Brumation?

[Koggle]

Okay, for some time now, weeks/a month, my beardie hasn't been eating much at all, like maybe only a worm a week or so, her UVB has recently been replaced (Repti_Sun), her cool end temps are around the 85's, and her basking temps are around the 95's. Most of the day she is just on the bottom part of the tank just sitting there, rarely basking. I make sure she has been hydrated and she has still been going to the washroom, I just don't know if this is just her trying to brumate, or if something is wrong..

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How old is your girl? This is the time of year for many to brumate, so it is a huge possibility.
Since you just changed out the UVB lights then that shouldn't be the problem. How far is the UVB mounted from her?
Did you try increasing the basking temperature to around 98F instead & are you using a digital probe or temp gun to measure the temperatures? How often do you supplement calcium?
If she is maintaining her weight, she most likely doesn't have worms or parasites. You could get a fecal done on her to be sure, if you wanted to be sure. Her symptoms sound exactly like what they do for brumation, they get very sleepy & don't eat or bask much.

Tracie

 

[Varalidaine]

How old is your dragon? Typically, the surface temperature of the basking sight needs to be 95-110 depending on the age of the dragon. When you said basking, did you mean the air temperature or the surface temperature?

 

[Koggle]

She is around a year and a half old. She is typically between 4-7 inches from the UVB, and I use a temp gun. She doesnt seem to be losing any weight from what I can tell, and I give her supplements twice a week. Her vitamins+calcium. And I meant the surface temperature, I think..

 

[Varalidaine]

I would definitely increase her surface temperature, even by a few degrees. 95 is the minimum, so you don't want her highest temperature to be on the minimum side of things. Going up to 100 will give her a better heat gradient so she can decide what temperature she wants to be.

What UVB do you use? T8, T5? Is it above screen or mounted in the cage? 4-7 inches is pretty close. Most bulbs have a minimum distance of 8-9" and stronger ones will have greater minimums, like 12." I would say with her bask site being a low temperature and being so close to the bulb, she needs a hotter bulb so she doesn't have to get so close to it to get warm.

With all of that said, it could be brumation, she's the right age to start doing it and it is the time of year. I would consider adjusting your setup a bit though to achieve a better heat gradient and potentially adjusting her basking site so she isn't too close to the UVB.

 

[Koggle]

The UVB is a Repti-Sun 10.0, and it is just sitting over the top mesh/screen.
http://imgur.com/a/3Em20
This is just two pictures of her setup and pretty much what she does the majority of the time.
The lamp on the right is for the night time to keep the temperature from getting too cold, so that comes on whenever I turn the other two lights out for her.
But yea, from the time she wakes up to the time she goes to bed that is pretty much all she does with a little bit of basking in between.
Any other tips beside adjusting the temperature or making a vet visit? I can always make another vet appointment, just trying to make that the last option, due to the absurd price of our last visit.
I'm just worried that she is barely eating at all, most days she wont eat anything.

 

[Varalidaine]

Is it a ReptiSun T8 or T5? Another suggestion is that your tank looks quite dark. Your UVB should be 2/3 of the tank, it looks like your bulb is too short. Bearded Dragons have a "third eye" on the top of their head and this is how they seek heat and light. When it isn't bright enough and warm enough, that "eye" isn't "activated." It could be with her bask temperatures so low and her tank being dark, she isn't achieving proper UVB and heat exposure to activate everything. Since they are ectotherms, they rely on their environment, so she could be in a perpetual state of sluggishness.

And as for the night bulbs, you never want to use light bulbs at night. Dragons do not need to be heated unless temperatures drop below 65-70, and if they do, use and a ceramic heat emitter instead. CHEs produce heat and no light since they are a coil covered in ceramic, so they aren't a bulb. They also produce gradient heat instead of a direct bask spot. Providing a basking spot at night doesn't allow for night time temperatures to drop sufficiently for their bodies to cool off and recuperate. Consistently warm temperatures and lighting (even if a light is red or purple, they may not see that color but can still see the light as either white, gray, or another color) will disrupt sleep patterns, their circadian rhythm, and hormone production. It can also lead to constant dehydration, since they are always hot and their bodies can't cool down, which would add to sluggishness and in extreme cases can be fatal. The light can also be preventing her from sleeping properly at night, therefore making her lethargic during the day.

The most important thing as far as vets go is to get a fecal test done. As long as she has already been to the vet before, they will let you drop off a fecal sample without making an appointment. Even if she is brumating, you want to make sure she is parasite free before doing so.