Meet Frenchie! Tips on Bonding welcome!

Hello! I’m new here. As is my baby bearded dragon, Frenchie! Here she is, isn’t she precious?
I’d been thinking of getting a bearded dragon for a while, and when I saw a 60gal tank w/stand on facebook for super cheap I decided to take the plunge! I tried a few times to adopt from a local rescue or breeder, but it kept falling through so I finally just went to Petsmart. I know they have a bad reputation for unhealthy animals, but I’ve kept a close eye on her and she is very active in the day, alert, curious, and has a healthy appetite. I’m not sure how old she is (or if she is even actually a she lol), the PM employee threw a number at me but it sounded like a guess and wildly inaccurate according to growth charts. I’m assuming she’s somewhere around 10 weeks based on her size? I’d love some tips though on how to bond with her as she is very skittish of me. She’ll let me stroke her a few times, but my attempt to pick her up for the first time last night didn’t end well. I assume since she is a petsmart beardie she isn't used to being handled. I’ve had her about two weeks and made sure I gave her plenty of time to settle in before I started bugging her too much. But I feel like it’s time to start developing that relationship.

A little more about the enclosure – as I said it’s a 60 gal with repticarpet substrate. A repitsun UVA/UVB tube light, and a basking UVA light. The cool side is around 75-80 and her basking spot is usually between 100 and 110. If that get’s too hot she can move to a lower branch where it gets between 95-105. Humidity is around 30%. Her lights go on at 6am in time for a 7am feeding and off at 8pm since I usually don’t get home to give her dinner till around 6pm or later on weeknights. She’s got lots of space and plenty of things to climb in on and under. I’ve been feeding her a combo of dubias and phoenix worms which she scarfs down as long as she’s not too busy staring at me with trepidation lol. Hasn’t touched veggies other than a curious lick here and there. If you find anything here that should be improved, I'm all ears!

Anyway, I found forums like these super helpful when I adopted my leopard gecko, Rizzo (see the theme? ), a few years ago so I figured I’d join. Looking forward to sharing with you!

Welcome to the forum! It sounds like she's settling in well and I'm glad to hear she has a good home with you =). Bonding can take time. Just be patient and gentile around her. Always approach from in front of her so she isn't startled. Remember you are much bigger than she is so she may be afraid for a while and that's a natural reaction. Try offering some bug treats by hand and see if that helps her develop trust and comfort around you. Once she's comfortable being handled, I'm sure she'll like opportunities to run around and explore her new home.