We have a two story house with a basement. There is plenty of room to explore, or hide if they need some time to adjust. The floors are carpet upstairs, vinyl downstairs. It can be loud at times (with the TV and baby talk), but it usually doesn’t last too long. We can always keep it down. Outside my house: We have a spacious backyard where it is fenced on both ends, however the backside is just chicken wire. It is sturdy. We do plan on completing a fence, however this will not be done until mid-summer. We do have multiple cable leashes (50 feet I believe) that wrap around the tree(s) to make sure no one runs away. Our ducks will be locked in the coop (yes, I let typically let them roam during the day, but I have no problem keeping them away when we have company), so I wont worry to much about that. We go for frequent walks with our little one, so we will have no problem getting some energy out. In regards to visiting a house to care for an animal, I would make sure to re-read any instructions given before entering the property. Like mentioned above, I am a tidy person so I will be aware if I am disturbing anything or making a "mess", so hopefully it'll seem like I was never even there! One of my mottos is "leave it cleaner than you found it". So while I most definitely will not start cleaning your house like I do mine, it will not be more messy!