Hillsborough Exotic Pet Sitter
Hillsborough is unlike anywhere else on the Peninsula. The estate-scale homes, the privacy expectations, the specific standards for who comes through the gate — these aren’t preferences, they’re how the town operates. Exotic pet owners here have often built impressive setups for their animals (purpose-built reptile rooms, free-roam rabbit areas, custom aviaries) and need a sitter who can read those setups quickly and care for the animals at the level the rest of the household expects. House of Guineas exists for clients exactly like this.
Our team is based in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset, and we travel to Hillsborough via 280 several days a week. Our founder, Alexandria, is an exotic veterinary assistant trained at Bay Area Bird and Exotics Hospital, and a House Rabbit Society volunteer administering RHDV2 vaccinations. Every specialist on our team holds to that clinical standard.
Why Hillsborough Exotic Pet Owners Choose Our Team
Hillsborough households often have larger and more complex setups than the rest of the Peninsula — climate-controlled reptile rooms, aviaries with multiple species, free-roam bunny suites, room-scale enclosures. They also tend to travel for longer stretches and expect a sitter who can handle the property as well as the animals. We bring:
- Vet-trained discretion. Our founder’s clinical background and our specialists’ training mean we approach exotic care with proper protocols, not improvisation. We respect the household and the animals equally.
- Species specialization. We don’t sit dogs and cats as our primary service. Exotics are the focus — rabbits, rodents, reptiles, and birds. Hillsborough households often have unusual species combinations, and our team is comfortable with them.
- Long-trip protocols. Hillsborough clients often travel for two-plus weeks at a time. We’re set up for it: hay restocks mid-trip, weight monitoring, consistent updates, and adjustment of visit cadence as needed.
- Property-aware service. We respect the household — quiet entry and exit, secure gate handling, no unnecessary disruption, no chatter on social media about clients. What happens at your home stays there.
- Clinical-grade care. Syringe-feeding a GI stasis rabbit, weighing a guinea pig on a gram scale, maintaining reptile humidity within a 5% range, recognizing crop issues in a parrot — everyday skills, not stretches.
Exotic Species We Care For in Hillsborough
- Small mammals — rabbits (including bonded pairs, trios, and free-roam setups), guinea pigs, chinchillas, ferrets, hamsters, rats, degus, hedgehogs
- Reptiles — bearded dragons, leopard geckos, crested geckos, ball pythons and other non-venomous snakes, turtles and tortoises (including larger species)
- Birds — cockatiels, parakeets, conures, parrotlets, lovebirds, finches, and most companion parrots up through medium-sized species
If your species isn’t listed, call or text us — if we haven’t handled it, we’ll tell you honestly.
How It Works in Hillsborough
We start with a free in-person meet-and-greet — a real-time walkthrough of the property, the enclosures, the routines, and the animals. For Hillsborough clients, we typically schedule this for a quiet weekday or weekend window that respects household privacy.
Once you book, we schedule visits around your itinerary. Most exotic pets do well with twice-daily visits — morning and evening — but we adjust for households where animals are housed across multiple rooms or buildings. We send photo and video updates from every visit, plus written notes on appetite, output, behavior, and any concerns. If something seems off, we reach out before you’re aware of the issue from anywhere else.
Hillsborough Areas We Serve
- West Hillsborough
- El Cerrito (Hillsborough)
- Hillsborough Park
- Tobin Clark
- Skyfarm
- Carolands
- Black Mountain
- Crystal Springs
We cover the full town of Hillsborough — the estates near the Crystal Springs Reservoir, the homes along Ralston Avenue, the properties off El Camino, and the quiet residential pockets near the country club.
Pricing for Hillsborough Visits
- 30-minute visits start at $85
- 60-minute visits start at $115
- Routine twice-daily care runs $140–$190/day depending on visit length and number of pets
- Boarding at our San Francisco home is also available at $75/night if your travel makes in-home logistics impractical
Hillsborough is in our Peninsula service tier, which means a travel surcharge applies. The exact surcharge depends on our specialists’ availability and your specific location within Hillsborough. For longer trips and complex setups, we typically quote a custom rate. Text us your address and dates for a firm quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you handle large or complex exotic setups?
Yes. Climate-controlled reptile rooms, multi-cage aviaries, free-roam rabbit suites, and room-scale enclosures are standard for our Hillsborough clientele. We walk through the full setup at the meet-and-greet so we can match your routines exactly — humidity controls, lighting cycles, feeding protocols, and any species-specific considerations.
How do you handle privacy and discretion?
We respect your household. Quiet entry and exit, secure gate handling, no posting about clients on social media, no unnecessary discussion of your travel schedule. What happens at your home stays there. Our team operates with the same discretion you'd expect from any household professional.
Can you handle multi-week trips?
Yes. Long trips are common with our Hillsborough clientele, and we're set up for them: hay and feed restocks mid-trip, weight monitoring for animals predisposed to issues, consistent updates that distinguish "everything is normal" from "let's check in," and adjustments to visit cadence based on species and individual needs.
What if my exotic pet needs medication or vet attention while I'm away?
Medication administration — oral, topical, subcutaneous — is part of our standard scope. If something escalates beyond medication, we know the local exotic vet landscape and can transport with prior authorization. Our Peninsula exotic vet directory lists Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Altos and All Pets Hospital in San Mateo as the closest specialty options.
Ready to discuss in-home exotic pet care for your Hillsborough home? Call or text us at 415-484-6493 and we’ll set up a meet-and-greet at your convenience. You can also read about our in-home exotic pet care service, our boarding option, or browse our Peninsula exotic veterinarian directory.