bergmite
Member
Hey all,
I’m thinking my 1 year old male bearded dragon Toast is starting his first brumation. He has many signs of it, but there are a few behavioral things that I’m still a bit confused about so some insight and opinions would be very appreciated!
Information about his husbandry:
Tank - 40 gallons.
UVB - Zoo Med Reptisun 10.0 UVB T5 HO 24-watt bulb. It’s in a reflective hood. Recently replaced the bulb as well (I try to replace it every ~3 months).
Heat - Repti Basking Spot Lamp 75w, white bulb.
Substrate - Ceramic tiles. Hot side is 93-100 degrees, cool side is ~87 degrees.
Diet:
Insects - Discord roaches and crickets depending on what’s available. 3 times a week.
Salad - Staples are yellow squash and collard greens, but I also mix in kale or arugula occasionally. Baby carrots are his favorite, so a couple of those a week as well. Salad is every morning.
Supplement - Repashy superfood calcium plus. Sprinkle this on the salads + dust insects.
Okay!! Now for the actual post. Toast has historically only spent time on the hot side of his tank, so when he started hanging out on the cool side a bit over a month ago it was very weird. Leading up to this, he had a great appetite. He would eat at least 2 of his salads a day and never refused a single insect. He had outgrown the hide I had for him on the cool side, and as soon as I put a new hide in, he went into it. I know that spending time in the hide and on the cool side can sometimes indicate illness, but nothing about his behavior changed. He still pooped regularly, he wasn‘t black-bearding, gaping, etc. The only difference was that the eating slowed down a bit. He only picked at his salads, but still went crazy for any insect. His routine basically turned into this: He would spend most of the time in the hide, but come out to pick at the salad or lay in the light for a few hours, and then go back. I’ve also been keeping track of his weight, and there has not been much change.
7/17/22: 436.6
9/15/22: 448
(He started going into his hide in August)
What confuses me about the behavior is he’s not actually sleeping. When he goes into his hide, he’ll do a complete loop and sick his head out, and just lay there with his eyes open. I’ve just been assuming that it’s likely brumation, and I haven’t been too worried because he still eats and poops and seems content, but I wanted to check in here and make sure this isn’t something I should take him to the vet for.
Thank you for reading!!
I’m thinking my 1 year old male bearded dragon Toast is starting his first brumation. He has many signs of it, but there are a few behavioral things that I’m still a bit confused about so some insight and opinions would be very appreciated!
Information about his husbandry:
Tank - 40 gallons.
UVB - Zoo Med Reptisun 10.0 UVB T5 HO 24-watt bulb. It’s in a reflective hood. Recently replaced the bulb as well (I try to replace it every ~3 months).
Heat - Repti Basking Spot Lamp 75w, white bulb.
Substrate - Ceramic tiles. Hot side is 93-100 degrees, cool side is ~87 degrees.
Diet:
Insects - Discord roaches and crickets depending on what’s available. 3 times a week.
Salad - Staples are yellow squash and collard greens, but I also mix in kale or arugula occasionally. Baby carrots are his favorite, so a couple of those a week as well. Salad is every morning.
Supplement - Repashy superfood calcium plus. Sprinkle this on the salads + dust insects.
Okay!! Now for the actual post. Toast has historically only spent time on the hot side of his tank, so when he started hanging out on the cool side a bit over a month ago it was very weird. Leading up to this, he had a great appetite. He would eat at least 2 of his salads a day and never refused a single insect. He had outgrown the hide I had for him on the cool side, and as soon as I put a new hide in, he went into it. I know that spending time in the hide and on the cool side can sometimes indicate illness, but nothing about his behavior changed. He still pooped regularly, he wasn‘t black-bearding, gaping, etc. The only difference was that the eating slowed down a bit. He only picked at his salads, but still went crazy for any insect. His routine basically turned into this: He would spend most of the time in the hide, but come out to pick at the salad or lay in the light for a few hours, and then go back. I’ve also been keeping track of his weight, and there has not been much change.
7/17/22: 436.6
9/15/22: 448
(He started going into his hide in August)
What confuses me about the behavior is he’s not actually sleeping. When he goes into his hide, he’ll do a complete loop and sick his head out, and just lay there with his eyes open. I’ve just been assuming that it’s likely brumation, and I haven’t been too worried because he still eats and poops and seems content, but I wanted to check in here and make sure this isn’t something I should take him to the vet for.
Thank you for reading!!
