simple. The goal isn’t to make your pet sitter feel like they’re working a second job.

It’s simply a visual reminder that makes it difficult to accidentally forget something.

Give Your Pet Sitter a “Guinea Pig Cheat Sheet”

If you don’t want to create a full binder, make a one-page cheat sheet instead.

Put the most important information right at the top:

• Feeding times: ______
• Hay location: ______
• Vegetables: ______
• Pellets: ______
• Water: ______
• Cleaning schedule: ______
• Favorite hiding place: ______
• Veterinarian: ______
• Owner phone: ______
• Emergency contact: ______

Laminate it or place it inside a sheet protector so it can be reused.

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Set Up a Dedicated “Piggy Station”

Another trick we love is creating one dedicated area where your pet sitter can find everything they need.

Think of it as a tiny guinea pig supply station.

• Binder or care folder
• Hay scoop
• Extra food bowls
• Cleaning cloths
• Waste bags
• Spare water bottle
• Extra fleece or bedding
• Vegetable storage container
• Emergency information

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The advantage is simple: everything has a home.

That means your sitter doesn’t have to search your entire kitchen or house for guinea pig supplies.

Don’t Forget the Carrier

Your pet sitter may never need the carrier—but they should know where it is.

If something unexpected happens, searching for a carrier at the last minute wastes valuable time.

Show your sitter:

• Where the carrier is stored
• How it opens
• How to secure it
• Where the carrier bedding is kept
• Where the hay and food for a trip are located

If you’re still looking for a carrier, you can browse guinea pig and small-animal carriers on Amazon.

For more detailed travel preparation, see our guide on traveling with guinea pigs.

Do a Practice Run Before You Leave

This is one of the best things you can do—and one of the most overlooked.

Before your actual trip, have your pet sitter perform the guinea pig routine while you’re still home.

Let them:

• Prepare the vegetables
• Refill the hay
• Check the water
• Spot clean
• Open and close the cage
• Locate the carrier
• Find emergency information

Watch quietly.

If they can’t find something, don’t criticize them. Fix the handbook.

If one person can’t figure out where something is, another pet sitter probably won’t either.

Make a “Do Not Do” List

Sometimes telling someone what not to do is just as useful as explaining what to do.

Your list might include:

• Don’t introduce new foods while we’re away.
• Don’t give treats that aren’t listed in the handbook.
• Don’t allow unsupervised interaction with other household pets.
• Don’t move the cage unless necessary.
• Don’t use household cleaners that aren’t approved for the guinea pig area.
• Don’t leave the guinea pigs unattended during floor time.

Personalize this list according to your household and your veterinarian’s recommendations.

Turn Your Handbook Into a Memory Book

Here’s where the Tiny Zoomies approach gets a little more fun. 💛

Your handbook doesn’t have to be purely practical.

Leave a few pages at the back for your pet sitter to record funny moments while you’re away.

For example:

• “Blueberry learned to climb onto the tunnel today.”
• “Ginger gave us the biggest wheek when we opened the refrigerator.”
• “Both piggies had an enormous popcorn session tonight.”

You can even ask your sitter to take one photograph each day.

When you come home, you won’t just have confirmation that your guinea pigs were cared for—you’ll have a little snapshot of what they were up to while you were gone.

For Families: Let Kids Help With the Handbook

If your children love your guinea pigs, creating the handbook can become a fun family project.

Kids can help:

• Draw pictures of each guinea pig
• Choose personality descriptions
• Decorate the cover
• Make a “favorite things” page
• Record funny guinea pig sayings
• Help check off daily tasks—with adult supervision

And if your family loves guinea pig stories, this is also a perfect opportunity to introduce them to our own books inspired by Blueberry and Ginger.

Amazon Essentials for Your Guinea Pig Care Station

You don’t need to buy everything on this list. The idea is simply to make pet sitting easier and more organized.

• Small three-ring binder
• Sheet protectors
• Page tabs
• Clear storage containers
• Laminating pouches
• Small-animal carrier

Tip: Always choose products based on your guinea pigs’ individual needs, and never introduce a new food, bedding, enclosure accessory, or other potentially unfamiliar item immediately before you leave.

Before You Hand Over the House: The Final Guinea Pig Check

The night before you leave, walk through the handbook one last time.

• ☐ Food supplies are stocked
• ☐ Hay supply is stocked
• ☐ Water supplies are ready
• ☐ Cleaning supplies are available
• ☐ Carrier is accessible
• ☐ Veterinarian information is included
• ☐ Emergency contact information is included
• ☐ Daily feeding instructions are written down
• ☐ Each guinea pig has a photograph and personality description
• ☐ Pet sitter has completed a practice run
• ☐ Your phone number is clearly visible

The Goal Isn’t Perfect Pet Sitting—It’s Familiar Pet Sitting

Your guinea pigs don’t need their pet sitter to become a guinea pig expert overnight.

They simply need someone who knows their routine, recognizes their normal behavior, provides their usual food and care, and knows when to contact you.

That’s exactly what a good pet-sitter handbook accomplishes.

It turns all those little things you know instinctively about your guinea pigs into something another person can actually follow.

And when you return home to happy wheeks, zoomies, and tiny noses waiting for dinner?

You’ll know your little family members were in good hands. 🐹💛

More Tiny Zoomies Guinea Pig Guides

If you’re preparing someone else to care for your guinea pigs, these Tiny Zoomies guides make great companion reading:

• How to Travel with Guinea Pigs
• Guinea Pig Emergency Kit
• Piggy Wellness Journal
• Guinea Pig Behavior & Body Language
• The Guinea Pig Happiness Blueprint
• Guinea Pig Personality Types

Follow Tiny Zoomies for More Guinea Pig Tips 🐹

Want to see more guinea pig care tips, adorable moments, and Blueberry & Ginger-inspired content?

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And don’t forget to share this guide with anyone who might be looking after your guinea pigs while you’re away. 💛

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Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Tiny Zoomies may earn from qualifying purchases. This does not increase the price you pay.

Important: This article is intended for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for veterinary advice. If your guinea pig becomes ill or you notice a significant change in eating, drinking, breathing, behavior, or other health-related signs, contact a qualified exotic-animal veterinarian.