Brumation?

[AkHerps]

Hello all!

I believe my bearded dragon Yoshi is trying to brumate. He is a little over 2 years old now, and has never tried before.

A month or so ago he started to get extra cranky, then calmed down. A couple weeks ago he started to get cranky again and chose a dark cool spot on the bottom of his tank to relax and stretch out on. He has been in the same spot for about 3 weeks now. His eating has been slowing down for a couple weeks, he hasn't wanted to touch salad and wasn't eating his roaches as well. He had one last bowel movement a couple weeks ago and refused roaches for the first time ever and has since, not moved. He opens his eyes and kind of glares at me if I peek at him to look at him, but other than that, nothing.

I think it's partly my fault as his lights weren't on for 12 hours a day, sometimes they were on late, or got shut off too early.

So, if he is trying to brumate, how do I go about letting him?

I've researched it a lot in the past, and more so lately just because it seems to be happening, but questions pop up.

Do I work towards turning his lights off, or just keep them on for 12 hours, off for 12 hours?

Should I give him weekly baths? He is crammed under a bunch of logs so I'd have to take almost everything out of his tank to get to him lol.

Since he's had no food for a couple weeks and already pooped, I can't do a fecal, and there aren't any vets in town that would do one without seeing the animal and it's -10 to -30F right now so I don't want him going out of the house.

Thanks for any and all advice!

[maverickgtr]

Sounds like brumation to me. Isis started just about the exact same thing about a month ago. Keep offering greens at least in case Yoshi does get hungry. We hand feed Isis a couple pieces of greens a day at least and she eats half a bowl every other day-ish. She goes for them if we wiggle the greens a little. Also, we have a dedicated little food processor just for Isis and this last time we stocked up on greens and veggies for her, we got some yellow squash and cut it into chunks into the food processor. We got it into smallish pieces and then added some crickets, mealworms, etc [it was just a bearded dragon insect treat thing we got on sale at petsmart, i think it was mealworms, crickets, and grasshoppers] and ran the processor again. The insects got chopped up and Isis went nutzo for it when we offered it to her on a spoon while feeding her. She started attacking the spoon after she ate the last bit and before we could get the plastic spoon out of her tank! One little squash is proving to last for a while, she isn't eating that much of it and it's stored in the fridge in a baggie.

We're leaving Isis's lights on for the same amount of time as usual. 12 on, 12 off so she gets enough UV. We also have an infrared heat bulb we leave on almost every night [Texas weather is driving me crazy...]

We spaced out Isis's baths also. Instead of once a week we do it once about every week and a half and we mist her.

For Isis, we just gave her a little bit of space. She's grumpier now and while she still likes to watch us, but we don't take her out as often and what-not.

Hope this helps!

[Edit: forgot to mention, I wouldn't really start to worry too much unless Yoshi starts to lose a significant amount of weight. Try hand feeding vitamin dusted greens and wiggling them to get some nutrients in him.]

[AkHerps]

He's never liked greens or veggies or fruit very much. Usually he turns his nose up at anything other than bugs if I try to hand feed it to him. If he gets a big bowl of just fruits and greens, he won't touch it and it goes bad. If I try to trick him and put bugs in with the salad he picks the bugs out of the salad...

I offer it anyways but it ends up spoiling so he was just getting bowls of roaches and meal worms as a staple.

[maverickgtr]

Then just keep offering the dubias/mealies and dust them with a multivitamin more often and the calcium dust regularly. If he's hungry, he'll eat. If he starts to lose a lot of weight then take him to the vet and have him get a check up.

[BPelizabeth]

When beardies brumate they are able to slow down their metabolism so that really almost no weight is lost. Keep your lights on as normal and give him a bath once a week to keep him hydrated. Yes...he will hate you for this ....lol

Continue to offer him food and continue to offer greens...but less due to the expense and wasting it. Make sure if he does eat that he basks...even if you have to make him. Its important NOT to let it sit in his tummy and rot.

All beardies brumate differently. Some are such heavy sleepers they don't even wake up in a bath. Some still eat occasionally, some still bask a little bit but just seem a bit off. This is my least least favorite time. Princess Bob has been in brumation since about August...I thought she was coming out of it....but its sooooooo slow. She was also going into season...wanted to do the deed so she was building an egg sac. OYE!!! My baby! Doc told me she will just absorb it.

[Action Reptiles]

Welcome to the wonderful world of beardie brumation. Majority of times they wont eat and sleep for the majority of the time. This can last from a few weeks to several months(my record is 6 months lol). I have some that brumate hard and some that don't at all. Some I have do it every winter and some do it every other year or when they feel like it. During this time I will stop feeding as most dont eat anyway(unless it is a light brumation where they are still basking daily). If they are hiding in the cool end or sleeping all day I don't offer any food as it usually goes to waste. Like everyone else has stated I give mine a weekly bath to keep them hydrated. I will keep the lights on a 12hr cycle and it is pretty much a waiting game from there. Once they start coming out of brumation I will return the lights back to a 14 on and 10 off schedule. This is probably least fun time for beardie owners as there is not much interaction with your beardie.
Hope this helps and good luck

[AkHerps]

Yeah he hasn't moved at all to even attempt to bask in a while haha. Every now and then he stretches out his back legs but he pretty much is a blob right now.

In the future should his lights be on a 14/10 cycle?

What if I go to get him to give him a bath and he goes all psycho dragon like he has been? He's always hated baths too..

[Action Reptiles]

Hi, The lights are up to you if he is just a pet then you will be fine leaving then on a 12 on 12 off cycle. I have mine lights on a 14 on 10 off cycle during summer and then switch to a 12 on 12 off cycle for winter as most of mine are breeders. The light cycle also helps me with my breeding balls as they are all in the same room so I kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

As far as baths go if he gets that worked up you can do it every other week. As they are use to desert environment they don't have someone giving them baths in the wild when they brumate, it isn't a necessity to do it. I will sometimes go a few weeks without giving them one depending on how deep they brumate. I know other breeders that will put them into brumation and not disturb them for months and them bring them out with no ill effects. So you don't have to give them one every week but I would say at least once a month to be on the safe side.

[AkHerps]

Well I gave him a nice long soak last night and he was pretty energized after it. He stayed out basking all night and didn't go back to where he has been sleeping for the past couple weeks. I tried feeding him but he wasn't interested in anything.

[AkHerps]

Is he going to go through this whole freaking out and attacking everything every year when its breeding season? Because that is going to be really just not fun.

It's already lame enough having to battle him with his hate for veggies and water.

He makes me believe that some reptiles just dont belong in captivity.