Brumation? (too young??)

[Beardienatic]

Hi guys!

So to make a very long story short, I got my beardie a few days ago, so I don't know him and his behaviour that well yet. It seems that he is trying to brumate, but isn't 9 months a bit young for that?
When I say it seems to me that he is trying to brumate, I mean that he is sleeping A LOT, only waking up if he hears a loud(ish) noise or if his head is exposed from under his blanket, he senses movement near him.As I haven't had him long enough to know what his appetite is like, I can't say for certain how much it has decreased, or if it has, but one day he ate 8 crickets, the next 11, and that day after that he only ate 5 crickets, and that's only if I placed him in front of the cricket or dangled the cricket in front of him. (I know that they really should hunt for themselves, but I was worried about him not eating, so I wanted him to eat at least something).
I have tried to read up about it, and while it seems that it does happen that beardies brumate before the are 1 year old, it's not that common. This is my first beardie, so my first brumation, and I have a lot of questions.

So here are my questions:
*Should I wake him up to feed him? (I do need to wake him to give him oral calcium, as the vet prescribed since we are battling against MBD, so should I try and feed him then? I know that usually their 'fat-pads' will sustain them, but I'm not sure he is in optimal health due to lack of care and knowledge from his previous owners)
*Should I still turn the lights on and off at their normal times, or just keep the CHE on until he I see he fully wakes up?
*Should I still feed him? (Insects and veggies. He nibbles a bit on veggies, LOVES grated carrot and crickets, but to feed him crickets I need to wake him, as I don't feed insects in the tank, especially crickets, for fear of them biting him. He already had a wound from a cricket bite that needed to be treated on his back.)
*How long approximately will his brumation last? (I know that it varies from dragon to dragon, but I also read that if you wake them, (which I will need to do daily), it makes them brumate for longer, eg. a 2 week brumation becomes a 3 week brumation?)
*Any tips for checking that he is actually brumating and not sick? (His eyes, nose and ears seem clear with no discharge of smell)

Side question:
*Is there any need to worry that he hasn't pooped in 3 days? I know that they sometimes go up to a week without pooping, but don't they usually go every day while they are still young? I know the "massage his tummy in warm water" trick, but that might be difficult as he absolutely HATES bath time.

Thank you in advance, I will probably soon come up with more questions for you all!

 

[kingofnobbys]

Bit too young IMO.

Mine you none of my beardies or skinks have ever bromated (Rex is over 3yrs old, the BTs are over 4 yrs old and Wriggles is 6 - 7 years old).

I keep the same lighting schedule year round (on 6am , off 9:30pm , made it 10pm this summer).
The house is airconditioned 24/7 in winter and summer and never gets colder than 20oC inside.

You could keep his lights on and keep the heat going in the tank, and keep offering food, he might just rouse and be active again , or as it seems with some beardies , when they decide to brumate there's no stopping them from doing so.

If he's asleep, probably best to leave him be and let him respond, wake in his own time providing the heat and lighting is on and the tank is nice and warm.