Is my bearded dragon already going into brumation?

I'm a new bearded dragon owner, and I think he's going into brumation already. He hadn't been eating as much as he used to, taking naps during the day, and has been spending much more time under his hide then he used to. Is this brumation? I'll add in a picture of my setup just in case the setup is a problem

How old is he? They don't tend to brumate when younger than a year. Your setup looks pretty good. What are the surface temperatures in the tank? How far is the UVB light above his basking area?

I'd try bringing him outside for some natural sunlight if the weather allows it and see how he reacts to that. If he perks up a lot, the lighting may not be sufficient in terms of UVB intensity or temperature.

CooperDragon":3f33sz3q said:

How old is he? They don't tend to brumate when younger than a year. Your setup looks pretty good. What are the surface temperatures in the tank? How far is the UVB light above his basking area?

I'd try bringing him outside for some natural sunlight if the weather allows it and see how he reacts to that. If he perks up a lot, the lighting may not be sufficient in terms of UVB intensity or temperature.

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He's about 2 years old, and the surface area temperatures are typically around 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit. The UVB is about 2 feet from the basking area but it gets the entire terrarium at the same time.

He always becomes super dominant whenever I bring him out, tail up and head high.

OK at 2 he may be starting to brumate. I'd keep track of his weight and make sure that is stable. I would shoot for a basking surface temp of about 100-105 with some 90s around that and cool areas in the high 70s to low 80s most of the time. At 2ft the T8 UVB light is way out of range. Even with a reflector they don't do much beyond about 8''. If you have that kind of space between the bulb and basking site I recommend using a T5 tube with reflector which will provide good levels of UVB at around 12-14''.

CooperDragon":2vqzt947 said:

OK at 2 he may be starting to brumate. I'd keep track of his weight and make sure that is stable. I would shoot for a basking surface temp of about 100-105 with some 90s around that and cool areas in the high 70s to low 80s most of the time. At 2ft the T8 UVB light is way out of range. Even with a reflector they don't do much beyond about 8''. If you have that kind of space between the bulb and basking site I recommend using a T5 tube with reflector which will provide good levels of UVB at around 12-14''.

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Thank you so much. I've moved his UVB bulb so it's closer to his basking spot for time being. Once I get money, which will be in about two weeks, I'll be able to buy him new bulbs.

What's your photoperiod (how long the lights are on each day) ?

This might help you set up the UV tube so you are giving beardie adequate UVA & UVB , aim for about 190 microwatts UVB / sq.cm at the basking spot. See my charts here : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611

kingofnobbys":39fefof6 said:

What's your photoperiod (how long the lights are on each day) ?

This might help you set up the UV tube so you are giving beardie adequate UVA & UVB , aim for about 190 microwatts UVB / sq.cm at the basking spot. See my charts here : viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611

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They are on from 11-14 hours a day. All depends on when I wake up, and I turn the lights off at about 9.

hi there, im no expert .. but ive recently posted myself about my beardie behaving exactly the same. and i think it is infact brumation after ruling out pretty much everything else! i didnt think it was possible in summer months but turns out i was wrong!

Sam

Honestly, in my opinion, this isn't brumation (it could be, but based on everything I'm seeing and that has already been pointed out I don't think so; if you make these important changes that have been suggested and his behavior doesn't quickly change then it may be brumation or something else but I really don't think so), but rather a lack of adequate UVB light and temperatures that are too low. Do you have a digital probe thermometer or a gun? If not, you need to run to Petco or PetSmart and spend $10 on a digital thermometer with a probe on a wire. The round, gauge thermometers as well as any other "stick-on" thermometers are very cheap and tend to be off by up to 20 degrees! And you can't take his main basking spot temperature with a stick-on thermometer anyway. So I'd go buy a digital probe thermometer and measure the basking spot, then the ambient Hot Side (put the probe on the floor of the Hot Side that surrounds his main basking spot), and the move the probe to the floor of the Cool Side and measure it. Make sure you allow the probe to sit in the spot you're measuring for at least 20-30 minutes each time before you read the temperature to ensure an accurate temperature reading. As already mentioned, his basking spot should be between 98-103, his ambient Hot Side between 88-93, and his Cool Side between 75-80. Temps too cool will make him very sluggish, lethargic, and cause problems digesting his food. Temps too hot can actually cause much the same symptoms...

