Brummation Questions!!

[jordy1380]

Is it possible for a couple female beardies that are only about 6 months old to go through brummation or hibernation? I have a couple females that have only been eating a few crickets a day, if any at all, and they haven't really been basking or coming out of their hiding spots very much. Is there anything wrong with them, or are they just in winter mode???

 

[peera]

6 months is really too young for brumation. I suggest getting a fecal to a vet and ruling out parasites.

 

[jordy1380]

Is there any way that you could tell that it is parasites or not? I am in nebraska and it gets pretty cold so I was wondering if they could sense a change in the temp and season at that age. One of the females is about an inch or two larger than the other and she seems to be the one that has been eating the most. Is an inch too much larger than the other one and do I need to separate them? I have been talking to some breeders around NE and they say that it is possible for them to sense the change in the season and slow down on their activity as well as eating. They have told me to give it a month or so and then see what is happening. If anyone has any more information on this please let me know ASAP. Thanks!

 

[peera]

Separation is always a good idea, espesially if one is getting bigger and eating more, it's generally the first clue to a dominance issue. 2 females together is just the best pairing, there really isn't a 100% safe one.
Yes, the weather could be slowing them down a bit, but as long as your temps are proper and you're not giving them less UVB/basking hours, 6 months is to young for it to be really impacting them. Babies don't brumate because it's important for them to eat frequently or they won't grow. I'm in WA and it's still snowing here, and my baby's eating as much as ever.
You know if it's parasites by taking a fecal sample to the vet. You can take it to any vet because the tests for parasites are the same for all animals. It varies by vet, but the average price is generally about $25 a sample.

 

[jordy1380]

I keep my basking spots and temps pretty regular. Basking spot is about 110-115 and the ambient temp is probably around 75-80 right now and maybe around 70-75 towards the front of the cage. I have a ceramic heat emitter in the enclosure to help raise the ambient temp and a heat pad in one corner to help with some extra heat. The enclosure is 4x2x2 so it is big enough for all of that. I also have reptisun 10.0 bulbs in two 18" strip lights to span the entire enclosure and they are about 15" from the bottom of the cage. I don't think that the 10.0 is too much because it is so far for them to get any UVB and the bulbs can emit up to around 18-20". I can take some pics and try to post them on here if needed but I am pretty sure that everything is by the book. Let me know any extra things. I have about 3 hiding spots for them, some on the hot end and some on the cool end. Do I need to take away any hides? Do I need to add anything?