The daily rhythm comes first
A new carer should learn your bearded dragon's day before anything else, because this species runs on light and heat. State when the lights come on and off, when the basking spot should be hot and ready, and when your dragon usually eats, basks, explores and settles to sleep. Explain that a dragon that is cool in the morning is slow and uninterested in food until it has basked, so the sitter should not judge appetite before the dragon is properly warm.
Describe your dragon's individual habits inside that rhythm: where it prefers to bask, whether it hand-feeds or hunts from a bowl, how it signals it wants to come out, and how it behaves at lights-out. A boarder who knows the individual animal can spot a day that is genuinely off, rather than worrying over normal behaviour or missing a real change because everything looked roughly fine.
Food instructions matched to this dragon's age
Write the diet as an actual menu for the sitting period, not a principle. State what salad is offered daily and how it is prepared, which insects are fed, on which days and roughly how many, and how feeder insects are prepared in your usual routine. Age matters enormously in bearded dragons: a young dragon needs far more insects, an adult far more greens, and a sitter guessing the balance can get it wrong in either direction within days.
Add the prohibitions plainly. No new foods, no insects caught outdoors, nothing picked from a garden that may carry sprays, and no treats substituted because the dragon begged. Ask the sitter to note what was offered and what was actually eaten each day, including refused salads, because that record shows you whether the dragon ate normally in your absence or merely appeared to when dishes were cleared away.
Behaviour signals translated into plain language
Explain the signals a first-time sitter will definitely see. A darkened beard can mean stress, annoyance or simply warming up, and context decides which: note what your dragon's beard does when it is relaxed, when it sees its reflection, and when something is genuinely wrong. Describe glass surfing, head bobbing and arm waving as your dragon performs them, so normal display behaviour is not mistaken for distress, or the reverse.
Then set the call-you thresholds clearly. The sitter should contact you for a dragon that will not bask, refuses all food for more than a day outside any known slowdown, has a persistently black beard with lethargy, shows discharge from eyes or nostrils, or has an injury or a fall. Name your reptile vet and an emergency option, and state what the sitter may authorize if you cannot be reached, so nobody hesitates during a real problem.
Handling, hygiene and the handover log
Cover handling basics in a few firm lines: support the whole body including the tail, lift from below rather than grabbing from above, keep sessions calm and supervised, and never let the dragon roam near other pets. Add hygiene rules, because reptiles and food preparation do not mix: hands washed before and after handling, salads prepared away from the enclosure, and water bowls cleaned as you specify rather than when they look dirty.
Close the brief with the enclosure checks: lights working on their timers, basking temperature as you specify, water available, and the enclosure door secured after every opening. Ask for a short daily log of food eaten, behaviour and any concerns, dated, so you return to a record instead of a summary. Handing this brief over through KinsLe Care Pass gives your sitter the lighting times, age-matched menu and behaviour guide in one clear place for exactly the days you are away.