Do you like to take your bearded dragon for walks and let them explore around?
Are you someone who likes to save money?
There are many products you need for owning bearded dragons, if homemade, it is much cheaper than if you bought it at a store.
One of these are the bearded dragon harness.
You don’t have to break the bank if you get crafty, but you do need to know how to make a bearded dragon harness.
Read on for more details on what you’ll need and the detailed instructions.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
In this section, we go over what you need to make a harness for a beardy.
These items are helpful for the process, so make sure you have these available before you get started.
The paracord is going to form the basis for your leash.
You’ll need a reasonable length of cord to use, around 4-6 feet, at least, but 10 feet would be preferred.
If you have some around the house, they will work well.
Otherwise, find a product at the link.
For those of you who want to use another kind of cord, it’s possible, but only if the cord is sturdy and won’t fray.
Don’t use yarn or string.
Scissors
You’ll also need a good pair of scissors to cut through the paracord.
Don’t use a dull pair of scissors to cut, or you’ll end up with frayed ends, which will cause problems.
You probably have the small pony beads around your house for crafting, but if you don’t, use these by Darice.
The pony beads are going to serve as the adjustable pieces to get the harness to fit snugly.
The padded leash handle isn’t an absolute necessity, but it will make your life a whole lot easier.
I tried this dog handle clip by Vivaglory and never looked back.
Step By Step Instructions
Here are the detailed instructions telling you how to make a bearded dragon leash or harness.
Read the directions carefully, or you may end up with a harness your reptile pet can escape from.
#1 Cut The Length Of Cord
The first thing you need to do is to cut the length of the cord.
You should ultimately decide how long to cut based on how tall you are and how far you want to let the bearded dragon go.
Keep in mind; you should double the length you want for the leash.
If you’re around 5.5′ tall, you should go for a 4′ long leash.
This means you need about 8′ of paracord.
Note:
If you’d instead attach a leash you already have, such as a dog leash, then use around 2′ of cord.
#2 Double Up The Cord And Add 3 Beads
Put the ends of the paracord together, so you have two cord lengths next to each other.
One end of the cord is a loop, and the other is the two loose ends.
Take three beads and stick them through the loose ends.
They should go all the way down to the looped end.
Leave each of the beads around 4″ – 6″ apart, starting with the bead closest to the looped end, which should be 4″ – 6″ away from the end.
#3 Slide The End Through The Loop
Take the loose ends of the cord and run them through the looped end of the paracord.
Pull it all the way through until two of the three beads are through.
Leave the last bead outside of this loop.
#4 Tighten Up The Bottom Bead
Take the bead closest to the looped end of the cord and pull it tight against the looped end now.
With the length of the paracord through, this will now tighten and secure to loop.
You should now have a circle shape made of two lengths of cord with the loose ends running the rest of the way.
Two of the beads are in this circle, and one is just outside it.
#5 Tie The Handle
Start feeding beads down the length of the cord through the two loose ends.
It’s up to you for how far apart the beads are.
The more beads you use, the tighter the cord will end up being.
When you get close to the loose ends, choose the last five beads and run these ends through the beads again and tie them off using the knot of your choice.
Note:
If you’re using a full leash, you only need to use a few beads to hold the length together.
Otherwise, the steps are the same.
#6 Attach The Padded Leash Handle (Optional)
Clip on the leash end of your choice.
If you’re using the short padded leash as we suggest or a full-length leash, clip the leash through your end, you made in the last step.
Adjust the beads until you get a good clip.
For those who don’t want to use any clip, adjust the beads until you create a loop and use this as a handle.
Beardies don’t pull hard, but it can still be uncomfortable to hold on to.
#7 Put In Your Bearded Dragon
Your harness is done, but you need to know how to use it.
Luckily, it’s pretty easy.
The central part of the circle is where your beardy’s head goes through.
The space between the two cords on the circle is where you put the front legs.
Now the middle beads are then pulled towards the dragon body to tighten against the legs, and the top bead is then tightened to fit the whole beardy body tightly.
Congrats on making your homemade bearded dragon harness!
For a visual look and slightly different method, check out this video.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed learning how to make a bearded dragon harness.
It isn’t hard at all once you’ve read the directions.
Doing this can help keep your beardy safe on walks and save you some money as well!
Check out the best bearded dragon names.
