So, you’ve finally constructed the perfect home for you’re Bearded Dragon. Congratulations! Unfortunately, you’re not done yet…
You would be perfectly justified in sticking to the basics for your pet’s enclosure and amenities. However, going the extra mile can have a huge impact on a Bearded Dragon’s happiness and health.
In this guide, we share a few of our favorite bearded dragon accessories and decorations to help make your setup one-of-a-kind!
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Our Favorite Bearded Dragon Accessories
Looking for a few ways to spice up your bearded dragon’s enclosure? Here is a list of some fun, simple ways to make life that much better for your beardie:
Living the High Life
- A beautiful two color African hardwood for aquariums.
- Use with aquarium plants to create the "naturalistic" aquarium look.
- One of the hardest and densest woods available; sinks immediately in aquariums and unlike driftwood,...
Bearded Dragons enjoy being elevated within their environment whether in their enclosure or roaming outside of it. There are several neat ways to provide your beardie the vantage points they so desire.
For their habitat, consider adding additional branches to allow them to reach more elevated points within the enclosure. ZooMed’s Reptile Mopani Wood is inexpensive and more than sufficient for supporting your beardie.
Lounging Around
- COMFORTABLE FOR ALL CLIMBERS: Our Lizard Loungers provide a safe, fun, and interactive space for...
- VERSATILE AND ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING: The provided 2.5” suction cups easily attach to glass, plastic,...
- KEEPING THINGS CLEAN: For optimal use and longevity, our Lizard Loungers should be spot cleaned on...
All living things enjoy kicking their feet up to relax now and again, and your Bearded Dragon is no different!
The Penn Plax Reptology Lizard Lounger is essentially a hammock that converts empty space in a beardie’s habitat to a spa-like paradise.
Providing a means for your pet to be maximally comfortable while simultaneously elevating them to their preferred vantage point is truly the best of both worlds, and all doting reptile parents should add this to their shopping list ASAP!
Upgrade Their Hidey-Hole
- Natural look
- Integrates in any type of terrarium
- Provides a secure hiding place
I briefly covered hidey-holes in my article outlining the basics of constructing a Bearded Dragon habitat. There isn’t a need to splurge in this department so long as the hidey-hole serves its practical purpose. Regardless, there are always upgrades available for those pets who deserve the best!
One issue you’ll find with quite a few hidey-holes is their perplexing lack of interior space. Sure, the space should be cozy, but obviously your beardie should be able to fit! The Exo Terra Reptile Cave (Extra Large) is the perfect size for adult Bearded Dragons. It’s a high-quality, highly-affordable hiding place for your spikey friend that will last as long as they do.
A Golden Chalice Water Dish
- A natural look integrates into any type of terrarium Easy to clean Non-porous and smooth surface...
You undoubtedly planned on routinely cleaning and refilling your Bearded Dragon’s water dish. You would also be forgiven if your foresight fell short of giving any thought to the design of the dish itself.
Thankfully, Exo Terra has you covered (once again).
Their Reptile Water Dish (X-Large) has been designed with your beardie and their food in mind.
The dish comes with steps built in to its interior, allowing insects that wander inside to easily crawl back out. This can virtually eliminate your pet’s exposure to decaying insect carcasses in their water supply.
It doesn’t hurt that the dish is large enough for your beardie to have a little splash as well!
Rocks that Rock
- This product is easy to use
- This product adds a great Value
- This product is Manufactured in United States
If there’s one thing reptile owners universally agree on, it’s that their pet’s habitat should replicate their natural surroundings as closely as possible. Enter one of the ultimate must-haves for your Bearded Dragon habitat—a high-quality basking rock.
Your beardie is inevitably going to spend a considerable portion of their life baking like a cookie under their enclosure’s synthetic sunlight, so why not let them do it in style (and comfort)?
MagNaturals Rock Ledge is a basking rock option that provides ample space for adult Bearded Dragon’s to splay out and roast. The ledge is also magnetic and incredibly sturdy, granting adult beardies numerous options for their vertical basking position.
The Basking Hybrid
- Stepped design that promotes climbing activity
- Wide, flat top surface that provides an adequate basking area
- Recreates the look of natural river rock, appropriate for aquatic turtles
You’ve heard of basking rocks, and you’ve heard of pet ramps, but have you heard of basking ramps? Such a thing does indeed exist and is a unique option for ticking off multiple boxes on your beardie’s wish list.
