Too young to brumate???

Status
Not open for further replies.

Sassy123

Member
So my bearded dragon, Mushu, is about 7 months old, and for the past two weeks or so, he has been sleeping CONSTANTLY. Whenever I check on him, he is sleeping. Sometimes he basks, but for the most part he just sleeps. In the past two days, whenever I fed him, he ate only a little bit, then went back to sleep. He did eventually eat more of his bugs, but he wasn't nearly as excited to eat as usual. He has UVB in his tank, close to his basking spot, and he has a hot spot of about 105 degrees... What is wrong?? Do I need to change his UVB bulb? (I've had it for about 5 and a half months now, and it is a T8, not a T5)
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
It's unusual but not unheard of for young dragons to brumate especially if they are larger. Has he been losing any weight during this time? The behavior sounds like brumation but it's best to double check to make sure it isn't an underlying health or environmental problem. Keep the lights on the same schedule. It's probably best to replace the T8 just in case it isn't providing enough UVB anymore. It needs to be 6-8'' above the basking area. If his weight is stable I'd let him sleep but keep the lights on during the day. Keep checking every few days to offer him some water and record his weight.
 

Sassy123

Member
Original Poster
His UVB bulb is within that range, probably about 5 inches away from his basking spot. So far he has not lost any weight, which is why I was wondering if it was brumation. I will definitely watch his weight and get started on changing his UVB bulb. Thanks!
 

blue11

Sub-Adult Member
Hello!

I was in the same predicament that you are in with my girl - she was born early in the year - around March of 2008 .... I noticed when October of that year came around, she was slowing down - and by the start of November she had gone into adult brumation state! I worris something was wrong, the pet shop I got her from as ABA y nebr mentioned brumation (of course!) and I worried she was too young at 8 months to do this, but because of her early hatch date, I let it happen, and all was well. This first brumation lasted from November to end of January, and all her other brumations for the next 8 years have followed suit, but last longer from the second brumation and on. Generally she begins to show signs that month, is down/deep asleep until late Feb or early April ... I know on many sites and FAQ’s you tend to see that dragons shouldn’t/won’t brumation until after one year old - but if they are pushing close to that age, healthy, and are showing the normal signs of slowing down before the big sleep - I don’t see a reason to worry or to stop it. Brumation seems to be a good sign of healthy dragon and that fact that they feel ready and comfortable enough to do so - are (to me) the green light to go ahead and let nature take its course. I did check on her ALOT her firs time - for breathing - (not waking her up) - because the first time can be especially stressful for the human! But for you and your dragon, it’s just the first many brumations to come!
Assuming your temps good, set up is good, the dragon has shown no signs of illness or dehydration - everything should be just fine. I personally turn off the lights and let my dragon tell me when she is ready to wake up - they are vet smart animals and their internal clock works quite efficiently! It just can be a very un-settling time for us to go through th firs time (and the following times too, when we miss our babies!!) and dragons do not all brumatethe same way. My girl goes down - completely. It a very deep sleep for about 3 months. She begins to shift around an much here and an inch there as the end of Feb come around, and usually in early March she will have slowly moved from her hire and blankets on her “cool side” to her closet her basking spot, saying “mom - fire up the lightsX I’m ready!” ... so I introduce the lights back on, Stryker b with age hours a day then soon back up to 12 on 12 off. Some go up and down. Some just become “lazy” ... either way, try to get your dragon to poop before you let it fully happen.

Different people treat thiS process differently - I would keep asking quesrions, and keep doing research - and lost importantly -listen to your dragon - keep a log of behaviors leading up to this, and let your dragon tell you what works best for them. They have a way of confusing is for sure ? ... but it’s out of love! I hope that it all goes well, and you can use this an indicator of what to expect next time ??? - sweet dreams to your dragon!!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Still Needs Help

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,898
Messages
1,255,670
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom