Hello there! I understand you're hesitant now but I promise once you interact with your dragon for the first time you'll fall in love! That will only grow as they grow
I'm going to use some of the info I've given others in the past although it definitely seems like you already know most of it
You need a reptisun 10.0 tube mounted inside the tank. Also a basking light (a 40-60w house bulb will work) make sure both are on the same side of the cage. Heat pads get to really high temps and can burn him if he's directly on it.. I bought one for my dragon as well and solved that by using the stackable rocks. There's 6 layers of rock between my dragon and the pad the heat will radiate up through but not burn her. As for substrate you can get the carpet but as you see if you don't clean it it starts to smell :/ newspaper, shipping paper, or ceramic tile all works. You'll also need a digital thermometer on both sides to monitor temps. You'll prob want to buy a lamp timer to plug your lights in because he needs 12-14 hours of UV my schedule is. 6am-8pm but you can do whatever works best for your schedule. (Which will work for you, you can feed your dragon by 6:30 if not a little before and then feed him or her again after you get home from school. (Assuming you're going to get a juvenile or younger)
A 40gal is the minimum for an adult but most go with 55gal or custom build enclosures. If he's still under 12 inches you can get by with a 20gal.
Also food, still depends on size.. If he's a juvenile he's going to need a lot of bugs! Along with salad. It's usually 80-20 bugs vs salad ratio then when they become adults it reverses to 80 salad-20 bugs.
Absolutely do not feed him bugs caught from outside. Some can kill him (lightning bugs) and others are more than likely covered in pesticides. Depending on what live bug you choose ie crickets, reptiworms/Phoenix worms , silk worms, horn worms, dubia roaches.. Those are the most suitable staple feeders.. Superworms can only be fed if your Beardie is longer than 18 inches! Also treat them like a treat. You're more than likely going to buy online because buying from a pet store gets expensive super fast! We can direct you to reputable sellers. Feeders also need to be smaller than the space between his eyes. Soft bodied worms are the only feeder that is an exception. You're also going to need to dust the feeders 5x a week with calcium with d3 on the first feeding and use a multivitamin for the other two days. If he's still under a year old he will need fed at least two to three times a day. Feed him as much as he 'll eat in a 15 minute period then remove feeders (if it's crickets, worms and roaches can be left in a bowl. Give salad with first feeding and leave in all day.
Salad- mustard, turnip, collard greens with squashes and some fruits are find but stay away from citrus... Heres a great guide to help you
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
Bearded dragons are desert reptiles so his temps need to be 75-80 on cool side and 95-105 on basking spot. His basking spot needs to be 6-8 inches from his lamp. Beardies love climbing so the stackable rocks and or driftwood works great! (Be sure to bleach the wood and let it soak and dry before giving to your dragon. Also if you find wood outside be sure to bake it in the oven for an hour or two and then treat it with bleach to ensure no parasites are nested in it) back to Beardies being desert, with that being said you do
not need to mist your dragon or give him a water dish. In fact high humidity causes respiratory problems. To
hydrate him you will need to give your Beardie baths every other day or so . Definitely more when he's shedding. If he's big enough you can use the sink or bathtub, I personally use a sterilite container.. Make sure the water is like warm and doesn't go over his head.
You have the option of adopting an older dragon to cut down on the food costs but babies and juveniles are definitely lots if fun to watch grow.
As far as getting feeders it's best to do it online.. I order 1000 crickets a time from
http://www.armstrongcrickets.com they average about $18 for 1000 and I use two day shipping (less than $6, you can also use overnight shipping for $15) pay about $25 a month for crickets which doesn't make them seem that expensive at all. I've tried multiple cricket breeders including local (I live 20 minutes from
http://www.timberlinefisheries.com and I find their crickets are smaller and only last me a week before they die off :/ which also brings my next point.. You have to care for the bugs as much as you do your dragon.. Gut load and water them (what they eat your dragon is absorbing) I keep mine in a 10 gal cage and they're quite happy (chirping away) until they meet their fate
It's best to give variety.. I usually go with a reptiworm/cricket variety. I would only use mealworms for emergency use only as they're the least nutritious and can impact young Beardies.. Not to mention they don't really digest them well. (I've used them when I ran out of crickets over the weekend and noticed full worms in my girl's poop)
You should spot clean the cage daily and thoroughly clean it once every week or two. I think I covered everything. Welcome!