Zilla’s Basking Ramp is a dual-sided set of steps that meet to form a flat surface at their peak. Think of all the options your Bearded Dragon can choose from; they can climb up, down, lay on top, or crawl underneath. Beardies of all shapes and sizes will be ecstatic after discovering this newfound freedom.
Also, such a device offers a Bearded Dragon an efficient means of thermoregulation—once they’ve had their fill of heat, they can easily climb down and crawl under the ramp to shield themselves from the light.
Tunnels from Nature
- Safe for all reptiles, amphibians, and arachnids (i.e. tarantulas).
- Can be easily cut to any desired length or shape
- All natural green" product"
One Bearded Dragon behavior omitted from my previous articles is their love and aptitude for tunneling. Now, having your beardie digging through their substrate is not desirable for several reasons, primarily the potential risk to their health and damage to the enclosure. There is, however, a wonderful alternative—creating the illusion of tunneling by providing them a literal tunnel to explore.
Round (not halved) cork bark is perfectly suited for this. Whenever your beardie is craving adventure they can dive into the cork cylinder and discover the mysteries waiting on the other side. Or, they can simply curl up inside for a nap—cork bark is dual-purpose!
ZooMed’s Natural Cork Bark (Round, Extra Large) is 100% natural and contains ample space for large adult beardies. However, a word of caution when purchasing: you should be aware that, due to the fact this product is naturally derived, the form factor will not align 100% with the dimensions stated in the product information. This does not affect its usability but should be noted nonetheless.
Dragon’s Den Décor
- Prime skull reptile cave
- Extremely realistic looking skull terrarium decor
- Offers multiple entrances and exits for easy access
It would be silly to overlook aesthetic improvements when talking about Bearded Dragon habitat accessories. Are they necessary to keep in the enclosure? No, they aren’t. Should you spend tons of money on them? Almost certainly not. Will aesthetic improvements add value to the habitat? Of course!
Exo Terra’s Primate Skull Hideaway is an inexpensive, wonderfully-spooky piece of artwork that brings out the dragon in your beardie. While the skull is technically designed to be a hideout your Bearded Dragon will not be able to fit inside past adolescence, but don’t worry! It still adds nicely to the habitat’s aesthetic without taking up an excessive amount of space.
Pet Ramps
Adding a ramp to allow free movement to and from a windowsill during their free roam time will please your pet while offering a great bit of exercise to!
You are free to use a plain piece of plywood to serve this purpose; to minimize risk of injury to the Bearded Dragon, I would recommend purchasing a pet ramp with a non-slip design.
The PetSTEP Original Folding Pet Ramp is an excellent choice thanks to both its build quality and size. At 70” long, the PetSTEP should be more than large enough to reach any number of ledges within your home. Your beardie will feel like they’re on top of the world!
Playtime Accessories
The list above is decently-exhaustive when it comes to additions to be used within your Bearded Dragon Habitat (except for the pet ramp, obviously), but creating a suitable home for your beardie doesn’t stop with the enclosure. Mentally and physically stimulating your pet is necessary to fully enrich their lives.
How is this achieved you ask? The most effective method is to at least attempt to playfully interact with your Bearded Dragon. I say attempt because the disposition of each animal can vary widely, ranging from hyperactivity to the point of exhaustion all the way to a borderline vegetative state.
The key takeaway here is that options for this type of stimulation must be presented to your beardie regardless of the way they react to it. It’s fine if they don’t want to participate! You should still always make the attempt as not to unnecessarily deprive them of a potentially highly-enjoyable activity.
Toys!
First, a couple quick things to cover…
Number one, Bearded Dragons each react differently to being presented with toys. Some may play with anything you present to them, while others may only be interested in a specific type of toy or even none.
Number two, you must exercise the same sort of care you used when putting together your beardie’s enclosure. They should never be exposed to anything toxic or indigestible materials that could be potentially swallowed.
Now then: what types of toys would a Bearded Dragon play with?
Balls
A significant number of owners find their pets enjoy interacting with a small ball, especially those designed to house a treat for the animal to uncover. A cat ball works well for this—PetSafe makes an inexpensive, dishwasher-safe cat feeder perfect for stuffing with some tasty bearded dragon insects/foods.
