Recommended Toys & Activities

Bearded Dragons spend a large amount of their time in their tanks so it’s vital that you try and provide them with some mental stimulation to prevent them from getting bored.

The best way to do this is to provide them with engaging toys and joining in with fun activities but it can sometimes be hard to know where to start.

Here are some great items from Amazon that you can grab to keep your Bearded Dragon entertained without breaking the bank.

• Play Ball (This One on Amazon)
• Whiffle Ball (feeder Ball) (This One On Amazon)
• Mirror (This One From Amazon)
• Laser Pen (This One On Amazon)
• Cat teaser Toy (This One On Amazon)
• Tunnel (This One on Amazon)
• Hide (This One on Amazon)
• Hammock (This One on Amazon)

Play Ball

An amazingly simple but effective way to keep your Bearded Dragon from getting bored is to play with a simple little ball.

Believe it or not, Bearded Dragons can actually learn to play fetch. This takes time but the process is great for bonding between you and your Dragon and rolling a cheap ball around provides some much needed time out of the tank.

You don’t want to use a ball that’s too big or heavy or your Dragon just won’t be able to move it around and will get frustrated pretty quickly.

Using a ball like this soft foam ball on Amazon is perfect and should give you and your Dragon hours of fun together.

Feeder Ball

Feeder balls are great fun and your Bearded Dragon will go absolutely crazy for this game.

You basically fill a whiffle ball with insects such as worms and then tape the holes up and show it to your Dragon!

They will frantically do everything they can to get to the insects inside the ball. This is a wonderful activity to provide your Dragon with some extra exercise and give them that much needed mental stimulation outside of the tank.

The game should only be played for a short period of time as your Dragon will get highly frustrated after a while when they can’t get the food inside the ball and I would always recommend feeding them after the game has finished so it’s best to play just before mealtimes.

You can pick any kind of plastic whiffle balls such as these ones on Amazon.

A Mirror

Putting a little mirror in your Bearded Dragons tank is a great way to grab their attention.

They will become very curious as to who the visitor is in their tank.

You may see your Dragon a little apprehensive, intimidated, intrigued, showing signs of dominance and showing off or even getting angry.

This is totally fine, just as long as you don’t keep the mirror in the tank for too long. Around 15 minutes is enough for your Dragon to enjoy the situation without getting overwhelmed or stressed.

Any small mirror that will fit in your Bearded Dragons tank is good. If you don’t have any spare mirrors in your home then try this one from Amazon.

I picked this particular one because it’s free-standing, a good size and costs next to nothing.

Laser Pen

Laser pens are my favourite toys for Bearded Dragons. You can pick them up for next to nothing these days and they are great fun.

If you shine the light on the floor most Bearded Dragons will chase the light thinking it’s some sort of insect.

You should only do this for around 10-15 minutes because your Dragon can get frustrated when they can’t pick up the laser dot and eat it.

I would also recommend this game just before mealtimes so you can feed your Dragon after and keep them happy.

Here’s a great laser pen on Amazon that you can pick up for pretty cheap.

Cat Teaser Toy

It always seems a little odd at first to think about a Bearded Dragon playing with cat toys but they actually often love these sorts of activities.

The ones that I believe will give them the most stimulation are the ‘teaser’ style toys.

Adding simple objects at playtimes that are colourful and that also offer different textures can provide your beardie with some much-needed enrichment.

You simply dangle wire with an object such as a feather or mouse on the end close to your Dragon and watch how they react.

Some Bearded Dragons might get intimidated by unknown objects dangling over their head but others will love the chance to spend time out of their tank and experience something new.

They can display all sorts of behaviours and it can be pretty funny watching how they react.

You obviously don’t want your dragon to be scared and stressed by these objects but the goal is for them to become intrigued and to add some mental stimulation.

You can pick these teaser toys up for from Amazon and any pet store. This Amazon seller has a great bundle with 20 pieces that’s sure to keep your Dragon interested and stimulated for hours on end and the price is really good too.

Caves & Hides

Providing your Dragon with hides is a great way to allow them to escape an unwanted situation and feel safe. You really can get some awesome hides if you want to kit out the terrarium with some cool looking decor.

This may not seem like a toy or activity but caves and hides will keep your Dragon mentally stimulated as they have areas to explore and hideout in.

This hide over on Amazon is our favourite as it will allow your Dragon to hide its full body inside. Some hides are good for babies but once your Dragon reaches adulthood they will struggle to hide themselves.

It comes in 4 different sizes so you can easily find the right size for both your tank and your dragon.

It also has a natural habitat look so your dragon will feel at home and safe.

If you really want to create a special look then a would recommend taking a look at this skull hide on Amazon and this croc skull on Amazon. They’re actually really cheap and they look awesome in a terrarium when they are accompanied by plants and other decors to finish off the look.

Tunnels

Tunnels are basically the same as hides, they provide a great place for your Bearded Dragon to escape and feel safe then ever they need to plus you can make some awesome terrarium landscapes with bark tunnels.

The main thing again is to make sure that your Dragon can actually fit inside of the tunnel with ease.

This tunnel On Amazon by Zoo Med is a good choice because you can actually cut it down and make it fit certain areas of your terrarium. Tunnels aren’t a necessity to for the tank so don’t think that you must go out and buy one but they do help to create that natural habitat feel and as we mentioned before they will add another place for your Dragon to hide if needed.

Tunnels are also great to add to playpens, enrichment pods and even to use in playtimes.

Hammocks

Another item I love to add to my Bearded Dragon terrarium is a hammock. Again, this isn’t something that your Dragon needs but it is something that they will find fun.

Hammocks really do help to keep your Dragon stimulated and I find that they really do enjoy chilling on them.

If you can spare an extra few dollars in your budget then I would definitely consider kitting your Bearded Dragons tank out with a hammock.

One thing that’s worth noting is that small tanks that are around 20-40 gallons may be a little small for a hammock but if you have a tank that’s around 75-120 gallons then this is a great opportunity to give your Dragon a little toy.

The one we recommend is the Penn Plax Reptology Lizard Lounger on Amazon because it’s really good quality and made from seagrass fibre.

The good thing about a hammock is that it allows your Dragon to get some of the extra stimulation it needs in the tank without having to seek your attention all the time.