A cockatiel cannot explain a changed routine to a stranger, so your handoff has to speak for the bird: what goes in the bowl and when, how the night cover works, exactly where flight time is allowed, and who gets called when something looks wrong. Write it as one sheet the sitter can follow at seven in the morning without ringing you, walk them through it at the cage before you leave, and ask for a daily photo or message so a quiet bird or an untouched food bowl surfaces on day one, not day five.
Food and Water, Written Exactly
Name the base food and the measure you actually use — the scoop, cup or spoon that lives with the tub — and where spare food is stored, because 'some seed' invites guesswork and a sudden diet change on top of a strange house. State what fresh food goes in each morning, how it is prepared, and that yesterday's fresh portion comes out and is binned rather than topped up. Water gets the same precision: fresh water daily in the named bowl, washed rather than just rinsed. List treats separately with their limit — a millet spray is a treat, not a meal — and name anything forbidden outright, including avocado and chocolate, so kindness does not turn into a hazard.
Sleep Cover and Night Frights
Write the exact cover time and uncover time you keep, and describe the cover itself — which cloth, how far it drapes, whether one side stays open — because a cockatiel settled by routine sleeps when the cover lands, not when the house goes quiet. Say where the cage sits overnight and that it is not to be moved to a busier or quieter room for the stay. Add the night-fright note in plain terms: a startled cockatiel can thrash around the cage in the dark and injure a wing, so leave the small night light you use, and if the sitter hears thrashing they should switch on a soft light, speak calmly, and wait for the bird to settle before checking for blood or a drooping wing — and ring you and the vet if either appears.
Out-of-Cage Rules and Handling
Flight time happens only in the room you name, with the door shut, windows closed, ceiling fan off and other pets out — write those as a checklist to complete before the cage door opens, not as background advice. Note how long out-of-cage time usually lasts, how the bird signals wanting back in, and the hazards already removed from that room, from open water and hot drinks to houseplants the bird chews. On handling, be honest about your own bird: whether the bird steps up readily onto a finger, which words or whistle tunes get an answer, and what the sitter should never do — no grabbing from above, no chasing a flying bird around the room, and no fingers poked at a bird who guards the cage. A sitter who knows a favourite tune often gets further than one with a handful of millet.
Vet Contacts and the Daily Checklist
Finish the sheet with contacts that work at midnight: your avian vet's name, address and phone number, the out-of-hours or emergency clinic you would use, your own number, and a sentence giving the sitter explicit permission to seek emergency care and be reimbursed, so nobody hesitates over cost while a bird is bleeding or sitting fluffed and silent at the bottom of the cage. Underneath, give the sitter a daily checklist to tick: fresh food measured and old food out, water washed and refilled, droppings glanced at — a sudden change in droppings, appetite, vocalisation or posture is worth a message to you the same day — cover on at the set time, out-of-cage rules checked before any flight, and a photo sent. Hand over the keys after that walkthrough, and let KinsLe hold the sheet your sitter follows each morning through Care Pass, its temporary link expiring when you are home again.