It's pretty close to perfect actually as far as color + consistency. BTW, don't worry about putting on muscle + gaining weight, he is a perfect size and keep in mind that over feeding as he becomes an adult will be counter productive + cause more harm than good. A lean beardie is generally healthier + avoids problems like gout , joint problems , organ/kidney problems + lack of mobility.
Do you know of anything I could use to cover his nubs if I wanted to let him walk on the floor? Non adhesive liner in his cage, but what about when I take him out and let hikm explore and get exercise?
You could let him crawl on an old comforter on the floor or your bed [ an old one in case he has to poo suddenly ] Follow him around with a wad of newspaper in case you see that butt wiggle [ imminent bathroom episode ] to catch it on the paper + avoid a mess . Carpet is O.K for him to explore on as well, hard surfaces just for short periods.
Do you guys think he would do well in a bioactive environment? Or should I stick with newspaper and shelf liner as substrate?
I've been researching bioactive enclosures for almost 8 months now and feel confident I could put it together. I'm a spot cleaner so I know any poops and urates would be picked up in the event that the cleaner crew isn't fully grown and working yet.
But I'm now unsure if the soil and leaves would rub his little nubs raw or not.
If you have the space and are confident in setting it up it might be worth a shot. I don't imagine the surfaces would be hard or rough enough to cause a problem but I don't have firsthand experience with bioactive setups.