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[Beardielizzy]

@Germ : thanks for the quick response ! We are so new to this that I am so worried that he's sleeping like this I was going to try to take him out of his cave today and bathe him but a lot of people say to just let him sleep that it is natural ( which I understand ) ok so we started with a 20 gallon tank and we basically used all the lighting and stuff it came with except the sand ! So we did have a coiled uvb ! At christmas we bought lizzy a 50 gallon tank I call it " the condo " he's spoiled ! Lol anyways he has a cave on the cool side he goes in and loves it bit will always come to bask and eat and be nosey lol ! So about two weeks ago I upgraded his uvb with a long strip bulb a 30 inch so it covers his whole Viv as I has no idea my coiled 18 inch was useless ! Mind u he acted fine the whole time ! Just about two weeks ago around the same time he started eating less thus pooping less and was sleeping long hours but would wake for a little bit to bask eat kale ect ' so Sunday night he snuggled in his cave and hasn't come out since ! Oh I'm so worried I hope it's Brumation please tell me what u think should I try to wake him ?

Ps: should I mist him with warm water ? I don't know what to do

 

[Germ]

There are many different methods of dealing with Brumation. I will describe what I do. This is one way, it may not even be the best way, but it is what I have done for many years & has worked very well for me & mine.

Not all BDs will Brumate in captivity, keeping heat & Day\Night schedules consistent will sometimes stave it off, but not all the time. Brumation generally does not happen with BDs less than a year old. Brumation is a survival sequence Hardwired into their system for when the weather turns cooler, days get shorter & food is scarce. While in captivity, it is not necessary, but still happens to many BDs and should not be attempted to stop it happening, once it starts, as it is a natural part of their life cycle & would be detrimental to their health if we try to keep them awake to stop it from happening. It is similar but different (If that makes sense) to Mammals hibernation. Different BDs will Brumate in different ways & for different lengths of time. Some will go right to sleep for days to Months, usually after finding a sheltered place, often on the cool side if they can find one, others will find a place to perch, again more times than not, on the cool side, eyes open during the day, aware of their surroundings but very little other movement & again this can last for days to months. Three times I have had Arrow climb into a hide & not come out for over 5 months. But this is longer than most BDs will brumate.

Once it is apparent that my BDs are trying to Brumate, (Not eating, sleeping or not moving for days) I give them a warm Bath, then let them choose their spot & leave them be. Once they have not moved for a week, I will shut off all the lights & timers, they are not needed during Brumation. Once they wake or become active on their own, I turn their lights & timers back on, I will give a warm soak & offer food, sometimes they will eat, other times not, if they intend to continue to Brumate. If they go back into Brumation, after 2 days I will shut down the lighting again. Repeat this until they wake on their own & stay awake or become active. Again, this can last for a few days to many months, they will not eat, drink, poop or move much. They expend no energy during this time, so nourishment is not needed with very, very little weight loss.

Check on them every week or so, without disturbing them if possible, for signs of drastic noticeable weight loss.

Once they wake for good, resume regular Light & Feeding schedules. It is common for them to go through a 'Frisky' time after Brumation, with a lot of glass dancing etc, it is like they forget that they are a caged animal & trying to escape. This is normal & should be let to run it's course also. I have had this run for as long as 2-3 weeks.

That is how I deal with Brumation, there are many different methods. Some people have been known to place their BD in a shoe box in a dresser drawer & check on them weekly while Brumating. I choose to leave them in their enclosure. They require no heat or UVB during brumation, providing the ambient temps do not drop below regular allowable night temps of the mid to low 60S F.

Anyway, that is how I have always handled Brumation for years & it has worked very well for me & mine. It is hard to leave them be for what can be a really long extended period of time, the average usually being 2-3 months, but needs to be done. If it runs longer, it is not a problem, providing that you do not visually see drastic weight loss. I repeat, Brumation needs to be allowed to run it's natural course.

 

[Beardielizzy]

Thank u so much ! That makes me feel a little bit better knowing that this actually really happens and it is normal ! I will explain to my kids that this is apart of their natural cycle ! I have tried to look up as much as I could about this and people seem to have all different ways of dealing with this ! I have to admit the way you deal with it , is the way a few others seem to as well ! So I thank u for taking the time to calm my nerves lol also it's ok to keep the uvb off ? And the other lights only need to be on if temps go below 60 ?? Thanks again
Teresa ( beardielizzy )

 

[Germ]

also it's ok to keep the uvb off ? And the other lights only need to be on if temps go below 60 ??

Teresa ( beardielizzy )

Yes, ALL enclosure lights off, no heat, no UVB. Should your temps drop below the mid to low 60s F, treat it the same as night heat should be dealt with when needed, acquire a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter - heat with no light emitted) with an inline dimmer or thermostat set just high enough to take the edge off, High 60s - low 70s.

This is what a CHE looks like ...

