If you just brought home your first bearded dragon or getting ready to, one of the first things you may be wondering about is the tank setup. What do you need or want in your bearded dragon’s tank? Below I will answer that with a list of bearded dragon tank accessories that every owner needs.
If you haven’t purchased your enclosure yet, then we recommend this one on Amazon.Â
Bearded Dragon tank accessories (8 things your bearded dragon needs in its tank)
1. Water and Food Dish
The first thing you need for your dragon’s enclosure is a food and water dish. There are a wide variety of food dishes, most are inexpensive with many options on Amazon. These models of food dishes really come in handy when you don’t want the food to crawl all over the place.
A lot of people enjoy the natural look in enclosures, so if you are looking for something more natural try this one. These work wonderfully as water dishes as well.
You can find food and water bowls anywhere they sell pet supplies, lots of fine online choices as well, like chewy and amazon.
2. Thermometers and hydrometer
Now that you have found your food and water dish, you can move on to how you will keep track of your Bearded Dragons’ enclosure temperatures and humidity. Bearded Dragons require a hotspot for basking, which should be between 85-100 degrees at all times. Baby bearded dragons require a basking spot of 100-110 degrees. The rest of their enclosure should stay between 75-85 degrees. To monitor your tanks’ temps, you will need at least two thermometers, one for each side of the tank.
Bearded Dragons originate from Australia. They are used to a warm and arid environment, because of this, their humidity levels should remain low, but not too low. Proper humidity levels for a bearded dragon should be between 20-30 percent. If your bearded dragon’s humidity drops below that, they could have problems shedding.
You can find thermometers and Hygrometers at almost any location that sells pet supplies. You can find them online as well. Since bearded dragons need temps and humidity regulated, you can find and buy a thermometer and hygrometer combo like this one.
3. Hides/Basking rock
Hides are an essential part of any bearded dragon enclosure. Bearded dragons like to use their hides for all sorts of things. Sleeping, hiding, getting away from the heat, and as a basking spot. You will probably want 2-3 hides for your little dragon to enjoy.
There are a wide variety of hides coming in all shapes and sizes. You can find a good hide at your local reptile show or pet store. You can also find them online at Petsmart, Chewy, or amazon.
A few really great options are
-  Zilla Reptile Habitat Décor Shale Rock Den
- Reptile Sleeping Bag with Pillow and Blanket
- Reptile Rock Hideout Reptile Rock HideÂ
4. Rough Rocks/Decor
Rocks or even rough hides are important for your bearded dragon. Having rough surfaces for your Bearded Dragon to rub against and walk on are great for two main reasons. Shedding and keeping their nails filed down naturally. When your bearded dragon rubs up against their rocks or hides, it will help loosen up their shed so it’ll come off easier.
In captivity, bearded dragons don’t always get the chance to run around on rocks like they would in the wild. Their nails can grow way longer than they should and can become painful. You can help prevent this by also buying nail clippers for them and clipping them down yourself.
Anywhere you can find rocks, you can find some for your little dragon. You will need to sterilize if you find your own. Cleaning rocks is a simple process. You can use a bleach solution, letting it sit in a solution of about 5% bleach and 95% water for about half-hour, then cleaning it really well after with soap and water, letting it sit out till all the bleach evaporates.
Another technique is to clean it with soap and water and boil it for about a half-hour.
A few other great options are
5. Hammock
Hammocks are a marvelous addition to any bearded dragon enclosure. They hang on the sides and provide an excellent lounge or higher reaching basking spot. You can find natural-looking hammocks.for bearded dragons like this one. You can also find unique cloth hammocks from online sellers or at your local reptile show.
6. Bedding
When it comes to bedding for bearded dragons, there is a lot of debate about what is and is not the safest option. Some will say sand is safe, others will say it can cause impaction. We say avoid it to be safe.
One thing both sides seem to agree on is it can be dangerous when they are babies. As babies, they can be impacted much easier.
They do make calcium sand as a safer alternative, but there are still health risks involved.
There are lots of other options besides sand. You can use newspapers which can be easy to clean up and cost-effective. Reptile carpet is also an easy option and looks a bit nicer than newspaper. A few other good options are slate, or Interlocking wood cut to size. You can get creative. Explore what others have done and find out what you like best.
Also look into Eco Earth for bedding.
7. Plants
Plants are a great addition to bearded dragon tanks. They help give a very natural look and make your dragon feel at home. You can use fake plants and vines, something like this.
You can also use live plants inside your bearded dragon’s tank, but because there is always a chance they might try to snag a bite, you’ll need to make sure it is not toxic.
A list of safe bearded dragon plants are:
- Haworthia Plants
- Dwarf Jade Plants
- Prickly Pear Cacti
- Aloe Plants
- Echeveria
8. DriftWood
You can find Reptile Driftwood just about anywhere, and it is excellent for enclosures. Your dragon will love having a variety of decor to climb on. You can find natural already treated wood online or at your local pet store.
The wonderful thing about wood is you can find and sterilize it yourself if you choose. You can stick it in your oven for around half hr to an hr at 200 degrees. There is wood that is toxic to dragons. You will want to stay away from Cedar, Pine, Eucalyptus cedar, and fir. These are very dangerous for your bearded dragon.
Conclusion
Having the proper tank accessories will help keep your dragon not only healthy but happy. Rocks, hides, and Driftwood all work to keep your tank looking nice but are also excellent for stimulation. Your bearded dragon will have lots of options and plenty to explore. When buying tank accessories, you want to keep mental health in mind just as much as physical.
When you finally get all your dragon’s tank accessories, you and your beardie will be happy.
