Hi & welcome! I see Bowser is on the young side, so nothing really sounds out of the ordinary. The scratching could be that he's getting ready to shed (look for dull/pale scale areas). Trust in handling will come in time. Just be patient & don't force things. Some people have luck with putting their hand in the cage and just leaving it there for a bit without picking the beardie up. You can also put a treat in your hand if you want, but the idea is to let them know hand does not = threat.
If you post your lighting, feeding, heating setup, we can take a look at those since you're new at this. Those things are really important to keeping your new little friend happy & healthy.