 

[Cindy Chamberlin]

Hi, my name Cindy Chamberlin I have had a beardie for almost 5 years now. She is so sweet. I guy that raises them came by today and said she is too fat. I usually give her a bath every Sat, spray her with water every day. But, she is going through Brymination, or however you spell that. She doesn't like to be bothered during this time, and she usually does get fat. I think she is beautiful. She does love to eat. She is very spoiled and I give her a salad every day, and meal worms or crickets 2 times a week. What does everyone think. He also said she is very large for a female. The vet sexed her.

 

[Deej81]

Hi all there's loads of questions I nee to ask but the first one is how the hell do u ask questions? (Start new topic) I can only reply, as I'm doing here, I need to start topics to get answers or people won't see what I need to help me :-( sending love from me n my beardy Pedz

 

[diegothediggy]

Got to the browse section click where u want ur topic to go them click the pen icon along thw top hope I helped

 

[burtsmama]

Hi All..
I wanted to introduce myself and Burt. He has been part of our family since last August.
I believe he was about 6 weeks then so I would say he is about 9-10 months old to date.
He has added so much love to my life and I hope he feels the love as well. I believe he does.
He is a bit picky with what veg he eats but that should be our worst problem.
He is sweet and wouldn't hurt a fly.
He loves to hang out on my shoulder in the sun or around the house.
He definitely is a bit timid so he hangs on tight.
I do feel that his enclosure could be set up better than it is. If I could get some suggestions about substrate or no substrate (repti chips I just heard about in the last 1/2 hour).
And maybe some other ideas other people have used to make your beardies home as comfortable as an be.
I feel he doesn't have as much of a good hiding area as maybe he is suppose ?
Other than that he is a great little dude.
I'm glad to have found a place to commie and hope I can offer my help and experiences as well to those who are in need.
All my best..
Burtsmama..

 

[toyahleighb]

Hi im toyah, I have two male bearded dragons age approx two to three years both have come from previous owners and are named after Motley Crüe band member's haha. The orange fella is Sixx and the yellow bearde is Tommy glad to have some where to chat and share pics. Thanks guy and dolls x

 

[dabail88]

Hi me and my husband have had our beardie Dragon since August and are getting a crestie in a couple of weeks

 

[Ryanhill377]

My beardie is like 9 months and he's not very big!! Tips?

 

[Andrew69]

Hi I'm Andrew I've had my first beardie 3wks now he is fantastic and I'm so glad we got him

 

[Andrew69]

Hi I've read about feeding up rockys hoppers he is gonna have for dinner tonight what shall I feed them

 

[diegothediggy]

Hi All..
I wanted to introduce myself and Burt. He has been part of our family since last August.
I believe he was about 6 weeks then so I would say he is about 9-10 months old to date.
He has added so much love to my life and I hope he feels the love as well. I believe he does.
He is a bit picky with what veg he eats but that should be our worst problem.
He is sweet and wouldn't hurt a fly.
He loves to hang out on my shoulder in the sun or around the house.
He definitely is a bit timid so he hangs on tight.
I do feel that his enclosure could be set up better than it is. If I could get some suggestions about substrate or no substrate (repti chips I just heard about in the last 1/2 hour).
And maybe some other ideas other people have used to make your beardies home as comfortable as an be.
I feel he doesn't have as much of a good hiding area as maybe he is suppose ?
Other than that he is a great little dude.
I'm glad to have found a place to commie and hope I can offer my help and experiences as well to those who are in need.
All my best..
Burtsmama..

I has sand when i first got Diego but after reading bout impact i changed it to tile. Very cheap easy to clean looks nice and keeps the temps up. But i did leave a tad of samd coz he like a dig. Diego loves his viv and so do i.

 

[StevieBhoy11]

Hi, new to these forums.
Bought my daughter our first bearded dragon named STUMPY due to missing a few fingers and toes, so not much of a climber.
Have a few questions regarding temperatures and decor.
1. How high should I let the temp get as she only seems to get active when it's around 42 or higher.
2. She is 2 yrs old and in a 3ft tank, do I need to go bigger.
Thanks

 

[Kimberly85]

We got our 1st bearded dragon a month ago and it is by far the best pet I could have gotten me and my son we love him
So much we also have a leopard gecko 6 differnt fish tanks 2 hamsters and two dog

 

[diegothediggy]

We got our 1st bearded dragon a month ago and it is by far the best pet I could have gotten me and my son we love him
So much we also have a leopard gecko 6 differnt fish tanks 2 hamsters and two dog

I cudnt agree more our kids love them. We got Diego in jan n we rescued Boris last month. I neva had a pet as a child. Cudnt have got a betta 1 they are so amazing. Wud luv 2 c a puc

 

[diegothediggy]

Pic* sorry.

 

[Kimberly85]

This is Elijah and spikes

 

[diegothediggy]

Aw they beautiful

Diego and phoebe