Am I taking care of my bearded dragon correctly?

[Beardiesforlife333]

I did a ton of research before I got my bearded dragon Bequeefius, but I thought it would be a good idea to post about the things I've learned and my husbandry on here just to make sure I am really doing this correctly, especially since I am going to be welcoming a new bearded dragon who is a rescue from a neglectful owner who has him in a hexagon tank, with no UVB, and very weak heating bulbs. He also has sand and this bearded dragon is an adult i'll post pictures of him and Bequeefius at the end of the post.
First a little bit more information on bequeefius, I got him from my local petsmart, which I know sucks. I don't have rescues around me and there are not any smaller pet stores so in order to get a baby bearded dragon they were my only choice. I do not buy anything else from them and I do not plan to. I decided since I couldn't find anywhere else to get one I can just get him out of this awful situation he was in since he was crammed into a ten gallon tank with four other ones. I do not know his real age, but judging from approximate size he is three months old. Size isn't the best way to judge how old a bearded dragon is but it was really the only choice I had, so he could be slightly younger or slightly older. He is just over nine inches and weighs around 28 grams. I refer to him as a he, but I do not know his gender.
He is in a forty gallon tank, the bottom is lined with paper towels, but I plan on getting reptile carpet to put in. He has a hide that he never uses, besides to poop on, he also has a water bowl that he also uses for the purposes of using the restroom. His cage is pretty empty at this moment, but when I buy the reptile carpet I am also going to be purchasing him some more driftwood and other things like that. He has a green reptile hammock that I have sewn fabric over so his toes won't get caught.
He eats 40-60 crickets a day, which I dust with calcium every day besides Wednesday and Sunday, I dust them in vitamins on those days. I also give him collard green because he loves them tons. His UVB light is a reptisun t5 HO 5.0 with no screen blocking it, I do know that he needs the 10.0, which I will also be purchasing along with the reptile carpet. His basking spot stays between 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius) and 109 degrees Fahrenheit (42.2 degrees Celsius), while his cool side is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (16.6 degrees Celsuius). If I missed any information feel free to ask me!
Bequeefius's pictures (He is younger in some of these pictures);

(This is the most current one)

(This is the youngest two)

(some more because why not?)

(This is Bequeefius's cage, yeah, quite empty. At least I let him wander my room a lot.)

(This is pictures of the bearded dragon I am rescuing.)

(This is his cage, definitely going to get him a bigger one and maybe use the small one for crickets.)

 

[PodunkKhaleesi]

The words “no UVB light” (not to mention the picture of his setup) made my heart sink, so that’s wonderful that you’re adopting that poor neglected beardie and giving him a chance at a happy life. And you sound like you’ve done a lot of homework regarding your baby. Most bearded dragons won’t acknowledge standing water so it’s completely normal for a bearded dragon to ignore a water dish (or decide to put it to use as a toilet). As desert dwellers they get the majority of their hydration from their food, so it’s important to offer a variety of greens and veggies and to gutload feeder insects with these as well. Collard greens are a great choice, and I’d recommend serving up a salad that is a rotating mix of turnip, collard, mustard, and dandelion greens. Butternut squash is a great staple veggie. You can also lightly mist their salad with water, which serves the dual purpose of keeping the greens fresh longer and increasing the hydration factor. If you go to the Beautiful Dragons website there’s a great list of staple and occasional veggies and insects you can refer to. There’s nothing wrong with crickets, but I like to mix things up with dubia roaches, BSFL, silkworms, and hornworms. Each of these insects offers a different nutritional perk, which is why it’s great to offer a variety of feeders. For adult beardies I always recommend a 4x2x2 enclosure, so that’s something to consider down the road. This height also works well with the T5 10.0 Reptisun tubes. You can build an enclosure relatively inexpensively and there are plans for that on this site, or you can buy one from Animal Plastics or one of the many vivarium companies that sell online. Hope some of that was helpful, but you’re off to a good start so there doesn’t seem to be much need for troubleshooting. The photo of your baby perched on your finger is adorable, BTW!

 

[Terry15]

It’s nice that you have rescued him. He is young & cute. You can get the non adhesive shelf liner for the tank instead of the carpet. It’s so much easier, cheaper & bugs won’t be able to get under it. The carpet, you really need two, to switch out when one is being washed and dried. The shelf liner you can get at Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond. It also makes a good liner for laying down some pieces of Tile. There are a lot of things you can use for his tank that you don’t have to buy at the pet store. Rocks or driftwood can be baked on a low setting in the oven. I have quite a few things that Mystic has grown out of. There are a lot of good ideas on this site & online to make & decorate his tank with. Have fun with with your little one, they grow fast.