Visits for Birds, Small Mammals, and Exotic Pets in Your Home
We know from training and experience how complicated care requirements can be for small mammals and exotic pets. For example:
- Hamsters are escape artists and can climb through the smallest hole and can even shimmy up curtains and some textured walls.
- Many species need specific temperature ranges, lighting, humidity, etc.
- Some mammals and birds are highly social and need companionship and enrichment activities, while others are strictly hands-off.
- Some reptiles eat fresh fruit and/or vegetables, while others require live food (insects, pinkies, pullets, etc.).
Which means you need a pet sitter who knows what they are doing and won’t get grossed out or take shortcuts.
Dori Tails provides Pet Sitting Visits in your home 7 days a week, and you can choose 25-minute visits or 50-minute visits. Do you need Overnight Care? We can do that too.
We serve the Northeast Chicago neighborhoods of Rogers Park and West Ridge, as well as the City of Evanston (including “Skevanston”) in the following zip codes:
60201, 60202, 60203, 60204, 60208, 60209, 60626, 60645, 60659
We will care for your small mammals, including...
Guinea pigs, mice and rats, hamsters and gerbils, ferrets, hedgehogs, rabbits, sugar gliders, and chinchillas.
We will care for your exotic pets, including...
Birds (chickens, ducks, finches, parakeets, conures, parrots, cockatoos, etc.)
Snakes (pythons, boa constrictors, corn snakes, garter snakes, etc.)
Lizards (iguanas, bearded dragons, leopard geckos, etc.)
Turtles and Tortoises
Amphibians (frogs, axolotls, newts, etc.)
Freshwater Aquariums (fish, eels, crabs, shrimp, etc.)
Outdoor Pond Fish (koi, goldfish)
Arthropods (land hermit crabs, stick insects, tarantulas, etc.)
…and more!
All Visits Include These Services
Pet Care
- Meal Service & Water Bowl Refresh
- Spot-cleaning Enclosure
- Giving Medication
- Love and Play Time (if allowed!)
Communication
- GPS Check-in & Tracking
- Detailed Visit Recap
- Notes and Pictures
- Confirmation Before Each Trip
"What other pet care services do you offer?"
We will talk about your needs at our Free Video Consultation, but here are some common tasks pet parents request:
- Feed fresh vegetables/fruit, and/or live insects, fish, rodents, pullets, etc. (including vitamin/calcium dusting)
- Set up and monitor sand/dust baths
- Monitor temperature and humidity
- Rake out/spot-clean or deep-clean habitat
- Monitor molts and sheds
- Collect eggs
- Time out of enclosure (for some species)
- Basic care for feeder animals (feed, refill water, spot-clean enclosure)
- Care-chart logging
Do You Have A LOT Of Pets?
Some folks collect critters like other people collect designer shoes. If you’ve got essentially a home-based zoo, don’t let our “per additional pet” pricing scare you. Let’s talk about how many pets you have and what their care requirements are in our Free Consultation, and we’ll work something out.
25-minute Visits
- The basics: food, water, and spot-cleaning up to 3 enclosures.
- This service is perfect for 1-3 pets that have basic care requirements.
- Visits can be scheduled between 7am-8:30pm daily.
-
Daily* $25/visit*
* Clients who maintain recurring scheduled service with three (3) or more service days per week are entitled to Daily pricing.
-
Periodic $30/visit
For pet parents who need us occasionally or are going out of town.
Weekends: +$5/visit
After Hours (7-9am and 5-9pm): +$5/visit
Holidays: +$5/visit (see below)
Each additional pet: $5/visit
Do you have more than three pets?
See the 50-minute Visits below.
50-minute Visits
- These visits are for 4 or more pets, or those with more complicated needs.
- Choose this when we will be doing out-of-enclosure time, giving medications, and/or spot-cleaning 4-5 enclosures.
- Visits can be scheduled between 7am-8pm daily.
-
Daily* $40/visit*
* Clients who maintain recurring scheduled service with three (3) or more service days per week are entitled to Daily pricing.
-
Periodic $45/visit
For pet parents who need us occasionally or are going out of town.
Weekends: +$7/visit
After Hours (7-9am and 5-9pm): +$5/visit
Holidays: +$5/visit (see below)
Each additional pet $5/visit
Do you have more than five pets?
See the 60-minute Visits below.
Overnight Care
A Dori Tails pet care professional will spend a total of twelve hours overnight in your home with your pet(s) between 7pm-7am.
- A 25-minute Next-day Visit is included. You can lengthen it to 50 minutes for an additional fee.
Other Services
Subcutaneous Fluid Administration: +$49 per visit
Supply Run: $40 plus cost of supplies
Holiday Schedule
Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day,
Thanksgiving Week (Thursday–Sunday), Christmas/New Year: Dec 20 – Jan 4
Need more information?
Be sure to check out Frequently Asked Questions.
