New beardie momma

Hi. My name is Kara and my husband and I just rescued Cricket Head from Petco. I could use some help. We went with small crickets, meal worms, and veggies for food. We also got the calci sand and some other sand, the red heat light, all that based on petco recommendations. We are going to be going n fixing most this today. Please don't yell!

He loves the meal worms but I have been told they are bad for him? No idea if I'm giving the right veggies or not and if I'm giving him the right size? We been trying kale, red pepper, yellow squash, and zucchini. He nibbles them but don't eat much. He has not touched his crickets at all from what we can tell. Just found out that they shouldn't be left in there with him. He is pooping and soaks in his water bowl. Also we have a hydrotherm in the back left corner for monitoring temp

Any tips on food n proper food size, bonding, and upgrades to his home would be much appreciated. Also any guesses on Cricket Heads age? He is so tiny compared to other "baby" beardies

Hi there!

Yes, definitely recommended to fix most of that PetCo advice you were given. Some of the most important points off the top of my head:

1. Switch out the calci-sand for a solid substrate such as non-adhesive shelf liner, tile, or reptile carpet
2. Please read the caresheet on this website (at https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/caresheet/ ) so that you will be more informed about how important strong UVB is for a beardie. The coiled UVB you currently have does not work. It is strongly recommended that you buy a long fluorescent tube (Reptisun 10.0 or Arcadia 12%) or an MVB bulb.
3. Don't forget to turn off all lights (even colored/black/red ones) at nighttime. They sleep very comfortably in temperatures between 65F to 75F.
4. Mealworms have exoskeletons and chitin that are pretty hard to digest for a baby beardie, though it's my understanding that full-grown beardies digest them easier. You are risking impaction by feeding mealworms. Most beardies don't get interest in their veggies until they're around the 6-8 month mark, which is normal.

Beardies might not want to eat for the first three days out of nervousness from their new homes, which isn't abnormal. However, not getting enough UVB (especially for a growing baby like yours) is going to kill their appetite.

But it seems like you want to give your beardie a good home, and are working to give it the best possible care! Welcome to the forums, and congrats on your new little one!

Ahh, I forgot to include: if you don't already, a probed thermometer or a temperature gun will let you know your basking temperatures. Babies need a basking area of 100F to 105F. You probably already know that though--but just making sure!

Thank you Savora. We had gotten two from petco but one did not make it. It started rolling around n died before we had it 48hrs. So I have been obsessively doing research n reading all I can to make sure Cricket Head stays healthy. We are leaving shortly to get most if not all of your suggestions. We plan on putting the solid substrate over top the sand for now. I will post an updated pic later tonight of what we changed!

This is Cricket Heads new setup

That new setup looks amazing!! I love it, and I'm sure your new baby loves it too!!

Let us know if you have any more questions. And, keep us updated with your little fella! ?