Buying the right stuff for your bearded dragon can be extremely difficult for a lot of reasons. Just have a look at all the light bulbs you can get for a reptile tank in a pet shop. No wonder most beginner reptile keepers are completely confused at the beginning.
Below we have listed the products we (and hundreds or thousands of other reptile keepers) love using for our bearded dragons.
We have separated this list into the different categories of bearded dragon care. However, this is just a shopping list without too much information on the products.
If you want to learn how and why you should use the products we recommend, and how to become a great bearded dragon mama or papa, have a look at our ebook here!
If you already got our ebook, thank you so much for trusting us, and keep the points we have outlined in the book in mind when compiling your tank setup.
Now, we wish you so much fun shopping for your bearded dragon! Enjoy!
The right kind of tank
Tanks with an appropriate size are quite hard to get online. We have the feeling that more and more companies seem to stop selling their tanks online because they tend to break while shipping.
Craigslist or a similar site in your country often have great offers and we highly recommend having a look at one of those sites.
Also, we highly recommend getting a real reptile tank instead of just getting a fish tank. Most reptile tanks have better ventilation and doors at the sides.
Lighting setup
When it comes to heat bulbs, you can get any normal bulb with white (or yellow-ish) light that gets hot with the right wattage for your tank.
You can also get reptile heat bulbs but keep in mind that, unfortunately, those burn out rather quickly most of the time. So always get some replacement bulbs to be on the safe side.
Heat bulbs and UVB bulbs
- Heat Bulb 100W
- UVB lamp + fixture + 10.0 replacement lamp (10.0 is the recommended output)
- UVB lamp without fixture 22″
- 2-in-1 Mercury Vapor Bulb 100W
- 2-in-1 Mercury Vapor Bulb 160W
Ceramic Heat Emitters
Lighting Fixtures
- Heat lamp fixture (can bear 200W)
- Heat lamp fixture (100W or 160W max)
- T5 Fixture Carolina Custom Cages
For temperature and humidity
Substrate
Substrate for bearded dragons has become a very delicate topic. We have heard of people getting kicked out of Facebook groups just because they were using sand or a sand mix as a substrate for their bearded dragon tank.
However, there is no reason to freak out when people using such substrates for their bearded dragons because using such substrates does not automatically mean that a beardie gets impacted.
In fact, we only recommend clays or sand mixes as a substrate for most beardies.
How to use the clay
Before uncertainty keeps you from purchasing a great substrate like the clay we recommend above, have a look at the video below.
It will show you exactly how to use the clay, what you can create with it, how you can mix it, and it gives you an idea on how your beardie tank will look with it.
Plants, hides, and decoration
Keeping a bearded dragon in an almost empty tank is not recommended. We could link to dozens of hides, plants, and other decorations in this article. However, that would be a little too much for this page.
Instead, we just link to some of our articles we have already created that show you awesome products you might wanna have a closer look at. All those articles are updated frequently.
- If you want to get some plants for your bearded dragon tank, read this article!
- If you want to get some hides for your beardie tank, read this article!
- If you want to get some other decorations, we recommend having a look at this article!
Reptile tank cleaning products
If you want to make sure that your reptile tank does not smell bad, you have to use some cleaners from time to time. Luckily, there are some cleaners out there that were made for using in a reptile tank.
Always make sure to read the instructions before using those.
Leash and harness
If you want to go outside with your bearded dragon, getting a leash is recommended. Bearded dragons can be scared by birds and other objects that might be “predators”. When they freak out, they can become really quick!
Minerals and Supplements
While mineral supplements are easier to give to your bearded dragon, we do not recommend giving your bearded dragon any vitamin supplements without the help of a reptile vet.
Bearded Dragon Food
You can get a variety of feeder insects at your local pet store. However, some pet stores do not have the feeder insects you want. Especially dubia roaches can be hard to find in some areas. In that case, ordering online can help.
Tweezers
If you want to get your bearded dragon used to hand-feeding, or if you just don’t want to touch any feeder insects, you should get some feeding tweezers. While metal tweezers are fine, wooden tweezers are a little bit more safe for a beardie’s mouth.
Tweezers can also be used to remove feces from the reptile tank.
If your bearded dragon gets sick
If your bearded dragon is sick, you should never try to “heal” your beardie on your own. Always consult a vet before using any health-related products on your bearded dragon. Here are a couple of products you might need in the future.
