question about brumation

[gatorboy1392]

ok so my BD has only come out to sun himself for like a total of 2 hours in the last 3-4 days. and he hasnt eatin anything either. i know its winter and thats the time they start brumating, but im not really sure if thats what it is. how do i know if hes actually brumating, or if hes sick??

and if he is brumating, is it ok to take him out of his cage for a little while so i can clean it??

 

[DragonsNDoodles]

You need to tell us your temperatures, cage setup, age of your dragon, etc. Are you using UVB? If so, what kind? How big is your dragon? Has he gone to the bathroom?

If he is over a year old, there is the possibility that he is going into brumation. In brumation they do not lose weight even though they do not eat.

If he is sick, look for signs of runny poo, sunken eyes (dehydration), MBD, etc. If he is totally healthy, it is most likely brumation. You can put him in a shoebox or something while you clean his tank, then put him back and keep him in shutdown conditions until he decides to wake up.

 

[gatorboy1392]

temp: 90
hotspot: 100
uvb: reptisun 10.0
age: 7-9 months?? (got him in may when he was 5 inches)
size: 17.5 inches
cage: 6x2x2...can upload pic if it helps?
last poop: 4 days ago, it looked like it always does
health problems: none

i didnt think they were suppose to brumate at this early age, thats why im asking. and i wanted to make sure it was ok to move him so i could clean his cage.

 

[DragonsNDoodles]

He should not be brumating, but it's not unheard of at this age. His hot spot needs to get a little hotter, about 105-110 degrees. Also, he needs a cool spot that is about 80. If I understood you correctly, his "cool" area is at 90 and his hot spot is 100, so he only gets to regulate 10 degrees, which is not enough.

Does he usually only poop every 4 days? That is not normal if he's not in brumation. He might be impacted which is causing him to act sluggish.

 

[gatorboy1392]

sorry what i meant was the hot side of his cage is about 90, his basking spot is about 100, and the cool side of his cage is about 82.

no he usually poops every 1-2 days, but he hasnt pooped in like 4 days. i just figured it was because he is sleeping alot and not eating very much.

 

[DragonsNDoodles]

Ok, your temps sound great then. Sorry I misunderstood you.

Try bathing him and feel for a lump in his belly that may be an unpooped poop. If he has a hard lump in there, he might be impacted and not in brumation. If not, you might want to just shut him down and let him sleep!

 

[gatorboy1392]

so if theres no lumps everythings ok??

so do i need to do anything special while hes brumating?? do i run the light as normal? do i keep putting food in his cage even though hes not eating anything??

how long does brumation last?? is he just gonna lay there for weeks at a time??

 

[DragonsNDoodles]

No, don't put food in his tank if he's brumating. If he doesn't poop it out, it will rot in his stomach. Research brumation on the board for more information- there is a lot and I don't want to type it all out, lol.

Brumation can last anywhere from a couple days to four months or so. It depends on if you shut down conditions completely or not. The lights should NOT be on as long as normal. Just go ahead and research brumation and you'll learn all you need to know!!