San Carlos Exotic Pet Sitter
San Carlos earned its nickname — “The City of Good Living” — for a reason, and the people who settle here tend to be exactly the kind of pet owners who do not want to leave their animals with just anyone. Tucked between Belmont and Redwood City in San Mateo County, San Carlos is a residential, professional community strung along the Caltrain, 101, and 280 corridors. Its residents travel — for work conferences, for client meetings, for the long weekends that make living on the Peninsula worth it — and the night before they leave, the same question surfaces: who is going to take care of the rabbits? Exotic pets do not board well, and most kennels are not equipped to handle a bonded pair of bunnies, a bearded dragon with a precise UVB schedule, or a conure who refuses to eat unless someone talks back. That is the gap our team fills.
House of Guineas Pet Care is based in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset, and our team of exotic pet specialists travels down the Peninsula to provide in-home care for San Carlos households. From the neighborhoods up in the hills to the homes near downtown, we are comfortable working around the rhythms of a city that runs on Caltrain timetables and after-work walks along Laurel Street.
Why San Carlos Exotic Pet Owners Choose Our Team
San Carlos is full of people who pay attention to detail — engineers, clinicians, designers, founders — and what exotic pet owners tell us they need is a sitter who approaches exotic care with the same rigor they bring to their own work. Here is what sets us apart:
- Veterinary background. Our founder, Alexandria, is an exotic veterinary assistant who volunteers with the House Rabbit Society, administering subcutaneous RHDV2 vaccines. Every specialist on our team is trained under that same clinical lens.
- Species specialization. We do not sit dogs and cats. This is all we do — rabbits, rodents, reptiles, and birds. That focus is hard to find on the Peninsula.
- Clinical-grade care. We can syringe-feed a GI stasis rabbit, weigh a guinea pig on a gram scale, check a reptile’s enclosure humidity, and recognize the early signs of a crop issue in a parrot. We also keep a current sense of the local exotic vet landscape, so if something goes sideways while you are out of town, we know where to go — see our San Mateo Peninsula exotic veterinarians directory.
- Flexible scheduling. Early-morning visits before a flight out of SFO, late-night visits after a redeye, and mid-day medication timing — we build the schedule around your itinerary, not the other way around.
Exotic Species We Care For in San Carlos
- Small mammals — rabbits (including bonded pairs and trios), guinea pigs, chinchillas, ferrets, hamsters, rats
- Reptiles — bearded dragons, leopard geckos, crested geckos, ball pythons and other non-venomous snakes, turtles and tortoises
- Birds — parrots, cockatiels, conures, budgies, lovebirds, finches
If your species is not listed, call or text us — if we have not handled it, we will tell you honestly and usually point you to someone who has.
How It Works in San Carlos
We start with a free meet-and-greet at your home — a real-time walkthrough of feeding routines, enclosure setup, medication schedules, and your pet’s quirks. For San Carlos pet owners, this usually happens on a weekend or an after-work window that fits the commute home off the 101 or a Caltrain ride up Laurel Street.
Once you book, we schedule visits around your travel itinerary. Most exotic pets do well with twice-daily visits — morning and evening — so you can get a fresh salad into the rabbits before you leave for work and a proper lights-out check on the reptile enclosure after dinner. We send photo and video updates from every visit, plus written notes on appetite, output, and behavior. If something seems off, we reach out before you are back.
San Carlos Areas We Serve
San Carlos is a compact city, so wherever you are, we can get to you. We cover homes up in the hills west of El Camino Real, the flatter residential blocks closer to the Caltrain station, and the area around downtown Laurel Street. We also serve households near the San Carlos Airport and the Hiller Aviation Museum, and we are happy to work the corridor toward both the Belmont and Redwood City borders.
Because San Carlos sits right between two of our most-requested Peninsula cities, our specialists are often already routed through the area, which can make scheduling easier than you would expect.
Pricing for San Carlos 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
San Carlos falls within our Peninsula service tier, which means a travel surcharge applies. The exact surcharge varies depending on our specialists’ availability and your specific location within San Carlos — a home tucked up in the hills is different from a place a few blocks off the Caltrain station. Text us your address and dates and we will quote you honestly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you really travel to San Carlos for exotic pet care?
Yes. Our team travels from San Francisco to San Carlos via the 101 and 280 corridors. Because San Carlos sits right between Belmont and Redwood City, our specialists are frequently routed through the area for Peninsula visits.
What kinds of exotic pets do you care for in San Carlos?
We care exclusively for exotic species — no dogs or cats. That includes small mammals like rabbits (including bonded pairs), guinea pigs, chinchillas, ferrets, hamsters, and rats; reptiles like bearded dragons, leopard and crested geckos, ball pythons and other non-venomous snakes, and turtles and tortoises; and birds like parrots, cockatiels, conures, budgies, lovebirds, and finches. If your species is not on that list, text us and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
What if my exotic pet needs medication while I'm traveling?
Medication administration is part of our standard service. Our specialists are trained in oral syringe feeding, subcutaneous fluids (with vet direction), topical applications, and nebulizer treatments. Our founder's clinical background — including subcutaneous RHDV2 vaccine administration at the House Rabbit Society — sets the bar. If your pet is on a complex protocol, share it during the meet-and-greet and we will match the schedule exactly. New to small-pet care? Our guinea pig care guide is a good primer.
Can I board my exotic pet with you instead of in-home sitting?
Yes. Boarding is hosted separately at our founder's San Francisco home — it is not a Peninsula drop-off — but San Carlos clients are welcome to make the drive up. Boarding runs $75 per night, your pet gets their own room with soothing music, and we ask that you bring their usual enclosure and supplies. Details are on the boarding page.
How much does a San Carlos exotic pet sitter cost?
Our 30-minute visits start at $85 and 60-minute visits at $115, with routine twice-daily care ranging from $140–$190 per day depending on visit length and the number of pets. San Carlos sits in our Peninsula tier, so a travel surcharge applies — the exact amount varies depending on our specialists' availability and your specific location within San Carlos. Text us your address and dates for a firm quote.
Ready to lock in coverage for your next trip? Call or text us at 415-484-6493 and we will get a meet-and-greet on the calendar. You can also read more about our in-home exotic pet care service, browse the full FAQ page, or look through our San Mateo Peninsula exotic veterinarians directory if you are still getting set up with a local vet. New guinea pig parents in San Carlos — our guinea pig care guide is a good starting point.