Brumation Help!!!!

[bubbababy99]

Hi , I am quiet new to this site, I have only been a beardie owner now since the Summer.... I am concerned right now about my oldest Capone , who's a Citrus and roughly 1 year and half roughly , not exactly sure on his age , but definately an adult!!!... I am also not sure if this is his first time brumating or not?... But I have noticed a difference in his eating pattern and his behavior, he has been going into his hide , I havent been able to locate a hide that he can fit under with alot of room , but have one that he goes under it's a tight fit but he'll squeeze under *poor guy* .... his color has been fine , he is still taking normal bowel movement's , everday to every other day! I bath him every 3 day's.... How ever he used to eat 25 cirx everyother day, with collard's always offered! And a few Super's here and there , they are very difficult to get where I live ... The last week or so , he hasnt been taking at the crickets at all!!! I thought it could possibly be the calcium spray that I put on them, but he still wouldn't eat them even after not spraying them! He has been eating Green's not as much as I would like , but he wasn't really big on veggie's when I first got him , he just started to eat them 2 months into being with me! I haven't been able to get super's , and the only thing he has been taking that I can get is meal worm's, which I have heard arn't good cause they constipate them?... So far , Capone hasn't had that issue but I only offer 5 MAX!!! Cause I am so nervous!!! But want him to get something into his system! He is drinking from a dripper! Not yesterday but the day befor I gave him Fluker's Repta Boost, he ate it , didn't like it at first but he took it in How often can I give this to him , and was this a good descion?
I guess I should mention that he was a rescue , doesn't seem to have any health problems! However I haven't had the chance to take him to the vet , cause of lack of funds! However have full intensions in bringing him when the weather get's better! I am saving up , right now to do a physical exam , I was luckly able to locate a vet not to far from here!!! If there this isn't him wanting to go down for brumation , and he is sick , I will take him to the vet!!!!!
Curently he is in a 4 foot by 2foot tank , He has a UVB light Repti-Sun Coil ( unfortuantely ) working on getting tube's done in both tank's in the next 2 months , I bought the UVB light this September.... He also has an Infa-Red Light , and a Basking Light with "UVA".... I am wondering what I can do to try to help him go into brumation or be comfortable during brumation! As-well as I would like to know about how they eat and what I can feed him while he goes down, cause I dont want to impact him or cause any other damage!!! Thanks .... And I guess you could tell me if this sounds like brumation?!

 

[AHBD]

Hi Bubba, first off, can you post a picture, and/or his weight + length ? Does he look underweight at all ? Because he may be going through the semi brumation, or just an inactive phase along with being a picky appetite. Being that he is eating mealworms when you offer them, but not the crickets, he is at the size where they can get picky just because they are in a partial slow down stage and not really hungry unless it's the favorite treat, which he has decided is mealworms. Now as far as the lighting, no red or blue lights are needed for beardies, but a crisp white light , which can even be a household bulb as long as it produces heat and light. The coil bulbs can be problematic, they can burn the beardies eye, but at certain distances they can work O.K., but you can't be sure. The most recommended UVB is the Reptisun 10.0 long tube, or else a mercury vapor bulb. So there may be a few things, including lights and/or just being picky along with a semi brumation that are causing his lethargy, but if you are going to let him brumate, he must be a good weight, and you do not feed them anything while they sleep. They do best in a dark tank with low temps. of 60-70, they can sleep for 2-3 months like that and you can check to see if they are actually sleeping. If they are just laying with their eyes open, you can offer water by slowly dripping it on their nose, some people take them out for a bath once a week or every 10 days, but if they don't wake up it's not a good idea, and they must be totally dry + warmed up with the basking bulb back on for a bit before they can go back to sleep.

 

[morphmom]

This does sound like semi brumation to me. If you go to the top of the page and click on "Care Sheets and Articles" there's a really great article on brumation. I highly recommend it as it really put my mind at ease with Myah.

I got Myah's hide in the small animal section of petsmart. It's made for rats! LOL! :lol:

 

[bubbababy99]

Hi , sorry for the delayed response!!! I really wasnt expecting anyone to respond , so glad someone did , thank you very much!!! Capone is 18 inches in length and to be honest with you I don't have a scale to weight him :*( .... I don't believe he is underweight?... He's not huge but not small Or so I think I guess you could help me with offering your opnion!.. How do i add picture's? I don't have intensions on breeding Capone , so really there isn't any need for him to brumate , but he never really went under the hide in the summer or fall , just recently has this begun , and I want my big guy to be as comfortable as I can help him be!! But know very little and am very nervous! About the infa-red , I only use it during the day as an extra heat source, because with just the basking UVB and a house light , the tank was only getting to 90 F or 95 F max!!!
Yea , and to morph mom , I am going to start to look in different sections with that being said , thanks for the tip .... I personally was watching youtube videos on how to make your own home made rocks and backgrounds for viv's.... with styrofoam and cement with a water base sealent , however I am extremly nervous that the product i may pick might not be the right sealent and may harm my babies!!! .... I am guessing there is probaly a discussion section about this somewhere on here about that ?
Once again I am wondering .... Should I be offering the Fluker's Repta Boost, and if so how much?

 

[bubbababy99]

thanks once again

 

[daner923]

You said babies. Do you have more than one dragon in a single tank?

 

[AHBD]

Hi Bubba...the Repta boost is probably fine once or twice a week at most, but plain water should be the main liquid, you can dilute the Repta boost with regular water if he's taking it with a syringe. For posting pictures, there are directions at the home page under website comments. I think it sounds like he's doing well though, just being picky and wanting mealworms. Mealworms don't usually cause impaction in older juvies + adults, but it's true that they're not very nutritious. Don't use them as a staple, just as a treat, or for emergency. It's good to keep a colony of them for emergencies, just a small plastic container, no cover needed, some oatmeal + bran [ or just bran, it's easier to pick them out of it ] and a piece of carrot + collard green. Then you can have them on hand for times when you may not get a shipment of bugs because of weather or some other unforeseeable event. But for a large dragon they don't add up to much food, so if you want to breed superworms, there are instructions in the feeders section.

 

[bubbababy99]

AHBD, thanks for all your help ,Sorry for the delayed response, my router got messed up! I usually have a container of meal worms handy , in oat meal, and I feed them shreded carrot. I am lucky in the sence that my pet shop is right around the corner from me, and they can get meal worms and shipments of crix every tuesday so I am pretty good in the sence of never running out!!! Do I continue to offer the mealworms to him every other day?...
Cause he isn't wanting cricket's, he is still taking fluids without any issue's and is still talking normal bowel movements?... There arn't as big and it's been every other day?... I gave him Repta Boost yesterday and some water.... I put a towel folded up and proped the hide that I have because as I said the one I have is small , and I want him to be comfortable.
He didn't come out all day, and was in and out of sleep.I haven't had the infared light on for extra heat , because he hasn't been eating as much. I still have his basking and UVB light going. Do I leave the lights how I normally would , I have already reduced his hours awake , so he is only up for 8 hours a day now? Do I continue all of this?
I am going to look right now how I add picture's so you can give me your opnion on his weight, wish me luck lol

 

[bubbababy99]

Oh and to Danier, lol .... Both my Beardies are in different tank's , I am aware that they arnt supposed to be together unless during mateing session. I have done quiet abit of reading! Thanks for the concern tho