Now the most important item you'll ever buy for your beardie is his UVB light. Their entire lives depend on getting both the adequate wavelength UVB and the adequate strength UVB light. And you have to make sure that you replace his UVB light at least every 6 months if it's a T8, and at least every year if it's a T5. You also must make sure that his UVB light is within the correct distance of his main basking spot, otherwise he won't get enough direct UVB light, regardless of the reflector, and if you buy a T8 UVB tube IT CANNOT SIT ON TOP OF A MESH OR GLASS LID, as the mesh lids block between 35%-50% of the UVB light (regardless of the mesh hole size), and glass blocks 100%. If you buy the 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube then it is strong enough to sit on top of a mesh lid, but never glass... So most T8 tubes must be within 8" of his main basking spot, and most T5 tubes within 11" of his main basking spot. You need to check the long, flourescent tube fixture you buy to make sure it has no clear, plastic safety cover on it that covers the UVB tube, as UVB light does not at all penetrate glass or clear plastic (no UVB light comes through the windows of your house at all). So please buy the Reptisun UVB tube and matching flourescent fixture as soon as possible, preferably the Reptisun 10.0 (never buy a 5.0) T5 High-Output UVB tube, either an 18" or 24", get it mounted inside if a T8 and on top of the mesh lid if a T5, get it at the correct distance from his main basking spot, and also make sure that his UVB tube and his basking light are right alongside each other and directly over the main basking spot so he gets both while basking.

You're trying to replicate natural sunlight in the desert as closely as possible, which is an important detail most people don't think about when they buy colored lights or don't put their lights alongside each other. After you get the new Reptisun 10.0 UVB tube mounted correctly and right alongside the basking spot (only needs one basking bulb, bright white only, no colored bulbs, and a regular household halogen indoor flood bulb 100 watt or maybe 75 watt, decide that after testing temps), then measure all 3 temperatures with the accurate probe thermometer and adjust the wattage and/or the height of the basking light to get the 3 temps correct. After you get the correct lights and the accurate thermometer to get the temps correct, I think you'll see his appetite increase a lot and he'll start eating quite a bit more, and his activity levels will also greatly increase.

One more very important thing mentioned by Kingofnobbys but he didn't get a chance to reply to your response yet, is you're not leaving your lights on long enough. His photoperiod under his UVB tube and his bright white basking bulb needs to be at least 14 hours every single day. 11 is not nearly enough, especially if it's more than once in a great while. Again, think of your beardie's lighting in terms of your main goal being to replicate natural sunlight in the desert as closely as possible. So that means only bright white lights and no colored bulbs, higher temps during the day and much cooler temps at night so he's comfortable while he sleeps (65 degrees at night is perfectly fine and he needs no nighttime heat source at all if his tank stays at 65 or above, so most people need no nighttime heat source), no lights on at night at all so his sleep isn't disturbed, his UVB tube being very strong and covering a large area but still concentrated in one spot, and the bright white light coming into his tank from above needs to include both UVB and UVA along with heat all concentrated on one main spot, but still reflected out in all directions. This is why the UVB tube and the basking light must be right alongside each other and directly over the basking spot. And in the desert in Australia he would be getting at least 13-14 hours of natural sunlight every single day. So you need to increase his daily photoperiod by a few hours. If you can't buy a timer to automatically turn the two lights on earlier in the morning before you wake up (you can buy a 2-outlet timer at Walmart for around $10-$15) then you need to leave them on for 2-3 hours later at night. I bought a 2-outlet timer at Walmart a long time ago (I wasn't spending $40 on a fancy timer with a separate night timer because they don't need a nighttime heat source) for $15 and plugged my first beardie's UVB tube and basking light into it. It became so easy I bought one for all 3 of my beardies. Their lights come on at 6:00 in the morning and go off at 9:00 at night. Also, make sure that he has been under his lights for at least 1-2 hours before feeding him in the morning, and he is under his lights for at least 1-2 hours after eating before his lights go off at night so he properly digests.

Hello,

Which UVB are you planning on getting him?
That's great you have moved your current UVB tube closer to him, hopefully that will help.
It is possible that he could be trying to slow down some, it is typical really for his age. Some
do it during the late summer.
Go ahead & increase the temperatures some & daytime period for him along with outdoor time
if possible to see if that helps out. If his weight is stable & he appears healthy, that is a good
sign.

Tracie