Not eating/Sleeping all day and night.

[Emily]

Diddy is 14 months now, and he usually eats every day, greens included. But for a week now he's been doing nothing but sleeping. No appetite. If I take him out, he falls asleep on my lap. I don't get it. I'm worried something may be wrong? If there's something I should be doing? Or should I just let him sleep? Frantic mommy here.

 

[Germ]

Diddy is old enough & it is the time of year that Brumation is more common with BDs. What you describe sounds like Brumation & you should let him sleep. There are many different methods of dealing with Brumation. I will describe what I do.

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 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 on the cool side, 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 no 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 there 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 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. 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.

 

[Emily]

I appreciate your help. He seems to have not lost any weight, (relief) and yes, he's climbing into his little hide-away and just wants to sleep. He gives me these "come on mom, leave me alone" looks a lot lately. It is getting to be that time. I'll monitor him closely but leave him be as you said. Thank yooou!

 

[Aleena]

Brumation stinks we wanna play but can't!

 

[Noella]

Mine hasn't started yet. She's still active and waking up during the day and sleeping during the night. She'll wake up and stay awake.

 

[Germ]

Not all BDs will Brumate in captivity & the ones that have, may not every year or even around the same time of the year, seems to depend if something triggers the instinct or not.

 

[Chris Baez Jr.]

This is a new thing to me. No it has not happened, and I hope not. But it is really good to know. Thanks Germ.

 

[Germ]

While it does happen, it is quite rare for a BD to Brumate before they are 1+ year old. Generally never for a youngster under 9-10 months.

 

[Chris Baez Jr.]

OK, I'm save for a while, if it is ever going to happen. Thanks.