Sunnycore96
Member
Hi,
So I took in a bearded dragon about 2-3 months ago. Owner was my neighbor and could not longer care for him - she was telling me she couldn't find a home for him and was going to let him outside so I said absolutely not and took him in. Owner told me she did not know how old he was because she is the second owner, but knows that he is over 6 years old since she's had him that long. I've only ever had 1 other bearded dragon who lived to be just under 2 years old and died of a brain tumor
.... It really upset me so I never looked into getting another beardie until this situation came up.
I have a 55 gallon tank. I keep the tanks around 80, basking around 100. Cool side of tank in the 70s. No light or heat at night, I live in FL - doesn't get cold enough in my home. I have a reptisun long tube UV light that is close enough distance to his basking site. So when the previous owner could no longer care for him, she told me he is in brumation and has been sleeping a lot. I have never had one brumate before, but he appeared to show all the signs. He slept all the time in his little shelter area, hardly ate. Sometimes he even looks dead, but if I go to touch him or open the tank his eyes open wide. He never lost weight or muscle tone. If I picked him up or moved him, he would walk around a bit and eventually go back to his shelter. So I've let him be, since I read that they shouldn't really be bothered during brumation. I always keep fresh greens and fruits in his enclosure. I've offered crickets, calciworms, superworms, hornworms - rarely if ever eats one, hardly shows interest. His greens just dry up and he doesn't touch them at all. I literally counted some greens i put in the tank and that night - they were all dried up but still there untouched.
It's been over 2 months since I've had him. I contacted the owner and asked how long he was acting like this because it seems like a long time to be brumating. So then she tells me he was in brumation for 5 months before I took him and shouldn't be in brumation anymore. For one - I didn't think they brumate that long? I had no idea he was brumating that long prior to her giving him to me, so I feel terrible that he could be sick and I overlooked it.
Now he still looks and acts the same as he did when I got him. He barely eats, poops, or moves around at all. He sleeps constantly. But at the same time, he has really not lost weight or muscle tone. I looked up MBD and he doesn't look like he has that. He looks healthy, just sleeps all the time.
I blended up his greens and some strawberries and syringe fed him yesterday to try to get something in him. After that I offered him a hornworm and he actually ate it. I gave him a bath and put him under his basking area. He stayed for about 2 hours under the light, and then just like that - went to sleep.
So my question is - could this possibly be brumation after all this time?
So I took in a bearded dragon about 2-3 months ago. Owner was my neighbor and could not longer care for him - she was telling me she couldn't find a home for him and was going to let him outside so I said absolutely not and took him in. Owner told me she did not know how old he was because she is the second owner, but knows that he is over 6 years old since she's had him that long. I've only ever had 1 other bearded dragon who lived to be just under 2 years old and died of a brain tumor
.... It really upset me so I never looked into getting another beardie until this situation came up.I have a 55 gallon tank. I keep the tanks around 80, basking around 100. Cool side of tank in the 70s. No light or heat at night, I live in FL - doesn't get cold enough in my home. I have a reptisun long tube UV light that is close enough distance to his basking site. So when the previous owner could no longer care for him, she told me he is in brumation and has been sleeping a lot. I have never had one brumate before, but he appeared to show all the signs. He slept all the time in his little shelter area, hardly ate. Sometimes he even looks dead, but if I go to touch him or open the tank his eyes open wide. He never lost weight or muscle tone. If I picked him up or moved him, he would walk around a bit and eventually go back to his shelter. So I've let him be, since I read that they shouldn't really be bothered during brumation. I always keep fresh greens and fruits in his enclosure. I've offered crickets, calciworms, superworms, hornworms - rarely if ever eats one, hardly shows interest. His greens just dry up and he doesn't touch them at all. I literally counted some greens i put in the tank and that night - they were all dried up but still there untouched.
It's been over 2 months since I've had him. I contacted the owner and asked how long he was acting like this because it seems like a long time to be brumating. So then she tells me he was in brumation for 5 months before I took him and shouldn't be in brumation anymore. For one - I didn't think they brumate that long? I had no idea he was brumating that long prior to her giving him to me, so I feel terrible that he could be sick and I overlooked it.
Now he still looks and acts the same as he did when I got him. He barely eats, poops, or moves around at all. He sleeps constantly. But at the same time, he has really not lost weight or muscle tone. I looked up MBD and he doesn't look like he has that. He looks healthy, just sleeps all the time.
I blended up his greens and some strawberries and syringe fed him yesterday to try to get something in him. After that I offered him a hornworm and he actually ate it. I gave him a bath and put him under his basking area. He stayed for about 2 hours under the light, and then just like that - went to sleep.
So my question is - could this possibly be brumation after all this time?
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