Brumation update 10/27/2016 daily updates to come

[Karenxx67]

I wanted to ask. Ive fed him tonight an hes had a few crickets an locusts over the last 3 weeks from time to time. Thing is after eating he doesnt want to stay under the basking lamp. He wants to crawl off an go back to sleep. How will he digest the food if he doesnt stay long enough under the lamp? His last poo was about 2 weeks ago but like i say he has eaten a little during that time.

 

[Beardymama33]

I wanted to ask. Ive fed him tonight an hes had a few crickets an locusts over the last 3 weeks from time to time. Thing is after eating he doesnt want to stay under the basking lamp. He wants to crawl off an go back to sleep. How will he digest the food if he doesnt stay long enough under the lamp? His last poo was about 2 weeks ago but like i say he has eaten a little during that time.

He needs to bask for 1.5 to 2 hours prior to his going down minimum and have a bm at least once a week, preferably every 2-3 days and no eating while brumating, that can rot inside his gut and cause an increase in parasites and infections. Draconis took a day and a half break to eat and bask then back down to brumate, you might try and encourage yours into basking a full day then full brumation for a bit after a nice healthy bm. Also if you can take him to a reptile specialist just in case.

 

[Beardymama33]

This morning i came in to find him squinting at me from under the edge of his blanket, the sky light was too bright and he wanted mommy to "shut the light off" i couldnt and he gave me the angry old man glare until i finally had his little square of cloth (i have the material i used for his blankets and ground cloth) to drape over his face and emoji pillow. I still left one side exposed to view but no more light so happy beardie! My eldest got him his 4th pillow today, hes on the road to being very spoiled!

 

[Beardymama33]

I been told every 10 days for water. I bathed him last wed. He drank a lot. I didnt bother offering food. He didnt seem interested. My crickers are dying off as hes not eating them. Not sure its worth buying any more yet.
Fuzzy tends to re arrange himself from time to time. Hes sleeping on the hit side of his tank. Tucked out of the way under the plastic leaves. He is also not fully asleep an peeps at me sleepily from time to time. I cant wait for him to wake up. X

See this is an example of two sources of info, you do what works best and what you have been told by your experts and ill do what ive been told by mine.....actually Draconis woke up nearly 5 days in and ate nearly a whole dish of beardie bites which, give hydration and nutrition all in one and did his poop and eagerly back to bed a day and a half latter not to come back out except to lodge a complaint about his bedding arrangements....

 

[Karenxx67]

Fuzzy wont stay on the basking spot.

 

[Beardymama33]

Fuzzy wont stay on the basking spot.

Then just offer water and liquid vitamins and some nice bedding. Draconis got up on his bridge today and was like "ok mom im up today" when i walked in the room and patiently waited for me to turn his light back on. He ate some beardie bites and is basking, and he knows mommy will have him bask tomorrow and poop before he goes back into brumation. I am pretty sure hes following a schedule now! He brumates until he gets thirsty then hes out eats his bites for both food and water because they are full of moisture and have just enough of what he needs to keep him from losing too much weight because he is still on the younger side of brumation acceptability.

 

[Karenxx67]

Thanks. I manged to get him to bask for 2 hours. No poo an he went right back. Ill try again today

 

[Rankins]

I force brumate all my reptiles once a year. I feel it is healthy and follows natural seasonal changes. My gilas and Mexican beaded lizards brumate for 4 months!! No lights, heat or food...its amazing they can tolerate 50-55°F for so long. But for breeding its gotta be done that way.
The Rankins got brumated for a month a few weeks ago. Hopefully they will try to breed soon.

 

[AHBD]

I apologize if you already mentioned it and I hope you don't mind me asking but where did you get him and how big is Draconis ? He looks pretty small in the picture there in the water bowl.

 

[Karenxx67]

I force brumate all my reptiles once a year. I feel it is healthy and follows natural seasonal changes. My gilas and Mexican beaded lizards brumate for 4 months!! No lights, heat or food...its amazing they can tolerate 50-55°F for so long. But for breeding its gotta be done that way.
The Rankins got brumated for a month a few weeks ago. Hopefully they will try to breed soon.

Sorry i dont mean to take over this thread but how do you bring them out of the brumation? Id love him to be lively again.

 

[Rankins]

I cool mine and shorten the day length drastically to force them to brumate.
I heat them up and length the day to wake them. It doesn't always work exactly that way though. Sometimes they do their own thing. In that case just gotta wait them out

 

[Karenxx67]

Its funny because today was warm an really sunny and he came out to eat. He also had a poo yesterday. So im happy. Hes back sleeping now.

