This was his response: "Don't worry about the closing eyes. All of mine seem to do it when they're relaxed, including my adults.
Closing the eyes more than a few minutes during the day is not a sign that they are relaxed. I've been breeding bearded dragons since 1994 and have had raised hundreds of breeders and thousands of babies since that time. I rarely see mine with eyes closed at all during the day.
Because your temps seem correct and he isn't really eating well for you yet, he could just be adjusting and stressing and settling in a little.
I usually tell people to not handle their dragon or disturb it other than necessary to feed and water it for about a week or two and give it time to settle in and start eating and pooping on a normal schedule. This has 2 purposes- first the dragon may need to adjust and de-stress from being moved to a new home- hands off at first is the fastest way to accomplish this. Second it gives the owner a chance to learn what is normal for the dragon as far as appetite and poop schedule so they will know when something is wrong with the lizard in the future.
I still think you should check the spine. To me your photo just looks like his dorsal surface is too high above the pelvis- I could tell one way or the other in a couple of seconds looking at him in person, but hard for me to tell from the photo. Tonight isn't critical- if he's got a problem the damage is already done and the breeder is aware of your concerns and he's local- all that helps if you find a problem. If you are unsure after gently stroking his spine, take a photo exactly from the side, not at an angle, so we get a silhouette of the highest edge of his back, and I'll give you my best opinion from the photo.
Watch his behaviour- if he's functioning normally and your basking temps are correct, he should warm up in the warmest spot for a while in the morning (30-90 minutes) and then become active and move around the enclosure. Most of the rest of the day when he is basking he will avoid the hottest spot and bask slightly to the side, possibly moving to the hottest spot after eating or drinking or for a while in the evening. If he basks all day in the hottest spot- temps aren't warm enough so he stays hoping to build up more heat.
Your husbandry sounds pretty good. Don't stress too much about humidity- mine are outside all summer and I'm on the east coast too where it gets humid and it's no problem. (In fact it's been raining here all week and cool as the end of the summer nears- I keep the cages covered with tarps to keep the rain out, but it's still very humid out there, and it's never a problem after doing this every summer for years now). The substrate just needs to be kept dry. You shouldn't have a problem there on your dresser
I wouldn't skip any calcium though- believe it or not, at the size yours is at, some of my baby dragons will put on an inch of growth in a single week! That growth rate requires a lot of calcium. That growth rate is exceptional- most of mine grow an inch in 2 or 3 weeks at the size/age yours is at. Which still puts quite a bit of demand for calcium on the lizard. Dust a little less heavily so you don't kill the crickets. Problems from calcium/d3 deficiency can set in pretty quickly- I said in my last post if he has a spine problem you couldn't cause that in less than a week- you probably could in 2 if supplementation isn't kept up at this age. Which is why I feel it important to contact the breeder as soon as possible if there is a problem to get a replacement animal. Sounds like you already have him appraised of the situation which is the right thing to do.
Sounds like you are on the right track with your care overall. Just be aware that the closed eyes are not normal like the breeder is telling you, at least in my experience. My first suspicion would be inadequate supplementation prior to purchase, my second would be stress from rehoming/too much handling immediately after, and my third would be parasites- pinworms or coccidia which would require veterinary assistance. But his poops sound well formed so I doubt parasites.
