Numbers, Not Adjectives
'Warm end nice and hot' produces a different vivarium in every carer's hands. Write the actual figures: the basking-spot temperature the probe should read, the cool-end temperature, the night-time drop if the species has one, and the humidity range at the height the animal actually sits. Where a number has a tolerance, give it — 'between these two readings is fine' tells the carer when to relax and when to act. A carer copying numbers exactly needs no reptile experience at all, which is precisely the point of writing them this way.
The Settings Behind the Readings
Temperatures are outcomes; the carer controls settings. Record the thermostat's set point and which socket it drives, the timer's on and off times for the lights and any mister, the dimmer position if a lamp runs dimmed, and which lamp is on which timer when an enclosure runs several. Photograph the plug strip and the timer dials as they should look: a labelled photo settles at a glance the question every carer faces at some point — is it supposed to look like this? Label the plugs in the photo, because 'the middle timer' means nothing once someone has unplugged something.
Feeding Settings Written the Same Way
Treat food as another set of settings: which prey or greens, what size, how many, on which days, dusted or not, and where in the enclosure the food goes. Note what a refusal looks like normally for this animal and how many missed feeds pass before it means anything. If the animal is mid-shed or on a feeding pause, say so in writing — a carer who does not know will try to fix a fast that is not a problem, and an unneeded vet trip helps nobody.
The Daily Order of Checks
Give the carer a sequence, not a pile of facts: check the thermometer readings first, then water, then food, then the animal itself, and write what 'right' looks like at each step. Add the two or three faults worth a phone call — a basking spot far below the written figure, a lamp out, water fouled — each with the exact number from your sheet as the trigger, so the carer is comparing against your record rather than their own judgement of a species they may barely know.
Hand the Sheet Over Properly
Walk the carer through the sheet at the enclosure once before you rely on it; the questions they ask in that ten minutes are the gaps in the writing. Then hand it over in a form they keep: KinsLe's Care Pass gives a trusted sitter temporary, clear access to your reptile's care routine and key details while you are away — the exact settings, in the carer's pocket, for exactly as long as they are needed.