Newspaper
Giving your Bearded Dragon crumpled-up newspaper is a great way to keep them busy (assuming they show an interest in it) and costs virtually nothing to provide. There will likely be lots of tearing and chewing going on, so keep a watchful eye over your beardie to ensure they aren’t treating the newspaper as a snack.
Digging for Snacks
An effective way to make sure your beardie’s treats aren’t going to their hips is to make the little guy or gal work for them! No, this isn’t nearly as mean as it sounds; in fact, it isn’t mean at all!
Digging is to a Bearded Dragon as swimming is to fish. They would happily dig around just for the heck of it—adding a treat at the bottom makes it even more exciting!
Setting up this activity is simple. Step one: place your beardie’s favorite treat neatly at the bottom of a large bowl. Step two: fill the bowl with crumpled scraps of newspaper or butcher’s paper. Viola! You’ve successfully created an engaging way to spice up snack time.
Quick Summary
In case you don’t feel like reading the entire article, here are a few key takeaways:
Elevation
- Elevating your Bearded Dragon higher in their enclosure is a surefire way to generate some beardie smiles. Strategically arranging wide branches in their enclosure provides this freedom in an aesthetically-pleasing fashion.
- Perching in high places with a sweeping view of their surroundings is a favorite pastime of virtually all Bearded Dragons. Placing a pet ramp securely against a windowsill will allow your beardie to indulge in this activity at their leisure. Wooden planks are okay but be wary of possible slip-and-fall accidents.
Comfort
- Simply put, reptile “hammocks” are very real and very awesome. They offer the advantages of higher-reaching perches in the habitat while adding tons of comfort for your spikey friend.
- Reclining chairs tailor-made for lounging are awesome. In a Bearded Dragon’s world, a spacious, magnetic basking shelf that can easily be adjusted to various heights is a reclining chair. Does your beardie deserve the finer things in life? I think they do.
- A house just isn’t a home without the addition of a few personal touches. Make your beardie’s habitat a home. Give him some nice artwork (i.e., decorations) to look at.
Tips
- I cannot think of a way to restate this fuss about choice yet again without sounding ridiculous, so I’ll say this instead: some days your beardie might want to walk across his habitat, and other days he’d prefer to tunnel. Get him a tunnel—let him pick.
- Your Bearded Dragon may hate to play, or they may love it. The only way to know for sure is to introduce them to some toys and observe their reaction. Don’t assume they won’t be interested.
- Bearded Dragons outgrow their shelters just like humans. Sure, you can rough it in your childhood bedroom for your entire life and survive just fine, but adult beings undoubtedly thrive more effectively in adult spaces. Additionally, don’t just pick up any old shelter—select something you would live in if you were a scaly reptile. Visit our guide to setting up a bearded dragon habitat if you need more info.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few FAQs regarding bearded dragons and their accessories/decorations:
Q: I added (insert item listed above) to my Bearded Dragon’s habitat and he doesn’t seem to like it at all. Should I be concerned, and what should I try next?
A: No, you shouldn’t be concerned—take it as a learning experience and appreciate the fact you’ve gained a better understanding of your beardie. You can try adding a similarly-functioning accessory with different physical characteristics, or you can skip straight to trying something else entirely. There are no wrong answers if you act in your Bearded Dragon’s best interest.
Q: Is there a shelf life for some of the accessories you talked about?
A: If the product is organic (i.e., the cork bark) it will inevitably need to be replaced once it has decayed enough. Barring excessive moisture in the enclosure (which shouldn’t happen in the first place) replacements should not be necessary more frequently than every several months.
Q: Should cosmetic accessories be cleaned in the same way as the rest of the habitat’s contents?
A: Yes. Assuming the accessory in question is inorganic, clean it the same way (with the same frequency) that you clean the rest of the habitat. Organic accessories should be replaced on the appropriate schedule based on how quickly each respective material decays.
Thank You!
The availability of choice is an integral part of the human world, at least for the sake of one’s happiness. Like I’ve stated so many times before, this concept remains true for all types of living things. Would you rather make your beardie choose between steps, a basking surface, or a tunnel, or would you rather give him all these things at once at let him frolic in a reptile eutopia? I think we both know the right answer.
As always, thanks for stopping by! Hopefully you feel perfectly confident in your ability to build your beardie’s dream home. Now… get out there and get building!
Last update on 2024-04-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API