Brumation…need advice

[ScooterRenee2022]

I am a first time bearded dragon owner going through brumation. I got my beardie in October of last year so he never went through brumation. I have tried to look at posts for information but I really can’t find one that is solely focused on brumation in general so I want to get a feel for brumation. But I want more of a generalized idea. My bearded dragon all year would go into his cave if he wanted to sleep during the night but since late august to early September he has made an area in the opposite side of his tank. In the hotter side under his hammock his spot. He has even dug under the rug substrate I have and sleeps. I am worried about a few things. Would it be too hot for him to brumate under the heating lamp like that? He does have his hammock over the top of him but I’m still concerned. His eating habits have changed but he also was NEVER a water drinker so I m concerned about that during his brumation. Is there something I have to do to make sure he is getting water because his eating has slowed down. I was told by a couple of people on this site that he really got water from the veggies that I gave him too and not to be very concerned about it back when I got him. He does still pee(the white part in his poop) so I know he is getting enough water. But I always get concerned when he does not go for a week so it takes massaging his belly or a warm bath and after that he eats like crazy. During brumation I know this will slow down but when do I start getting concerned? Every morning I get up i turn his tank light on and get his veggies ready. If I see he is awake and looking at me I put his veggies next to him and pull him out a bit to see if he wants anything if he doesn’t he just b up and goes back in. Then in the afternoon I give him his staple. If he is hungry he will come out and eat if he is not then I give him about a half hour to an hour and I pick it up. I have had a routine for him up until he changed where he wanted to sleep. He used to love his cave but now he wants to be on the opposite side of the tank where his basking light is. Should I try to get him to go back to sleeping in his cave? Is it dangerous for him to brumate in the basking side of his tank? Is there any other advice that can be given for brumation that I really need to know?

 

[KarrieRee]

I am a first time bearded dragon owner going through brumation. I got my beardie in October of last year so he never went through brumation. I have tried to look at posts for information but I really can’t find one that is solely focused on brumation in general so I want to get a feel for brumation. But I want more of a generalized idea. My bearded dragon all year would go into his cave if he wanted to sleep during the night but since late august to early September he has made an area in the opposite side of his tank. In the hotter side under his hammock his spot. He has even dug under the rug substrate I have and sleeps. I am worried about a few things. Would it be too hot for him to brumate under the heating lamp like that? He does have his hammock over the top of him but I’m still concerned. His eating habits have changed but he also was NEVER a water drinker so I m concerned about that during his brumation. Is there something I have to do to make sure he is getting water because his eating has slowed down. I was told by a couple of people on this site that he really got water from the veggies that I gave him too and not to be very concerned about it back when I got him. He does still pee(the white part in his poop) so I know he is getting enough water. But I always get concerned when he does not go for a week so it takes massaging his belly or a warm bath and after that he eats like crazy. During brumation I know this will slow down but when do I start getting concerned? Every morning I get up i turn his tank light on and get his veggies ready. If I see he is awake and looking at me I put his veggies next to him and pull him out a bit to see if he wants anything if he doesn’t he just b up and goes back in. Then in the afternoon I give him his staple. If he is hungry he will come out and eat if he is not then I give him about a half hour to an hour and I pick it up. I have had a routine for him up until he changed where he wanted to sleep. He used to love his cave but now he wants to be on the opposite side of the tank where his basking light is. Should I try to get him to go back to sleeping in his cave? Is it dangerous for him to brumate in the basking side of his tank? Is there any other advice that can be given for brumation that I really need to know?

Move his cave to where he is sleeping now- offer water about every 10-14 days or so waking him up to drop water on his nose - he will lick if hes thirsty -- also watch his weight - here is some info on the brumation https://www.beardeddragon.org/resources/brumation-in-bearded-dragons.4/

Practical tips: A healthy brumating bearded dragon

Georgina Rayner of Swell Reptiles, UK in November, 2015 Practical tips to help keep your bearded dragon healthy during brumation Reptile brumation occurs differently depending on each reptile’s bodily processes, from species to species. Environmental factors and the natural genetic instinct in...

www.beardeddragon.org

 

[ScooterRenee2022]

Move his cave to where he is sleeping now- offer water about every 10-14 days or so waking him up to drop water on his nose - he will lick if hes thirsty -- also watch his weight - here is some info on the brumation https://www.beardeddragon.org/resources/brumation-in-bearded-dragons.4/

Practical tips: A healthy brumating bearded dragon

Georgina Rayner of Swell Reptiles, UK in November, 2015 Practical tips to help keep your bearded dragon healthy during brumation Reptile brumation occurs differently depending on each reptile’s bodily processes, from species to species. Environmental factors and the natural genetic instinct in...

www.beardeddragon.org

So do I put his cave over to where his basking spot is? Because that is where he is sleeping is on the basking side.

 

[ScooterRenee2022]

He likes to bask on his hammock so do I just leave the hammock above the cave?

 

[ScooterRenee2022]

I’m also worried because that would mean he wasn’t under his UV light.

 

[KarrieRee]

I’m also worried because that would mean he wasn’t under his UV light.

When they brumate they like to be in the dark and cooler --

 

[Chris.]

Important for young beardies (and/or paranoid owners):
Get a weight of him on a kitchen scale before you let him go down. (Btw. it is probably a good time to let him brumate now that the days are getting shorter and it's cooler.)

Personally I check on mine from time to time (every couple of weeks or so) and see if they loose weight at all or want something to drink. If your dragon is younger he might loose a little bit (like 1-2g per week) of weight. Older ones usually get their metabolism down far enough so they barely loose any weight. (My boy was 415g at Oct. 1st when I put them down and he was 415g yesterday at his first check up. My girl is younger, she looses around 0.5-1g per week.)
If he looses more weight, you shoud have him checked for parasites or something.

Here is what I do:
-Basking light completely off
-UVB tube on for about 6h (or also off, personal preference)
-Cover the tank with a blanket
-Let the room cool down to 60-65°F (at least at night)
-No feeding
-> after around three months, I ramp everything back up slowly

The cool temps will help them turn down their metabolism and also stimulate breeding behaviour come spring time.
They don't need UV light during brumation, because their metabolism is so low. In the wild they would dig a cave and sleep underground.

Also I do not really mess with them very much at all during that time, besides the check ups. They will choose their own spots to sleep and might adjust them from time to time.
(My boy sleeps up on a branch right now, my girl did dig under a piece of kork. Both is fine in my opinion.)

That is obviously not a tutorial, that's just what I do, but I hope it helps