long brumation

[Honchess]

My General has been brumating now for 8 weeks. The longest she has gone before is 6. Should I worry? I've had her for several years about 5, but she was a rescue so I don't know how old she was when I got her. Do they sleep longer as they age?

 

[Honchess]

Also, someone told me that the UV output in my basking bulb might be exhausted. And that might be affecting her long brumation. Is that possible? My bulb is 3 months old.

 

[BrookeE]

Mine was down for 3-4 months this summer. First brumation ever and it was a doozy. I was worried sick the whole time so i know how you feel. The longer it goes on the more you're like "Are you okay??" lol. I would say as long as she isn't losing weight rapidly or anything and you're sure its brumation, she's totally fine.

What kind of bulb are you using?

 

[Hdrydr31]

Yea 2 months isn't very long to be honest some have slept for 5-6months! Just make sure you are doing some weight checks and if he wakes for a bit try and hydrate.
I don't think that your bulb is bad this soon,, what are you using?

 

[Honchess]

Thank you for the reassurance! The General moves from time to time, stretching and getting comfy. Her fat pads are still cubby. I moved her log so that more light would penetrate her hidey hole, but she just turned her face to the back corner and went right on snoozing!
I am using a Zoo Med Reptile Basking Spot lamp. 100 watts. I've used this brand ever since I acquired the General, so I'm confident in its efficacy.
I will hold my peace and pray the General decides to wake up before I'm a nervous wreck!
You may hear from me again if she sleeps for another two!

 

[BrookeE]

Yep, if they are going into a hide, they don't want anything to do with the light, so you might as well just move it into the corner and leave her alone. The Zoo med basking lamp 100 Watts is totally fine for a basking light as long as its getting the basking temperature up high enough (Upper 90s). Do you have a UVB light though?

 

[Honchess]

I do have a UVB. In addition I have a ceramic heat emitter, to maintain the temp throughout the night I have a heat gun to keep tabs on the temperature..

This is one spoiled dragon! LOL I guess I'm trying to make up for her life up until the time I got her. She was kept in a five gallon tank and fed only dried crickets, no salad or live food. She had no climbing rocks or hidey hole. She had escaped at one time and was gone for several months--probably brumating or chowing down on live bugs in the house. Eventually she was found and returned to her tank. My daughter and son in law discovered her when they went to a family funeral. When they offered to take her off the kid's hands he jumped at the chance.
So since I got her, she's had salads with all kinds of greens and fruit (she loves strawberries and blueberries) live crickets and super worms. She won't even LOOK at dried crickets. She gets regular soaks and lots of attention!
Ok Like I said, I spoil here!! But she IS much loved.

 

[Rachelle Hampton]

The General sounds just like my Grimlock. We had to rescue him too. he was in a 20 gallon tank with a mate that was just a tad smaller than he is. he accidentally killed her while helping her to shed. His previous owners thought he was trouble after that. So we took him in and got him in proper sized room with all the goodies. i still have to get him a hide hole, but that is proving to be harder than it sounds to find one big enough for him. His body alone is as long from my knee to the crease between my leg and hip. thats without his tail. Age is unknown since he is a rescue that was rescued. But spoiled, oh my...so is my baby boy! He loves his live crickets! we do dried worms only because super worms are hard to find here on a regular basis.

 

[Hdrydr31]

The General sounds just like my Grimlock. We had to rescue him too. he was in a 20 gallon tank with a mate that was just a tad smaller than he is. he accidentally killed her while helping her to shed. His previous owners thought he was trouble after that. So we took him in and got him in proper sized room with all the goodies. i still have to get him a hide hole, but that is proving to be harder than it sounds to find one big enough for him. His body alone is as long from my knee to the crease between my leg and hip. thats without his tail. Age is unknown since he is a rescue that was rescued. But spoiled, oh my...so is my baby boy! He loves his live crickets! we do dried worms only because super worms are hard to find here on a regular basis.

I have 3 dragons (2 adults, 1 5-6 month old) for their hides since they are big dragons what I have done is for each of them I have a 12x12 tile and glued 1x1 short sticks about 4" to the bottom of the tile.. I put them on their cool side with a fleece ontop of the floor and simply cover the tile with a larger fleece that hangs over the sides to give them darkness.. This way they have plenty of room to move around as they wish without being all crammed into a hide.

 

[Honchess]

The General sounds just like my Grimlock. We had to rescue him too. he was in a 20 gallon tank with a mate that was just a tad smaller than he is. he accidentally killed her while helping her to shed. His previous owners thought he was trouble after that. So we took him in and got him in proper sized room with all the goodies. i still have to get him a hide hole, but that is proving to be harder than it sounds to find one big enough for him. His body alone is as long from my knee to the crease between my leg and hip. thats without his tail. Age is unknown since he is a rescue that was rescued. But spoiled, oh my...so is my baby boy! He loves his live crickets! we do dried worms only because super worms are hard to find here on a regular basis.

Sounds like a happy event for him when you found him! I buy my worms through Amazon. Josh's Frogs has an EXCELLENT record of shipping Superworms to me. Only once in several years have I gotten a dead shipment. That happened because the post office held them over a day in a hot truck (I live in the southwest) Josh's Frogs replaced them within 2 days.
I built a hide with brick sized paving stones and a "roof". I used the old commercial hide shaped like an open-sided pyramid. It got too small for her and I added the four paving bricks, two in the back, one on each side. With the old hide on top she has plenty of room. You could use the paving bricks too with a tile for a roof, just don't stack them up too high.

 

[Rachelle Hampton]

I will definetly check them out. we are going to look at some different building materials this weekend if the hubs stops running from the nose lol my weekend prioject is recovering a 6ft huge cat tree. weee! lol.