Brumation

PLEASE HELP. I really need with brumation info. I really don't know much at all about how to handle it. What to do with lights/feeding as they "prepare" to brumate. What to do with them when they're in brumation. (Handling, hydrating, etc...) How to know when they are ready to "come out." Seriously, i REALLY need help, I've never dealt with it before and my boy seems to be sleeping more so i think he may want to, though he's only about 11 months. He's still eating good though and healthy, with the exception of possibly still having some pinworms. ( yes i do know they need to be gone prior to brumating) One more thing please, off topic. Does a large amount of urate mean anything? It was perfectly white, and not "hard" but was a bit firm, in the shape of a log. Thanks in advance for any help

Hi there, I know he's a big boy so there is nothing to worry about. He is going to set the pace, just slowing down a bit and everything sounds perfectly fine, even if he has a low level of pinworms. Let him sleep when he wants, offer hydration about every 7-10 days and less food. If you want, you can keep his light schedule as it is or reduce it to 8-10 hrs. a day. They are very hardy and this is not going to hurt him. Try not to worry !!

Thank you so much for responding so quickly. My only concern about cutting back the lights is feeding. However i guess if i make the cut towards the evening hours it should be ok, as he does tend to eat earlier in the day and not so much in the evening. Hes generally pretty good about coming out and popping up in the mornings. Is that typical even if he's wanting to brumate? He had the pinworms... I'd say, two months ago tops? First fecal i decided to see if he could handle it himself as it was a "plus one" (5-10 eggs i guess). Then about a month later i tested again and it was still 5-10. Though I'd hoped they'd be gone, it seemed to me a good thing that it hadn't got worse. I plan to test again soon, but at what point should i treat? Also, should i at any point shut his lights off all together? And what temp should he stay at if he starts sleeping a lot? And how much do i cut back his food? Sorry for so many questions. One other thing though, did you have any thoughts on the urate? Thanks again AHBD, your a big help!

Oh boy, almost forgot, what do i do about supplements? The usual like calcium/ multivitamin, and the others i give him, serrapeptase, milk thistle, bee pollen, and vitamin C.

The large urate is fine as long as it's not chalky + hard. If he makes another , post a pic of it here but it sounds fine. And since he's not going in to a true brumation, just keep things the way they areif you like and if at any point you see that his pinworm count has increased you can opt to treat him. Then you could put a CHE on at night to keep him from sleeping too much + going toward a brumation. It seems like he's just going to do the " I'm a little sleepier than usual" kind of behavior which may last for a few weeks to a couple of months. That's fine for him as long as he's not ill. You can continue his supplements too since he's still eating. How much + what type of calcium + vitamin do you give ? Vitamins are not as often as calcium, maybe 1-2X a week lightly on the food, calcium 3-4X a week for a sub adult.

AHBD, THIS IS TODAY'S POOP! LOOKS GREAT, URATE WAS MORE FIRM LAST TIME THOUGH. SHOULD THERE BE ABSOLUTELY NO UNDIGESTED PIECES? (IN REGARDS TO DIGESTION) I SAW WHAT LOOKED LIKE A ROACH SHED, BUT GREAT OTHERWISE, AND HIS TEMP IS GOOD SO...

Ahbd please help, he got rid of pin worms on his own butt now has 3+ coccidia!!! This is the THIRD time he's had coccidia!!! WHY? And what's the best medicine? Last time it was THREE WEEKS worth of meds, it was torturous!!! UGH my poor baby

Did you mean to post a pic of the poo ? A bit of undigested food can be normal. For coccidia you probably were given Albon which is very harsh + some vets use for too long. Ask for Ponazuril [ aka ] toltrazuril. It usually works in 2-3 days. You can even get it from here :
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjV7ZT_q_3WAhVK4YMKHQkpATcQFgguMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.beardeddragon.co%2Findex.php%3Froute%3Dproduct%2Fproduct%26product_id%3D478&usg=AOvVaw2H9jfRtGJq0AWUcHXrpA9c

yes i meant to post this. I can't believe high coccidia count with a poop like that. And i must have come on and blown right up cuz it wasn't there last time i tested when pinworms were still present. Also can you give me dosing on the medicine?

AHBD can you please call me? I have questions about the medecine. 603-223-7018
If your not comfortable it's ok. But im just trying to find out quickly to order the medecine. I'm concerned about my vet, there's been other things that have caused me to doubt him, but now, HE'S DOESN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT THIS MEDECINE! What the heck. I'm just wondering about how much to give, how often, how long, how much to order, how quick i can get it, etc...

That poo does look very healthy. If you order the meds, the dosing will be listed right on the bottle.

I've gotten serrapeptase from this site and the dosing was confusing. How much would i give for my boy at 550 grams? And have you used it before? My vet turns out only knew of it for giving to horses, and he's suppose to be an exotic vet. Is this medecine common for use in bearded dragons?

Also, any idea as to how he could have not had them and then suddenly had a large load?

It is a very safe + common drug. When you order it and it comes in, there will be a syringe with it. The 1 cc [ same as ml. ] syringe is very small + would hold about 5 doses altogether if it were filled. Most people who use it have good results in only 2-3 doses. The stuff is quite safe even if you accidentally give too much.

Just pop back on here when you get it, there are several people who could help you with the dosing, including Ellend and Drache613. Try not to worry too much, the count can fluctuate at times and even a moderately high count often doesn't seem to bother them, but of course you'd still treat him.

As i would like to give it to him right away, is rather not wait until it comes in to find out dosing. I will make a new post to ask. Either way, it's a good sign for his immune system that he got rid of pinworms on his own right?