Brumation fear

[katk]

Oh yeah we give her all the details- she's cared for him before. Maybe we can try the bulb thing and see if that makes a difference. I've just tried to adjust his viv a bit and offered him some food with vitamins- he was deprived of that since he hadn't eaten for so long while brumating or whatever he's been doing. He seems to be eating so maybe he'll try basking again- fingers crossed!

 

[KarrieRee]

Sounds good let me know please

 

[katk]

Well, he seemed hellbent on hanging out in the cool side yesterday- he moved back to it after I had put him in his basking spot- so I'm playing around with the arrangement in his viv. I think maybe he didn't like the new rock we had put under the basking lamp yesterday so I moved his branch back and put his hidey log under it. He slept inside his log but then actually came out and is hanging out in the basking area under the UVB today, which I guess is a good sign. He didn't want to eat yesterday but I'll feed him again today and see what he does. We leave tomorrow so I'll just check in regularly with our pet sitter.

 

[katk]

I spoke too soon- not long after I sent that he went inside his hide and it was like he was trying to burrow into the reptile carpet in there. Now he's half emerged from the hide and just sitting on the ground with his head lifted. I don't know if he wants to brumate or just likes being colder- but the thing that's certain is he doesn't want to bask!

 

[KarrieRee]

My dragons have been hanging out in their hides as well - half in or their heads poking out - just keep a eye on him and see what he does --

 

[NYBeardie]

The only thing that kept me sane while my guy brumated his 1st time was taking his weight once or twice a week to ensure he wasn't losing much weight. Without that, I felt like I was flying blind. If you don't have a small kitchen scale, I'd suggest spending the $8-$12 and pick one up. It was worth it's weight in worry gold.

 

[katk]

I'm coming back to this thread- I'm really starting to get concerned. He continues with his brumating behavior but now I'm most concerned that he isn't pooping. Our pet sitter said that he never pooped while we were away, so I think it might a little over two weeks since he's pooped. He's been not wanting to bask for way longer than that so I don't know if they're connected.

He still won't bask unless I pick him and put him there. He often gets down and goes right back to his hiding area, but if not, he'll go to sleep there and just never get up.

I don't understand- his basking temps and lighting all seem to be normal. He had a healthy appetite when he was basking and ate veggies and insects sprinkled with vitamins and calcium. He generally looks healthy.

Edited to add that I just gave him a bath and massaged his belly but no poop. (He's never pooped in the bath before though- I don't think he likes them.)

 

[KarrieRee]

Get a weight on him weigh in grams kitchen food scale- change your basking bulb to a bright white bulb please-- off white are not good you want to mimic the sun- has he been in tested for parasites

 

[katk]

Get a weight on him weigh in grams kitchen food scale- change your basking bulb to a bright white bulb please-- off white are not good you want to mimic the sun- has he been in tested for parasites

His weight was good- actually was a bit higher than the last time which I attribute to scale/user error. I thought his bulb was white enough before- he didn't have issues for a long time after using it- but I can see if we can try something whiter. He hasn't been tested for parasites because he hasn't pooped and we don't have a reptile vet. I did call the store where we bought him and they gave me two vets to try, although they said there are waiting lists. They can also do a free consultation for me if I take him to the store for an assessment which I think I might do.

After his bath I put him on his basking log and offered some food- I put a little olive oil on it per some recommendations I saw in the threads here- but no surprise, he won't eat it. Prob doesn't like the taste/smell of the oil.

 

[KarrieRee]

Canned pumpkin little honey drop or two
www.arav.org
If you haft to try a bigger city zip code

 

[katk]

Canned pumpkin little honey drop or two
http://www.arav.org
If you haft to try a bigger city zip code

He won't eat anything now- I've offered but he ignores me/it. I had put him on his basking log after giving him a bath and he stayed there for a day, but early this morning before sunrise he goes and hides in the log under his basking log. He slowly emerged mid morning and crawled over to his cool spot on the other side of his tank. Maybe he's determined to brumate? I'm just really worried that he hasn't pooped in more than two weeks. (Although he's eaten very little in that timeframe.)

We will be away for two days this weekend so I'm thinking of bringing him to the reptile shop for a health consult and boarding (they offer this for a small fee). But will this traumatize him or seriously stress him out??

 

[KarrieRee]

It will stress him out -- it really sounds like its brumation --- we need some others to weigh in on this I am going to flag

 

[NYBeardie]

As I said, buy a scale and start weighing a few times a week. If there are no parasites (fecal test) and no weight loss (regular weight checks), there's a good chance it's brumation.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, my dragons have gone through similar things many times over the years. Your dragon will eventually poo, don't worry about that. The 2 I have now are nearly 10 years old and every brumation is a little different and the poo schedule can go way off with NO problem at all. They are built that way . Offer the pumpkin or baby food squash with a few drops of raw honey + veg. oil if you like. No need to weigh him all the time either. A good warm soak once a week and he will eventually go. Let him do his thing, they know what they're doing. Try not to worry !

 

[katk]

As I said, buy a scale and start weighing a few times a week. If there are no parasites (fecal test) and no weight loss (regular weight checks), there's a good chance it's brumation.

Thanks, yeah, we do have a scale and I think his weight is fine. (I mentioned this earlier in the thread you prob didn't see that..) If he does poop I guess I can try to get a fecal done but I'll just wait in the meantime.