brumation (first time)

[ibanezboy21]

my 1.5y old bearded dragon started brumation a week ago and i dont know what to do, should i leave the heat on? i read somewhere on the net if its around 20 degrees celsuis should be alrite (which it is without basking light)

how long should it last? do i let it wake up on his own or do i have to turn up the temp and increase the light during the day? i've already shorten the light to bout 9 hours but some people say its safe to turn it off but if i do will my bearded dragon know when to wake up?

regarding bathing him, should i do it? wont taking it out of the tank and putting it in warm water 'wake' it up again?

been trying to find these answer on different forums and each seem to have a different answer.

 

[UTreptiles]

I have always just shortened the time that the lights are on during my dragon brumation period. 9 hours is good and you can shorten it even more a few weeks later. Brumation periods vary greatly. Could be weeks or months. Some dragons don't even brumate. One of my females completely skipped brumation and was the first to lay good eggs for me this season which just started a few weeks ago. It's really hard to tell how long it will last. If he starts getting more active the brumation may be over but let him decide. You don't really want to disturb them too much during brumation but they may come out of hiding on thier own ever once in a while. If you see your dragon out you can offer a little greens and some water. I have always just kept my dragons on the same winter cycle. Mid November to late February early March here. At that time I increase the lighting and heat to normal summer cycle and they usually wake up and go about thier normal daily routines again. Here is a good source for brumation info http://www.exclusivedragons.com/Brumation.html