Bearded dragon not basking and eating as much

sardemonlord · Jan 5, 2020

Hi guys,
My bearded dragon is about 7 months old. I’ve noticed he hasn’t been basking as much as he has been. He would just lay in his sleep spot for hours before he comes out to bask. He’s also been very slow at eating, and doesn’t eat as much as he had been. Thankfully he hasn’t lost weight yet. I’ve heard about brumation but I’m new to the topic.

I would really appreciate the help.

KarrieRee · Jan 5, 2020

A 7 month old should not be brumating--- way too young -- my guess its the lighting you have in the tank please post pics of your tank and lighting -- If you are using a coil for UVB that is the first issue --- he should be eating like a horse and basking most of the day -- what size tank is he in? What are your basking temps and how are you taking them? NO STICK ONS they are inaccurate! https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on XIMG at top of message box click on the pic and it should post ----
Karrie

sardemonlord · Jan 5, 2020

My lighting setup should be correct. I haven’t changed anything with my time on having him. His basking spot reaches 98-102F and currently using T8 uvb tube bulb. I’ve been feeding him consistently and never had a problem eating until the past week.

sardemonlord · Jan 5, 2020

I also use a temp gun

KarrieRee · Jan 5, 2020

Does your UVB have a reflector on the fixture? I can't tell -- if it does not those UVB Ray's are going everywhere but to him-- if it does you need to put a piece of decor under it--- from the pic it looks like he can't sit under it--- even w/ a reflector he needs to be able to sit under it 6-8 inches

Claudiusx · Jan 5, 2020

Hi there,

They can brumate at that age (especially if this is just a guesstimate at his age) if they are larger. It seems to be more so a body size/maturity thing than an age thing.

That being said, it's always best to use these as reminders to double check everything and make sure there isn't something in your husbandry that is causing an issue.

I would definitely be keeping track of his weight though. Make sure it's not dropping. If not, he might just be simply slowing down for brumation. How do his poo's look?

What did his daily diet look like being slowing down?

-Brandon

Linzloohoo · Jan 5, 2020

My 7 month old is also semi-brumating as well I believe. He sleeps A LOT. He has been sleeping all weekend. He wakes up every few days to eat a bit, bask and poo, then goes back to sleep. When he is awake he acts normal, although doesn’t eat as much. He got big really fast and is currently at 400 grams. I think it’s brumation even though he’s young because I have verified his lighting/temps are correct and he is not losing weight, he’s actually still gaining weight although much slower than before this started. I woke him up one day and boy he was not happy at all. He has never been aggressive but he puffed up at me when I woke him. I’ve also noticed he has taken to eating more greens than bugs, which I’m guessing is him just getting older.
What do you think Brandon?

Linzloohoo · Jan 5, 2020

Also op that is how things started out for kai when he first started acting different. He would wake up hours after lights on, and go to bed hours before lights out. He was also eating less but still a good amount. Fast forward to now a couple months later, and he’s sleeping for days.

Claudiusx · Jan 5, 2020

Yup that's what I was trying to point out by the comment that I think it has more to do with size of the dragon as opposed to age.

1 of my girls is semi brumating too and she's only 5 months but she's 250+ grams.

USUALLY, as long as the sleepy behavior isn't accompanied with weight lose, it is just their bodies slowing down a bit

-Brandon

Bearded dragon not basking and eating as much

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