 

[Beardymama33]

Ok its been a few days since i posted, on the 1st he made himself a lil blanket cave and was watching me from under it and when i pulled the blanket off of him and picked him up he shook his head at me like "uh, uh" but i made him bask until 7, no poopies.

On the second he was up and wating for me to get him out and looked piffed at me with the beardy out until i came close to his tank and said "What?" and then he sucked it in and sulked on his bridge until 6. No poopies.

Yesterday he was all fine and dandy with me taking him out of his bed and basking his and even gave him kissies. and when i told him i fhe stays on his bridge he can go to bed early he proceeded to do acrobatics on his bridge as if to say "look mom no feet on the repticarpet". It is surprising how many things his fat little but can do and not fall off the bridge. He went to bed at 1 after smiling at me and hugging my hand to go to bed.

Today he was happy to get up to bask until 12 and then back to bed no poopies and he even turned red and did his basking pancakie for me.

When he is sleeping sometimes he wakes up and wants to get some petting have his blanket and pillows adjusted (on either side of his face) and any other demand he has. and when he beds down he has to have everything just right or he pokes his head out and demands i get back there and fix it! He may be a spoiled rotten dragon but hes my spoiled rotten dragon!

 

[Beardymama33]

Ok its been a few days since i posted, on the 1st he made himself a lil blanket cave and was watching me from under it and when i pulled the blanket off of him and picked him up he shook his head at me like "uh, uh" but i made him bask until 7, no poopies.

On the second he was up and wating for me to get him out and looked piffed at me with the beardy out until i came close to his tank and said "What?" and then he sucked it in and sulked on his bridge until 6. No poopies.

Yesterday he was all fine and dandy with me taking him out of his bed and basking his and even gave him kissies. and when i told him i fhe stays on his bridge he can go to bed early he proceeded to do acrobatics on his bridge as if to say "look mom no feet on the repticarpet". It is surprising how many things his fat little but can do and not fall off the bridge. He went to bed at 1 after smiling at me and hugging my hand to go to bed.

Today he was happy to get up to bask until 12 and then back to bed no poopies and he even turned red and did his basking pancakie for me.

When he is sleeping sometimes he wakes up and wants to get some petting have his blanket and pillows adjusted (on either side of his face) and any other demand he has. and when he beds down he has to have everything just right or he pokes his head out and demands i get back there and fix it! He may be a spoiled rotten dragon but hes my spoiled rotten dragon!

Ok now that I am finally out of bed and not feeling like crud warmed over. (i did get up but wasnt at the pc much) He did bask for a few more days, i bathed him once more then just let him sleep. I also made him a mattress and used his old blankets to match that one. I will take pics of his new blue one and the hot pink one (yes its hot pink and yes he likes the color) and both are fuzzy. When i gae him his blue one he rubbed his face on hid emoji pillow shifted his little hand on the mattress and then looked at me with a wide eyed surprised look and flopped down and proceeded to start shifting about on it with a look of pure pleasure on his little face. the hot pink one will have a matching blanket.
The other day he kept shifting off the front to where hie head was hanging off so i took him out and flipped the matress to see if that was why...nope he did it again while smiling at me! His Human daddy and siblings were all laughing at the expression on his face! So i put it against the glass and he still smiled at me.
Yesterday he was shifting about giving me the impression he was just resettling. Nope, seconds latter he was popping out from under the covers with a panic stricken face! He had done the lizard version of a dutch oven.... i think we should call it a herp oven. Yup he pooped under his blanket while he was under there with it! While he was waiting for it to wash (he wont have to wait when his other set is done) he told me he was hungry so he got a carrot top salad with beardy bites and calcium with d3. I didnt want to give him anything too heavy since he is in brumation and isnt eating much. that and he threw up last time he ate too many bites in one go!
I was told by a few breeders and keepers that under a year beardies should be offered some nutrition ever so often during brumation to help insure that they stay healthy. even if its just liquid vitamins in the water. Draconis tells me he wants real food when hes up. and yes he makes a poopie!

 

[BlueDragon09]

Hey Beardymama, Im here I found your thread. I've been out of action because my tonsilctomy operation. Been 10 days since the operation, I need to catch up. My dragon still not brumating I don't mind it. I just thought he would since he's almost 2 years old. Thought you could use the update.
Draconis still doing brumation? I need to read to find out.

Talk later.
Kami