Skip to contentGET THE APP · SHOP COMING SOON
Beardie Supply Co.

The NEVER list

Everything from the guide that should not go near a bearded dragon, collected.

1 min read · updated 27 August 2026

Equipment

  • Mercury vapor bulbs
  • Colored bulbs, including red night bulbs
  • Red and blue LEDs
  • Heat rocks
  • CHEs or deep heat projectors as primary heat
  • Solid domes on bulb-style LEDs
  • Untested lookalike T5 fixtures
  • Pet-store dial gauges
  • On/off thermostats on basking lamps

Enclosure

  • Corner hides or hammocks as basking surfaces
  • Seagrass and mesh hammocks
  • Fake plants
  • Doll house setups
  • Reptile carpet
  • Crushed walnut shells
  • Calci-sand and vita-sand
  • Adhesive shelf liner
  • Bark and sand mats
  • Coniferous and eucalyptus wood

Food and care

  • Fruit
  • Pellets
  • Age-based feeding charts
  • Squeezing femoral pores
  • Soap in bath water
  • Water above the armpits
  • Assuming brumation without a fecal test
  • Brumating a baby, juvenile or unwell dragon
First published
19 July 2026
Last updated
27 August 2026
Sources
18 cited

Compiled from published research and the work of people who did the measuring, named throughout and listed in full at the end of the guide. General suggestions, not veterinary advice. Read the full disclaimer.