Rabbit Sitting
Expert in-home rabbit care in Chicago
Rabbits look like easy starter pets, but they are anything but. They are sensitive, social, surprisingly fragile animals whose health can turn on something as small as a skipped meal.
Best known across Chicago's North Side for our professional dog walking and cat sitting, we built our rabbit service for pet parents who want sitters who truly understand bunnies, not a quick food-and-water drop that misses the signs that matter. In-home visits keep your rabbit in its own space, on its own routine, with the calm company, fresh hay, and close attention these clever animals depend on.
And you are never handed off to a stranger each visit. We pair every rabbit with the same trusted sitters, a primary caregiver plus a fully briefed backup, so the person caring for your rabbit always knows its diet, its quirks, and its routine, and you always know who is walking through your door.
The rabbits we look after
Free-roam or penned, solo or bonded, young or senior, every rabbit has its own routine and personality. We tailor each visit to yours.
Free-roam house rabbits
Litter-trained bunnies with the run of a room or the whole home, kept on routine in a space we help keep bunny-safe.
Bonded pairs and groups
Rabbits that have chosen each other and live as a unit. We care for them together so neither one feels alone.
Seniors and special needs
Older rabbits and those managing dental issues, arthritis, or medication, with care given right on schedule.
Young rabbits
Growing bunnies with big appetites and even bigger energy, kept on a steady diet and handled gently and often.
Long-haired breeds
Angoras, Lionheads, and other woolly rabbits that need extra grooming to avoid mats and dangerous fur blockages.
Multi-pet households
Rabbits plus other pets under one roof. We keep each animal's routine, feeding, and safe separation straight.
What every rabbit visit includes
- Unlimited hay, greens, and measured pellets: topping up grass hay, the foundation of a rabbit's diet and dental health, serving fresh leafy greens, and measuring pellets, all on your routine.
- Fresh water: refilling and checking that bottles or bowls are clean and actually flowing.
- Litter box and habitat cleaning: scooping the litter box and tidying the living space, since rabbits are clean animals that dislike a messy home.
- Gentle company and safe exercise: calm, low-stress interaction and supervised run-around time in a bunny-proofed space, because rabbits are social and need to move.
- Appetite and health watch: making sure your rabbit is eating and producing droppings, because a rabbit that stops doing either needs help fast.
- Home check on request: bringing in mail, alternating lights, and watering plants while we are there.
Trained for the things that matter to rabbits
Rabbits are prey animals that hide illness until it is serious, and they can go downhill fast. Our sitters are trained on the details that actually keep a rabbit safe.
- Keeping unlimited grass hay available, the foundation of both digestion and dental health
- Treating a rabbit that stops eating or passing droppings as the emergency it is, GI stasis
- Handling rabbits gently and supporting the spine, since a struggling rabbit can injure its back
- Keeping them cool, since rabbits tolerate cold far better than heat
- Watching for head tilt, overgrown teeth, snuffles, and sore hocks
- Checking the rear in warm weather for flystrike, a fast and dangerous problem
- Respecting that rabbits are social prey animals that need calm, patient company
- Knowing where the nearest Chicago rabbit-savvy or exotics vet is, before it is ever needed
This is the operational reliability that builds real trust with rabbit parents, and it is exactly the kind of demonstrated experience and expertise that sets a serious pet care provider apart.
So much more than a starter pet
I started Sparky Steps because I believe every animal deserves attentive, informed care, no matter how small or how quiet.
Rabbits are among the most misunderstood pets there are. People picture a simple animal in a hutch and miss how social, intelligent, and delicate they really are. A rabbit depends on us for unlimited hay, a cool and calm space, gentle handling, and a careful eye on whether it is still eating. Miss the early signs and a small problem can turn serious within a day.
That is why we treat rabbit care as the specialized work it is, and why our team keeps learning. I would rather earn your trust through attentive, careful habits than treat a clever, sensitive animal as low-maintenance.
Michael Jaurigue, founder, Sparky Steps 🐾
Chicago is rabbit country
We care for rabbits because we love them, and Chicago has a genuinely strong community behind these gentle animals. A little of what makes the local bunny story special.
A national rabbit rescue, right here
Right on Chicago's North Side, Red Door Animal Shelter built one of the country's most respected rabbit rescue programs. It is one of the few no-kill shelters anywhere that takes in, spays and neuters, and rehomes rabbits, and it even runs bunny speed dating, since rabbits choose their own life partners.
Bonded for life
Rabbits are deeply social and often bond closely with a companion, grooming each other and napping in a pile. That is why a lonely rabbit struggles, and why we always care for bonded pairs together rather than splitting them up.
The binky
When a rabbit is truly happy it will leap into the air and twist, a joyful move keepers call a binky. It is the surest sign your rabbit feels safe and content, and it is exactly what calm, low-stress care is for.
