Is this brumation?

[mike120]

Hey guys,

Tisha seems really down recently. All she seems to do is lay on her stone under the light all day. She's got her sleepy eyes on all day aswell. She's eating fine, and she'll chase her food around and then walks back in and lays down under the light.

Could someone explain burmantation to me? I can't find a really comprehensive explanation online.

 

[jharris08]

brumation is just a period that some dragons go through in which their metabolic processes slow way down (kinda like hibernation) but not true hibernation. this just happens naturally as the photoperiod outside starts to decrease and temps inside start to get colder as winter approaches. my dragons usually start sleeping a lot during the day, going days without eating anything, and just appear sluggish. just monitor them through the this time and make sure you offer water and food weekly. brumation usually lasts from late november until late february. hope this helps

 

[mike120]

Thanks for the quick reply!

She seems to be eating fine every day but just is really lazy and sleepy. Is it normal for them to start this early?

 

[JeepMiller09]

brumation usually lasts from late november until late february. hope this helps

Do you mean that a BD will be in Brumation for that whole time or just a couple of weeks?

 

[jharris08]

mine usually brumate that whole period....it might be different for your dragon, but dont worry if yours stays really slow until late winter.
and its normal to begin to start seeing changes now...most likely it will gradually slow down more and more over the next few weeks

 

[fez09]

Before assuming that it's brumation, how old is your dragon? Do you have a weight and measurment? Also what type of UVB do you use and how long have you had it?

 

[mike120]

Before assuming that it's brumation, how old is your dragon? Do you have a weight and measurment? Also what type of UVB do you use and how long have you had it?

She's about 11 months old now, don't have weight sorry, but she went to the vet about 2 months ago who said she was a healthy weight. She's just finished shedding and is about 18 and a bit inches. Using reptisun 10.0 had it about 3 weeks


EDIT: The vet also said she was a little small for her age but nothing to worry about

 

[fez09]

Awesome! Then brumation sounds likely. My adult females are brumting right now but I still turn their lights on for several hours per day and I also wake them up every few days to give them a bath so they stay hydrated.

 

[mike120]

Thats a relief! So should i do everything the same? Lights on the same timer - feeding at normal time etc and bathing occasionally?

 

[fez09]

Well, you can reduce the time that the lights are on to about 8-10 hours...If she eats then you need to make sure that she's basking afterwards to digest and that she's pooping too.