Baby Bearded Dragon Tips

Question
Hi there!
I had a few questions about bearded dragon care. I will be getting a baby one soon and was wondering if you had any good tips for me. I've owned all kinds of pets in the past including some lizards. I'm excited to have one of these little guys because I've heard so many great things about them. Any great tips would be so appreciated when it comes to their cage habitat and diet.  I heard that young juveniles should eat meal worms and crickets because crickets contain more substance and protein.  Is that true? Also, how likely is it that they contract salmonella? I heard it isn't very common, but it could happen.  I read that proper cage cleaning and bathing once or twice a month would help decrease the chances of salmonella occurring.  Lastly, what brand and watt do you recommend?

Thanks for any advice!

Answer
Hey there, lets start with diet. You are correct about crickets and meal worms. When it comes to crickets for a smaller younger bearded dragon get a small size or pinhead cricket. They should not consume food that is longer than the length between their eyes. IF you are keeping their habitat clean and keeping them clean as well then you won't have to worry about salmonella. When it comes to wattage, when I had my dragons, I would usually have the day bulb for heat which was a 100 Watt bulb. The night bulb was usually 75 watts. What I had for the longest time for a UVB bulb was 75 watts. Whichever wattage you use for your bulbs you need to have something to check the temperature and humidity in the enclosure to ensure that it is humid enough and that the temperature is at a good regulated level. Brands of bulbs that I found to work fairly well was Zilla and Zoo Med. Make sure you have the right bulbs/lamps for heating and lighting. I hope I answered your question well enough and I would be happy to answer any other to the best of my ability. Good luck!