Bothering brumating dragons

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Aaradimian

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Hi all,
There's a bit of discussion at my house over how often we should have our 2 brumating dragons out. I'm under the impression that they should be taken out only occasionally to weigh them and see if they want water, but they have ended up out every few days, mostly because people miss them. Is there any consensus on this or is it down to individual dragons? We don't bug them if they're asleep, but if their eyes are open, that's another story. What, if any, ramifications are there to interrupting their brumation like this, and do we need to adopt a firm "no touch" policy? I miss them a lot, but don't want our needs to come before theirs.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
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Generally I leave my guy alone if he is asleep. If he wakes up and looks around with a sleepy look I tend to leave him alone unless it's been a while since I've weighed him. I like to keep track of that at least once every week or two (within reason) during brumation. I also like to offer water when he wakes up so I'll drip some water on his nose and see if he licks at it. Aside from that I think it's best to let them be until they come out of it and start becoming more active.
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
Original Poster
Thanks CD! Do you (or does anyone else) know if it does them any actual harm to interrupt their sleep all the time? I don’t actually understand the reason they brumate in the 1st place.
 

CooperDragon

BD.org Sicko
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I think it mostly just annoys them from what I've seen. As far as I know they go into brumation as an instinct to survive cooler weather and scarce food sources. It may serve some rejuvenation purpose as well but I'm not really sure if it has a practical purpose for them when in captivity. I also don't know what triggers it since it doesn't have to do with the ambient weather and they tend to go into it at different times and to different extents (if at all). As a whole it's still a bit of a mystery.
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
Original Poster
Thanks! It's not much to go on, but my 2 dragons went under on the same day this year. They don't have any contact with one another and their ambient environment is pretty uniform. Same for their diet. However, they can both see outside, so I'm wondering if it has to do with length of day or maybe the color of the light. Of course this doesn't rule out a scent trigger from one somehow influencing another, for instance, since they share the same air more or less, but it may be a clue. Or maybe they just called each-other. :lol:
 
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