A great way to liven up your bearded dragon habitat is by adding plants, decor, and furnishings. It is very important to add the right types of plants and decor to ensure your bearded dragon is safe and happy.
Here are some plants and decor for a bearded dragon habitat to give it a more realistic feel and provide your pet a few things to improve its quality of life.
Wood Branches
Sandblasted pieces of driftwood make a fantastic climbing perch for your bearded dragon. These are particularly useful in the basking area for the bearded dragon to soak up some rays.
Make sure the driftwood is sturdy enough, and anchored in order to support your pet.
Mopani wood is another very attractive item to add as a perch or decor piece to a terrarium.
These branches not only look great, your bearded dragon will love perched up on it while basking, or napping.
Rocks
Large, flat rocks can also make a great perching area for your bearded dragon. Rocks can be found at many pet shops, garden stores, or home improvement stores.
Take caution with large heavy rocks that can easily crack tank bottoms. Be careful when placing them in the bearded dragon enclosure. Many pet stores carry artificial rocks that work well with bearded dragons. Some of these artificial rocks are hollow inside and double as a hide box, such as the Zilla Rock Den.
Plants
Bearded dragon owners can also add plants to the habitat, but take care when adding real plants. If a live plant is in the habitat, the bearded dragon might decide to use it as a snack. If the plant is toxic to bearded dragons, your pet could end up very sick, or dead.
Artificial plants are the best option for beginners since they are easy to clean, never need water, and are very naturalistic. Most pet stores carry a wide variety of artificial plants to choose from.
If you decide to use live plants, junipers are one of the most recommended plants to use. Junipers are slow-growing and do not require much water, reducing the chances of high humidity levels.
It is much easier to keep live plants in a separate pot for ease of cleaning and maintenance.
Hide Box
Adding a hide box is very essential to a bearded dragon terrarium set-up. In the wild, bearded dragons have many predators which they typically hide from in rock crevasses, holes, and within the substrate.
These shelters are most important for baby and juvenile bearded dragons so they have a place to hide when they feel threatened. Adults may still need a hide area, but not as much as younger bearded dragons.
A hide box can be made of almost anything as long as its safe. Broken clay pots, half-round cork bark pieces, and artificial hide boxes from a pet store. Pet stores carry a variety of hide boxes that resemble stumps, logs, and caverns that all look great and add a sense of wildness to the habitat.
When placing a hide box in the terrarium, make sure it is in a secluded area. The primary goal is to provide an area where the bearded dragon feels safe. Try to place it in an area that is somewhat dark.
Make sure it is large enough for your bearded dragon to fit completely inside.
How to Sterilize Natural Decor
Thoroughly disinfect natural decor items like rocks or wood before adding to the terrarium.
Bake wood branches in the oven at 150 degrees F for about 30 minute. This will kill any undesirable bacteria or insects. Another option is to clean the wood with a solution of bleach and water.
Use a mixture containing 10% bleach and 90% water. Boil rocks in water for 20 to 30 minutes to effectively sterilize.
Never place rocks in the oven. The rocks may contain water and the heat from the oven could cause the rocks to explode.
