First dragon questions!

[Dido]

Hey, just got my first dragon, first pet ever, pretty excited and all, read a lot of good stuff.
But there are some things i havent found answers to, maybe you guys would know.
He's 2 years old and seems pretty friendly and calm. I was wondering if it was okay to turn on his lights before he was up? after 12 hours of sleep? or should i wait for him to wake up?
Also, i want to bathe him, but i want to leave him alone until he gets comfortable so i can start picking him up. He still isn't eating or pooping, but he seems pretty calm. Should i wait until he eats or poops to know if he's comfortable to take him out and bathe him? Or how long should i leave him alone until i can start handling him or bathing him? I have been slowly petting him and it doesnt seem to bother him.
Oh and also, he came with toes missing on a foot, they hadnt told me anything about that, should i be worried? they seemed to take care of him pretty well at the store though.
Any help or info appreciated, thanks

 

[mamaof2dragons]

since he is 2yrs old and not a baby dragon you can try handling him now but at the first sign of distress put back in his viv and let him settle down a bit the try again abit later, dont rush it a good bond happens over time and once he knows he can trust you he will love you forever...if you bathe him he may pooh in the water just a warning they seem to like to do that...

 

[JumpinJellyfish]

For the lights, routine is good. You can put them on normal lamp timers and have them turn on/off at the same times every day, 12-14 on, 10-12 off. I have mine set so the basking lamp is on before and off after the UVB, for a softer transition. So my basking light goes on at 6:30am and the UVB at 6:45, and then the UVB goes off at 8:45pm and the basking one at 9.

 

[Jacob melanistic]

congrats on the new beardie! what morph is it?

 

[mushu.monster]

I usually turn the lights on when I get up, whether she is awake or not. 12 hours without it seems a bit long and it'll give them a good routine. I would start slowly handling him or if that makes you nervous try hand-feeding, I think that is one of the best ways to bond with a beardie and let them know you don't mean any harm! If you start slowly handling him for 5-10 minutes a day and gradually increase the time and amount of handling he/she should get used to it. I definitely would wait until they are comfortable with you to give them baths but at the same time baths can help with defecation so maybe put him in a tub with a very low amount of warm water to get things moving. If he/she is missing toes you should definitely take them to the vet asap so that they can get looked over and rule out metabolic bone disease or yellow fungus as these are two very common diseases in beardies and can result in the loss of appendages. Also just a good idea to have them looked over after adoption to get an idea of their overall health. Hope this helps! let me know if you have any more questions or need clarification