Does brumation start this early?

[NorbertTheDino]

Hello! Norbert hasn't been hating well lately and only accepts worms (his main food source is collards, dubias, and crickets). The reason why I'm posting a new topic is because I have a few questions I couldn't find the answer to with a Google search. Norbert is about 6-7 months old, so should he be brumating, if that's what it is? I recently moved him to a small cardboard box (because of his gout), but his small appetite started a couple of days before that. Sometimes I'm able to sneak in a few crickets while I'm feeding him worms but apart from that, he barely eats! His eyes are also squinted and not as lively as usual, and he does seem a little lethargic. He also hasn't gone to the bathroom in a couple of days, so maybe that has something to do with it? Anyways, thanks! Sorry if this is just another post you guys see everywhere.

 

[KarrieRee]

Usually 6-7 month old dragons do not brumate- unless hes really big for his age- can you post pics of him - when you moved him to the smaller enclosure I am assuming you moved his lights - please post pics of what hes in now --- something seems off
Karrie

 

[NorbertTheDino]

Usually 6-7 month old dragons do not brumate- unless hes really big for his age- can you post pics of him - when you moved him to the smaller enclosure I am assuming you moved his lights - please post pics of what hes in now --- something seems off
Karrie

The setup is a little cheap, but since it's not mandatory I had to be resourceful. I'm not exactly sure how old he is. He might be older. I measured him and he'd be about 12-14 inches long if his tail hadn't had tail rot. He weighs about 150g/ 6oz.He is also mature and has his femoral glands and tail bulges, so maybe that will help with age-determining.

I also changed his heat lamp with a different brand recently so that could've been the cause. The old brand had been known to cause blindness and was about to burn out anyway but the new lamp is much hotter than the old one so that's why I placed it far from his basking spot. Another thing is that he's been panting much more than usual ever since I put that lamp in. I'll have to measure the heat tomorrow when it's on but maybe he overheated if it's for sure not brumation. I'm not sure.

He hasn't gone to the bathroom in a while, either, but it might because he hasn't had much food recently. His eyes are also half-closed most of the time, too, so maybe that might be a clue to something. His beard has also been blacker then it ever has been, but he doesn't have stress marks, which I find a little weird.

Anyways, hopefully I'll be able to help him. I just refilled our dubia supply so maybe he'll eat those.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, Norbert is def. not feeling well. I know you care about this dude and he needs to be put in a larger enclosure right away. He will bake in that cardboard box, or he will have no heat range or gradient from cool to hot basking. So please put him back in a larger enclosure. Even a extra large plastic tote from walmart with the lights rigged above. He's not brumating, he is just not well. Offer some water with a syringe to hydrate him.

 

[NorbertTheDino]

Hi there, Norbert is def. not feeling well. I know you care about this dude and he needs to be put in a larger enclosure right away. He will bake in that cardboard box, or he will have no heat range or gradient from cool to hot basking. So please put him back in a larger enclosure. Even a extra large plastic tote from walmart with the lights rigged above. He's not brumating, he is just not well. Offer some water with a syringe to hydrate him.

Okay. I'll definitely do that. I took that picture when he was asleep, but usually during the day he's a vibrant color and only gets a black beard when I try to feed him. He actually accepted a dubia today, so I think he's getting better. Our tank is pretty tall and he falls off of his hammocks quite often, so I'll see if a plastic tote will do better for now, at least until we figure out his gout situation. Thanks!

 

[AHBD]

O.K., sounds good !