Hiding under rock all day

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Adriana0918

Hatchling Member
So Hemingway is a little over 2 years old and he's been really good since his parasite issue was fixed. When I was fixing the parasite problem I had taken everything but his basking bricks out of his cage for easy daily disinfecting. Now that everything is settled I decided to put some of his other rocks in there to give him some stuff to climb on even though he isn't really that active anymore like he was when he was younger. I do however want to encourage climbing and more physical activity that is "fun" for him so any suggestions on that would be great because he mostly just sits around. But anyway, back to the point of this post...
Since I put some stuff back in his cage he has started to hide under one of his rocks all day. Before I put it in there he would bask for a while and then just lay next to his basking rocks. Now that it's in there he'll bask in the morning if I put him on his rocks but if I don't he'll stay under the rock all day and he'll feel cold when I pick him up because the rock is on the cool side of his tank. Could this be brumation even if springs coming? He's never brumated before.
EDIT: His weight has stayed pretty steady at 470g for the past few months and he's about 18/19 inches from nose to tail. He really doesn't eat all that much either. Probably 2-3 Adult Dubia Roaches every 2-3 days and collard greens, although they're offered every day, about 4-5 times a week and not much at a time. And he's eaten like this for the past year but has continued to keep putting on weight and has just steadied out in the past 3 months.
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CooperDragon

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He looks pretty healthy and it's good that his weight isn't dropping off. Do you bring him out of the tank to run around a bit? Maybe give him time to look out a window? Sometimes they will act that way if they get bored and need some interaction.
 

Adriana0918

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Unfortunately, I haven't been taking him out much. I used to let him roam my spare room but my grandmother has now moved into it. There's too much in my room that he can get into and I have pets that would hurt him if I let him into my living room. Sometimes I let him on my bed to look out the window but it isn't that often. I was thinking of filling my tub a little and letting him swim around.
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I'm not sure what I can add to encourage him to have more a "fun" tank. He kind of just sits around all day.
 

CliffsMom

Member
I don't have much helpful to say except that I'm in a similar position. My boy (5) used to be so crazy but recently he just seems sooo bored. I was hoping he'd like seeing our other boy up in his tank but he gets so aggressive I put him back almost right away because he looks SO stressed (blackest beard he can & head bobbing so hard he's turning himself in a circle). My girly girl on the other hand (3) is completely neurotic. She chases a cat ball with a bell inside, attacks furniture, and climbs EVERYTHING when she's let outside her tank. Her favourite thing right now is a thumb tack on the wall two feet above her. She's been going at it on and off for three weeks, in 30 minute bursts. Go figure! Their set-ups are very similar, with the same temps & bulbs. Their UV lights i bought at the same time as well. So as much as I'm really disappointed Clifford isn't as active, it would seem it's more of a personality difference than anything else.
 
Bearded dragon can begin to brumate at any time. Often the trigger is a change in the weather, even the smallest. My own girl is 4 years old and is brumating right now. She's always sleeping and her body is colder than the ambiant air. If you want to test if it may be ealy signs of brumation, put a light blanket on them. If they fall asleep underneath it, that means they are most likely preparing for brumation. But before you let them go under fully (closing the UVB and Heat lamp), make sure to have at least a stool sample tested for parasites, just in case it's a sign of sickness.
 
Well, what has me worried is that he doesn't seem to sleep so much as sit there. (Picture below.) And maybe this is normal for brumation? I have taken him out to put him in his basking spot only to find him hiding again. The temperature in his hiding area is about 73-75 (I have a temperature probe that sits there to monitor it constantly). I realized today that his basking spot is not getting up past 90, so I'm going to fix that. It must be a bulb producing less heat because it's been fine so far. I'll get a stool sample to take to my vet.
In the photo, he is underneath the tile piece.
100494-4989148150.jpg
 
Calciferskeeper":2a2h55ng said:
Well, what has me worried is that he doesn't seem to sleep so much as sit there. (Picture below.) And maybe this is normal for brumation? I have taken him out to put him in his basking spot only to find him hiding again. The temperature in his hiding area is about 73-75 (I have a temperature probe that sits there to monitor it constantly). I realized today that his basking spot is not getting up past 90, so I'm going to fix that. It must be a bulb producing less heat because it's been fine so far. I'll get a stool sample to take to my vet.
In the photo, he is underneath the tile piece.
100494-4989148150.jpg

In brumation, they usually burrow themselves away from the light. That’s why I suggested the blanket test, because it worked in my case to confirm she was going in brumation. However I’m not nearly as experienced as some other people here. Getting a stool test done can ensure it’s not something like pinworms or any kind of infestation.
 
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