First Brumation- Need a little help! :)

[Jess]

Hi!
So, my 2 yr old beardie, Dudley, is going through his first brumation while Ive had him... Kinda sad here
But I have a few questions, since Ive never had a brumating beardie before:

Parasite testing: I adopted him in May, but he hasnt had a fecal done yet since hes never had a problem. But I know I should get it dont for brumation... But at this point, he is pooping once a week, usually in the bath. If he poops in the bath, can I send it in to be tested, or does he need to poop on by land? Maybe its a stupid question, but IDK if it would be "contaminated" by the water.

Food: Dudley hasnt eaten his salad in a little while now, but he will still eat supers. Should I stop feeding him supers so he will fully brumate, or should I keep feeding him them untill he refuses the supers? He is less enthusiastic about them, so Im not sure how much longer he will be eating. And what about supplements during brumation?
Also, should I still offer salad every day? I havent been, since it all just gets thrown out.

Lights: Right now, his lights are on from 7:30-9:30 (14 hrs) and I know that he should eventually be put on a 10 hr schedule. But since Im at school from 7:40-3:30, Im worried I wont be able to see him awake and take him out during the day! What are your beardies light schedules?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Gail]

Poo from a baah is fine, just try to get it before it gets too broken up. You can drain the water and catch to poo in a tissue then put it in a zip lock baggie.

Is he still waking up normally everyday and staying awake most all day? If he is, the he isn't actually brumating yet. At 2 years old, 80% of his diet should be greens/veggies. Try to cut the worms down and get him back on greens. If he does go into complete brumation, he needs to have a good poo so the food isn't sitting in his guts while he sleeps.

I generally keep my dragons on 14 hrs of light in summer, 12 hrs in winter. When they go into brumation then I turn all lights out until I see someone is awake. If its a partial brumation, then I turn lights on at the normal time but I will shut them off as soon as the dragon goes to bed for the night which is usually only 4-5 hrs after it wakes up.

 

[Jess]

OK, thanks so much! Ill get him tested for parasites next time he goes then.

He wakes up, but he stays in the same spot all day (on the cool side) and naps on and off.

As for salad, he used to eat it everyday but he just didnt want it any more. Ill offer only salad for a few days, and see if he will take it again... He will still eat raspberries, so maybe theres still hope!

But how will I know when he goes into true brumation then? Will he completely stop eating and sleep all day, or...?

 

[Gail]

Sounds like he is in partial brumation, my first dragon did the same as yours for a couple of months. Would lay around the cool side half awake, maybe would eat/poo once a week.

Some day he might just decide to start sleeping all day or he could go on like he is for the winter. Personally once they stop eating and only wake up for a few hours, I try to see if they will go completely down for a few weeks. I know many people don't like brumation, they get lonely with their buddy asleep for weeks on end. I see it as a natural process and a nice break from daily care.
If you want to see if he will stay asleep, wrap him in a nice towel or blankie and tomorrow morning, don't turn his lights on. If he sleeps all day, he is ready to brumate, if he wakes up, then turn his lights on and continue the way you are.
Probably a good idea to have the fecal before trying to get him to sleep though, just in case it is parasites.

 

[Jasper's Mom]

I am glad to have come across this thread. My three are getting ready to brumate and it will be my first time dealing with it. I had the same questions. Thank you for the info!

 

[proudbeardieowner]

Yes, please... I have a 9 month old and I think he is going to do it too. how do you know if that is what they are doing or if they are sick? are you suppose to mess with them to be sure they are ok, today he was peeking at me on and off. When they brumate, do they keep their eyes totally closed, and do not open them? can you see them breathing, how do you know if they are ok. Do you force them into the bathtub to be sure they stay hydrated? Oh I am so confused:-(

 

[Jess]

Thanks for all the advice, Gail!
I want to keep him awake untill Monday and have him poop when the vet is open (So his "sample" will be nice and fresh!), so then I will see if he will totally brumate on Tuesday. Im going to miss him, but with school starting again Im not going to complain about 1 less pet to care for!

Just one more question, and the I think Ive got this... What about UVB? Will he be OK with out calcium supplements and UV light while he is brumating, or should I keep the UV on once in a while, and give him some calcium/vites in babyfood? Im really paranoid about MBD!

Proudbeardieowner- They usually dont brumate at 9 months... Has he been losing any weight? When my 10 month old rescue acted like he was brumating, be really had much bigger problems.

 

[proudbeardieowner]

He is a very finicky beardie, he eats when he wants to eat, and that is what scares me, and now he is doing this brumation type thing. I hope he will be ok!

 

[Jess]

***Bump***

Does anyonee know about the UVB lights and calcium?

 

[LennyTheLizardKing]

Have you read the Brumation Article ??
http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/brumation/

 

[Jess]

Yup.

It didnt see anything about UVB and calcium on it, but maybe I missed it?

Poor little Dudley is totally ready to sleep now, but he cant yet! I have to give him a bath today so he poops, and give him another one next week so he doesnt have undigested food in him. Im trying to get him to eat the rest of his supers, but he doesnt want them LOL.
He wont wake up anymore, unless I say "Hi Dudley!!" really loud, then he will squint at me like "Go away, woman... Im trying to sleep here!" :roll: