First time owner of a beardie

Hi! My boyfriend and I just got our very first pet together and it so happens to be a Bearded Dragon!

Meet Atlas: Sorry for the crooked pictures. I don't know why they are coming out like that.

I believe he is about 2 months old and is a Red Leatherback. But I could be wrong. He isn't really eating much yet, but that could be because of relocation stress. He eats a few crickets and silk worms. He LOVES the silk worms. We will be getting rid of the sand soon. It came with the starter kit we bought and then we found out that it's not that safe for them. We will most likely switch to paper towel until we can get some tiles. I will also be getting him a background so ignore the Jacksonville Skyline haha.

Any suggestions would be great. We are brand new and very nervous about whether we are doing anything right.

Hello, and welcome to the wonderful world of beardies. Although it seems you are off to a good start, there are a few things you'll need to change. (1) You need a new UV light. The one that came with the starter kit is inadequate, so you'll need to order a ReptiSun 10.0 t5. Also, that thermometer is junk. Get an IR temp gun (which can be purchased at Amazon for fairly cheap). I know you aren't feeding them currently, but just as a heads up, don't feed any mealworms or super worms to him (despite what petstores will tell you)

Welcome to the wonderful world of bearded dragons a land of mystery, enchantment, cuddles and, worry! A magical realm where things always seem to change in an instant and, the moment you think you have it all figured out, the rules change! You think you own your dragon?, guess again.....you are now a slave, lol!
Jess is correct, a better uvb is a must. Those coil bulbs cause eye infections and/or blindness over time.

Thank you! Yes we are realizing more and more how inadequate the starter kit really is. Seems like we need to change everything! Which is okay. I hate that I spent the money in the first place but everyone learns from their mistakes.

We got dry mealworms with the kit and found out immediately not to feed them to him so we do know that! I have the new thermometer in the mail and will be looking into buying a new UV light as soon as possible! Thank you so much for the advice