In the time I've had Peaches, and now Rupert, I have learned a tremendous amount about Bearded Dragons and their care. I have tried to collect much of that info here, in case others are considering a Beardie as a pet, for their classrooms or otherwise.
Shopping List for a Vivarium: (Don't buy a 'kit' -- you'll waste too much $)
glass vivarium (20 gallon for a baby, at least 40 gallon for an adult). It should have a screen lid, and floor size is more important than height. A perfect size is a 18" by 36" floor, with either a 12" or 18" height. Front-opening makes life substantially easier too.
Flooring: easiest to clean and maintain is slate or ceramic tile. Lay this down on top of paper toweling to protect the glass bottom. Once it's clear where your dragon likes to poop, line that spot with paper towel for easy clean up. (do not use sand, wood chips, or anything that can snag nails). Usually about 4$ per 18x18" tile
Heating: on overhead dome with either a reptile basking light (28$) or a 120v halogen (not led) flood light (2 for 20$. Do not use red lights!!!!
UVB: Spend your money here. Get a proper HO UVB bar that covers 2/3 the length of your tank. 8 -12 months. I use an Arcadia 10.0 T8-HO UVB Fluorescent Lamp - 17 W - 24" 14% UVB. This is strong enough to get UVB through the screen top, preventing Metabolic bone Disease.
reptile UTH heating pad (25$). Either placed under the tank against the glass, or up against the back of the glass on the warm side. Remember - your basking spot should read 110F and your 'cool' side should be about 75F
Infrared temperature gun (about 15$ from the hardware store) to reliably check temperatures. This is NOT an option (the stick on gauges are not reliable)
Reptile power bar (30$) allows for basking and uvb lights to be on a timer, and keeps heat pad on 24/7
décor: you need a basking spot - a hammock or tall rock works well. Reptile stores have a good selection. They also like to climb, so a sturdy pest-free branch or climbing ramp is great.
food dish (should have an inner lip to keep worms *in*) and a water dish (warning: Dragons love to poop in water -- with my baby I kept a wide shallow dish in that she used as a bathroom, and a smaller water dish that she would drink from. Both water dishes go on the cooler side of the viv.
Feeding: babies and juveniles need 80% protein (bugs) and 20% greens and veggies. Adults need 80% greens and veggies and 20% protein.
Safe protein sources: (dusted with calcium powder and multivitamins)
store-bought super-worms (staple) & mealworms - gut loaded with carrot and potato
Store bought Black Soldier Fly Larvae and Phoenix worms or Silkworms (staple)
store-bought horn worms or wax worms or butter worms (treat)
Safe veggies:
Collard Greens, Bok Choi, Arugula, Cilantro, Cucumbers, Bell Peppers, some Carrot (Staples)
blueberries, raspberries, basil, banana, fresh peas (treats)
once a month, some scrambled egg (no butter or oil....)
avoid: spinach, lettuce, celery, and too much carrot - all lead to watery poop and upset stomachs, with little nutrition
NEVER: tomatoes, avocado, citrus, garlic, onions, or any bugs gut loaded on any of these. They can be FATAL to beardies.
NEVER feed bugs caught in the wild - you don't know what pesticides or foods they may have come in contact with. (NOTE: Ladybugs and fireflies are toxic -- keep them away from your viv at all costs
Other great resource sites:
various Facebook Groups
Potty Training your Dragon:
Beardies love to poop in warm water. Making a bath a weekly event for adults goes a long way towards preventing shed issues, and also tends to encourage an adult potty schedule. ( I started this routine when Rupert was about 11 months old, and had settled into an adult feeding schedule).
At bathtime, fill a plastic dish pan with warm water. It should be just deep enough to just cover the dragon's elbows. Plunk the dragon in the tub and let it chill for about 10 minutes. When it poops, remove it from the potty bucket, and place it in the tub. Add warm water up to the elbows again and let your dragon swim, splash, or just soak. (They like to punch ping pong balls with their noses in the tub.) Flush the contents of the potty bucket, and clean out using a reptile safe cleaner (or 10% vinegar and water solution). After bathtime, dry the dragon gently, and place in their basking spot to regulate their temperature. Using this method, my dragon would reliably poop within 5 minutes of being in his potty bucket, and as an adult was on a schedule of pooping once a week, at bath time. This made vivarium upkeep so easy, and keeps my dragon very happy and clean.
Rupert loves to dive under teh water at bath time and swims like an eel. He also loves to dive under the fawcet while it's filing the tub - he seems to enjoy the b bubbles.
We keep a dragon-only toothbrush near the tub, and it helps to loosen stuck shed with a gentle scrub. Male dragons also need their femoral pores scrubbed every once in a while to keep them form clogging. The toothbrush is your friend!