Mission District Exotic Pet Sitter
The Mission District is San Francisco at its most vibrant — a dense, historically Latino neighborhood where the murals of Balmy and Clarion alleys spill color onto the walls, the Valencia and Mission Street corridors hum from morning coffee to late-night taquerías, and Dolores Park fills with sunbathers the moment the fog burns off. And burn off it does: the Mission is the sunniest, warmest pocket of the city, which is part of why it draws so many young professionals, artists, and renters into its flats and converted buildings. Those apartments are increasingly home to exotic pets — and given the space constraints of city living, they skew reptile-friendly: a bearded dragon under a UVB lamp, a leopard gecko in a tidy tank, a corn snake who barely needs a square foot. There are plenty of rabbits, guinea pigs, and birds here too. So when a trip comes up, the question that surfaces the night before is always the same: who is going to take care of the exotics? Conventional boarding kennels are built for dogs and cats, and most pet sitters have never checked a reptile enclosure’s humidity or weighed a guinea pig on a gram scale. That is the gap our team fills.
House of Guineas Pet Care is based right here in San Francisco, in the Inner Sunset over the hill, which makes the Mission a quick, same-city trip for us. We come to your pets so they can stay in their own enclosures, on their own routines, in the home they already know — whether you are in a flat off Valencia Street, a converted building near 24th Street, or a walk-up a few blocks from Dolores Park.
Why Mission District Exotic Pet Owners Choose Our Team
The Mission is full of people who care about doing things thoughtfully — and when it comes to an exotic pet, that instinct matters, because the margin for error with a reptile or a rabbit is small. What exotic pet parents here tell us they need is a sitter who brings real clinical rigor, not just good intentions. Here is what sets us apart:
- Veterinary background. Our veterinary-informed team brings backgrounds spanning wildlife rehabilitation to exotic veterinary hospital work. Our founder previously worked as an exotic veterinary assistant and volunteered with the House Rabbit Society, administering subcutaneous RHDV2 vaccines — and every pet caretaker on our team is trained under that same clinical lens.
- Species specialization. Exotic pets and cats are our whole focus — reptiles, rabbits, rodents, and birds. That kind of focus is genuinely hard to find anywhere in the city.
- Clinical-grade care. We can check a reptile enclosure’s temperature gradient and humidity, dial in a bearded dragon’s UVB and basking setup, syringe-feed a GI stasis rabbit, weigh a guinea pig on a gram scale, and recognize the early signs of a crop issue in a parrot. We also know the local exotic vet landscape, so if something seems off while you are in another time zone, we know where to turn — see our San Francisco Bay Area exotic veterinarians directory.
- Flexible scheduling. Early-morning visits before work or a flight, evening visits after a long day, and mid-day medication timing — we build the schedule around your itinerary, not the other way around.
Exotic Species We Care For in the Mission
- Reptiles — bearded dragons, leopard geckos, crested geckos, turtles and tortoises
- Small mammals — rabbits (including bonded pairs and trios), guinea pigs, chinchillas, ferrets, hamsters, rats
- 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. Reptile owners can also start with our reptile pet sitter guide for San Francisco.
How It Works in the Mission
We start with a free meet-and-greet at your home — a real-time walkthrough of feeding routines, enclosure setup, lighting and heat schedules, medication timing, and your pet’s quirks. For Mission pet parents, this usually lands on an evening or a weekend window, and since the neighborhood is so central and well served by the 16th St and 24th St BART stations, getting to you is easy.
Once you book, we schedule visits around your travel itinerary. Reptiles often do well with once- or twice-daily checks — confirming basking temps, misting for humidity, and handling feedings on their own cadence — while rabbits, guinea pigs, and birds usually want twice-daily visits, morning and evening. 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 land.
Mission Areas We Serve
The Mission is compact, flat, and easy to move through, and we cover all of it. That means the flats and storefronts along the Valencia Street corridor, the blocks around Mission Street, the family streets near 24th Street, and the walk-ups and converted buildings ringing Dolores Park. We also reach the pockets near the 16th St and 24th St BART stations and the edges that blend into the Castro, Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, and Potrero Hill borders. Whether you are in a third-floor flat off Valencia or a converted unit near the park, we can reach you.
Pricing for Mission District Visits
- 30-minute visits start at $85
- 60-minute visits start at $115
- Twice-daily care runs $140–$190/day depending on visit length and number of pets
The Mission is within San Francisco, our home city, so there is no Peninsula travel surcharge — pricing here is simple and in-city. Boarding is a separate option, hosted personally by members of our team in their San Francisco homes, and runs $75/night. Text us your address and dates and we will give you a straightforward quote. You can read more about what is included on our in-home exotic pet care page.
Wish the weekly cage overhaul could take care of itself? Many Mission families put us on a standing schedule — routine care visits every week or every other week, timed around busy Valencia-corridor lives, where their caretaker manages the enclosure deep-clean, tracks weights, and gives each little one a gentle once-over, so your time together stays about play, treats, and popcorning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you cover the Mission District for exotic pet care?
Yes. We are based in San Francisco's Inner Sunset, just over the hill, so the Mission is a quick same-city trip for us. In-home exotic care throughout the Mission — from the Valencia Street corridor to the streets around Dolores Park and 24th Street — is a regular part of what we do.
Do you take care of reptiles in the Mission?
Yes, and reptiles are a big part of what we do in the Mission's apartment-heavy homes. We care for bearded dragons, leopard and crested geckos, and turtles and tortoises. We can confirm basking temps and temperature gradients, dial in UVB and heat setups, mist for humidity, and handle feedings on your pet's own schedule.
What kinds of exotic pets do you care for in the Mission?
Exotic pets and cats, full stop. In the Mission's sun-warmed flats we care for reptiles (bearded dragons, leopard and crested geckos, turtles and tortoises), birds (parrots, conures, cockatiels, budgies, lovebirds, finches), and small mammals (rabbits — bonded pairs and trios welcome — plus guinea pigs, chinchillas, ferrets, hamsters and rats). If a guinea pig just joined the household, our guinea pig care guide will get you oriented.
What happens if my pet needs meds while I'm on the road?
Nothing changes about your booking — medication care is built into every visit. Our caretakers handle oral syringe meds, topical treatments, and subcutaneous injections as standard scope, plus nebulizer treatments when prescribed. The clinical roots run deep: our founder previously volunteered with the House Rabbit Society, administering subcutaneous RHDV2 vaccines. If your pet is mid-protocol, walk their caretaker through it at the meet-and-greet and every dose will land on time in your Mission flat.
How much does a Mission District exotic pet sitter cost?
Here is the Mission math: $85 for a 30-minute visit, $115 for a 60-minute visit, and $140–$190 per day for twice-daily care, with the range depending on visit length and number of pets. Boarding with a member of our team in their San Francisco home runs $75 per night. And because the Mission is in-city for us, there is no Peninsula travel surcharge — the rate holds whether you are in a flat off Valencia or up by Dolores Park. Text 415-484-6493 with 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, our boarding option, hosted personally by members of our team in their San Francisco homes, or browse the full FAQ page. Reptile owner? Start with our reptile pet sitter guide for San Francisco. Want to see the whole city we cover? Start with our San Francisco exotic pet sitter hub. Still getting set up with a vet? Our San Francisco Bay Area exotic veterinarians directory is a good place to start.