Brummation?

[SpanischeRose]

My little Girl Lily slowing down with her eating. The last 2 Days now she hasnt touched any live food. She only eats alittle bit of Salad but is sleeping most of the time.
Im in Canada and now slowly the weather will change into Autum. She moves away from her Baskingspot and goes in her hide or under her bed. I then put her back on her baskingspot.
She is 13Month old and 18inch long. I also weight her today and she is now 480g so she puts on abit more weight so i guess tnat is good because she didnt lose any.
My question would be now, will this be the start of brummation? Im not sure when it will start and how it starts. Do i leave her alo e when she goes and hides or do i put her back like i was doing. She always loved her food but now 2 days she doesnt want anything to do with it. I feed her Silkworms, Phoenix worms and Spuerworms now and then. In her salad she loves to have, collard greens, dandelions greens, butternut squash all organic.
She is in a 55inch long Viv. Her baskingspot temp is 97F and the cool site is 80F.
She has a UVB strip light Reptisun 10.0 across the whole tank and a Zoo Med 100W Repti Basking bulb.
She is my first Beardi and i just want to make sure she is alright. Im worrying quiet abit about her and i thought i will asked you guys first before i make an appointment with the Vet.

 

[CooperDragon]

It sounds consistent with brumation. This happens to different extents between dragons. Some just slow down for a while and some sleep a ton for several months and anything in between. Keep a close eye on her weight and as long as it remains relatively consistent (no dramatic weight loss) she is probably fine and you should just let her do her thing. Take her out now and then to offer her some water and check her weight. There is more information about brumation available here https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/brumation/

 

[SpanischeRose]

It sounds consistent with brumation. This happens to different extents between dragons. Some just slow down for a while and some sleep a ton for several months and anything in between. Keep a close eye on her weight and as long as it remains relatively consistent (no dramatic weight loss) she is probably fine and you should just let her do her thing. Take her out now and then to offer her some water and check her weight. There is more information about brumation available here https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/brumation/

I just checked her weight and nothing changed there. I had her in the bath this afternoon when i got back from work and she pooped.
So now you saying to let her do her thing. When she sleeps all say let her and not to put her back under her baskingspot? How aboyt trying to feed her her worms? I will put out fresh salad everyday.

 

[CooperDragon]

If she prefers to sleep I'd let her and not move her to a basking spot. She'll move if she wants to bask. If she starts to sleep a lot I would avoid offering much food. She will naturally slow down her system which will prevent her from needing much extra energy. She can draw from her fat stores if needed. If she is just hiding and is awake most of the day you could offer a salad but I wouldn't be too forceful with it. As long as her weight remains relatively steady she is probably fine. If you see a black beard or large weight drop that may indicate a problem which should be addressed by a vet.

 

[SpanischeRose]

If she prefers to sleep I'd let her and not move her to a basking spot. She'll move if she wants to bask. If she starts to sleep a lot I would avoid offering much food. She will naturally slow down her system which will prevent her from needing much extra energy. She can draw from her fat stores if needed. If she is just hiding and is awake most of the day you could offer a salad but I wouldn't be too forceful with it. As long as her weight remains relatively steady she is probably fine. If you see a black beard or large weight drop that may indicate a problem which should be addressed by a vet.

I had her at the vet about 3 weeks ago and we dobe a fecal which came back clean and the vet said she is a very healthy girl. But shortly after that she started all this sleeping mist of the time. Moving of the baskingspot and hiding under her bed and the last 2-3 days not eating her worms.
I will be keeping a close eye on her and keep checking her weight. I thank you so much for your help and the link you provided me. I was reading it and she does quiet alot what they are talking about there.
I always thought brummation doesnt take place untill the winter.

 

[CooperDragon]

It's good that a current fecal test was negative. Another good thing to check for before brumation. It can happen at any time of the year from what I've seen, but it's most common in late summer/fall and through the winter months. It really varies quite a bit between dragons and some don't do it at all.

 

[SpanischeRose]

It's good that a current fecal test was negative. Another good thing to check for before brumation. It can happen at any time of the year from what I've seen, but it's most common in late summer/fall and through the winter months. It really varies quite a bit between dragons and some don't do it at all.

Well thank you for alk your help. I atleast can relax abit now. I thought it might was brummation but i wasnt 100% sure. I will keep an eye on her weight so through out this time. Would you say bathing her 2 a week would be a good idea just to keep her hydrated?

 

[CooperDragon]

You may not need to bathe her unless she's stinky. You can probably just drip some water on her nose and let her lick some up if she wants it. A bath may be disorienting and stressful if she's really sleepy.

 

[SpanischeRose]

You may not need to bathe her unless she's stinky. You can probably just drip some water on her nose and let her lick some up if she wants it. A bath may be disorienting and stressful if she's really sleepy.

I will keep that in mind. One last question I have, it's about the light. My timer is set for 12on and 12 off. Do I have to change that so the light won't be on that long while she is sleeping?
This is the first Brummation I doing with my Girl and I just want to make sure I do everything right for her.

 

[CooperDragon]

I would keep the lighting the same.

 

[SpanischeRose]

I would keep the lighting the same.

Ok thank you. I won't change the light hours.