It would be best if he could be there when you do the cage cleanings. Be sure to leave enough food, bedding, meds, and anything else for him, and show him where everything is. Write down a schedule for him to know when to do things, and make sure he realizes that the dog and pigs can't be together, and the rats and birds can't be together, and so on so he is aware of that kind of stuff.
Leave all kinds of emergency contacts for yourself, and the vets info for them.
Definately leave notes on what to do, but don't get too picky. Just because you do all kinds of little extra things like vacuum poo 3 times a day, doesn't mean he has to. If you give him too much to do or remember, he will get overwhelmed. Just focus on basic care. Don't leave a novel for him to read, just an outline that he can refer back to. Maybe even leave the notes for each animal next to that cage.
Try to make things as easy as possible for him and give him a schedule to roughly follow and space things out. Maybe GP cage Tuesday, rat cage Wednesday, so it doesn't take forever to do.
Leave the GP food next to the GP's, and the rat food next to the rats, instead of everything in a cupboard away from the animals so it is right there for him and he doesn't have to keep going back and forth.
Besure he has trash bags and all that he will need and doesn't have to go hunting for stuff (I hate that).
My worst problem is that I am light switched challenged. I have the hardest time finding light switches in new houses in the dark (It is probably just me) but if he doesn't know where they are, you could show him.
You might want to pay him some up front. Not all. Maybe $50 bucks. Sometimes that shows you trust him, and will make him want to do a good job since he has already been paid some for it. Thats how I feel sometimes.
How much should I pay the sitter?
I agree - I do try to make it as painless as possible for the sitter as far as leaving notes. I usually clean the cage twice a week, but I'm only asking him to do it once. - the animals will be fine. Also all veggies will be prebagged so all he has to do is take them out of the fridge. All fish food will be premeasured and placed in pill boxes so all he has to do is dump it in. He's done all of it before except clean the cages. I will show that to him the night before we leave since that is when I will be cleaning them.
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