How active are your adult beardies?

[WendyMLR]

I just wanted to check with those who have adult beardies on how active they are? My Roger doesn't exert a lot of energy unless it's to grab his roaches. When I take him out and let him walk around, he doesn't cover much ground. Even when he's outside in his pen, he just likes to sunbathe and then hide when it gets too hot.

I know they slow down when they get older. Does anyone have a really active adult?

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Our Mungi is 2 1/2 years old. His energy and activity comes in spurts and the majority of that being in the mornings and early afternoons after a good night's rest. The later afternoon's are hit and miss and he tends to do more basking and napping the later the day goes.
This is all normal behavior in dragons as they get older and become more "terrestrial" and lazy. Seasonal changes have a lot of influence on them also despite us keeping them in controlled environments. They still sense the seasonal change.
Your dragon at 4 years is also well into the age that brumation cycles can occur. These brumation cycles don't necessarily mean the classic full beardie big two month snooze as each individual dragon is different and handles brumation different. Some take the big snoozes while others become less active and take multiple short snoozes throughout the day and still others never brumate at all.
I would not be concerned with the inactivity or lessened activity level unless it was accompanied by other symptoms such as sudden and prolonged loss of appetite coupled with particularly noticeable weight-loss and/or dehydration.
Noticeable weight-loss and dehydration are danger signs that can indicate more serious underlying issues.
Enjoy!

 

[WendyMLR]

Thanks for the info!
Roger does go into his cycles and is quiet for a while, but never has gone into the long snooze. It seems he was more active when he was 2... liked to explore a lot more. Now, he's content with just sleeping on me.

 

[WendyMLR]

Roger has been under his hide for about 5 days. I had to pick it up last night to make sure he was still alive. He's fine, but I'm wondering about the amount of UVBs that he's not getting. should I take the hide away or does that make him feel safe?

I'd like to take him out for something to eat and a bath. He's looking a little dry and wrinkly. I've read elsewhere that some people do take them for a weekly soak, but I don't want to bother his natural cycle.

 

[Aleena]

It's best to disturb them as little as possible during their brumation cycle and they really don't need UVB during this time. In the wild, Roger would have dug a hole and hid in his own little cave.

 

[WendyMLR]

Thanks for the reply. Figures that I say in the earlier post that he doesn't go into long cycles and now he's in his first long cycle.
Will he lose a lot of weight?
He's on the cool side and under his hide. Should I move the basking light to that side of his enclosure?

 

[Aleena]

Nope. They usually go to a cool spot for brumation as it's their winter. Breeders will usually drop the temps for them a bit even and shorten their light cycles.
He shouldn't lose any noticeable amount of weight. If he does, then there's something else going on and you need to get him to a vet.

 

[WendyMLR]

Thanks again! I just turned on his heat lamp and left it in its normal spot and keeping my eye on him.

 

[Beardiesrock84]

Question about brumation, does it usually happen in the winter months? I know they can sense the seasonal change, but my last beardie never went into full on brumation, I had him for 7 years, he would just snooze randomly here and there over winter months. My new rescue, Gordo, has slowed down a little, but with him being 3 1/2 ish years, I don;t know his brumation cycle....just curious the signs I could look for if he was going to go into a long cycle?

 

[Germ]

Generally it starts in the fall, but they can go down at any time of the year. Lack of appetite, staying in one spot all the time, generally on the cool side, sleeping all the time. Different BDs brumate in different ways, some go right to sleep in a cool secluded spot for months on end, others find a perch, again generally on the cool side, eyes open often during the day, aware of their surroundings, but no other movement for months on end. Others do one or the other, for short periods of time, from hours to months.

Thanks again! I just turned on his heat lamp and left it in its normal spot and keeping my eye on him.

If it is in full brumation & sleeping, you should shut down all lighting until it wakes & becomes active. They only need added heat if the temps will drop below the mid to low 60s F, the only enough heat to take the edge off should be added.

 

[Jaime]

hmmm this may explain it...Draco will be 2 in July 2013, hes very quiet this winter...hes eating fine but just resting more and not sun bathing as much...he used to run back and forth all day in his tank but now hes just lazy and goes to bed early every night...perhaps hes just feeling blah like the rest of us.