second brumation

Taco brumated last year, starting around mid to end of March (not sure about which day to count as first day of brumation).

Taco is now in his cave for almost a week, awake during parts of the day (especially in the morning, and around human's dinner time), sleeping many hours per day.
He sometimes does 1 - 2 "cave days", and some of the last days have been a bit more windy and a bit more cloudy (think of: days that would still count as beautiful and hot summer days elsewhere, but are a bit "autumn feeling" for here). But now that he still hasn't left his cave makes me think: he's brumating again.

Btw.: This time he had chosen another cave. Last time he brumated he was around 10 months old and did fit behind/under the aloe and the back climbing wall. He is now using a different cave, also well hidden but a bit larger, but his size now he fits in snug into that one. He's now about 150 g heavier than when he brumated the first time.

 

[Sue E.]

Even though mine are both awake, there are days when it's cooler outside and they will stay tucked away or just not be active at all. Their tanks will only be like 0.5 or 1°C cooler than normal but that seems to throw them off a bit right now....

Mine too!

 

[ChileanTaco]

Today he suddenly was back. When I came home at 5:30pm, he was already down in a cave (a different one before), but my husband said Taco was out for hours, basking, eating from the plants in his tank, and even taking some dubias he offered.
I'm really surprised! I know brumation can be short, and can also be interrupted, but I just didn't expect this.
Let's see what he does tomorrow

 

[xp29]

Today he suddenly was back. When I came home at 5:30pm, he was already down in a cave (a different one before), but my husband said Taco was out for hours, basking, eating from the plants in his tank, and even taking some dubias he offered.
I'm really surprised! I know brumation can be short, and can also be interrupted, but I just didn't expect this.
Let's see what he does tomorrow

He's pranking ya lol

 

[ChileanTaco]

@xp29
Which of the two - husband or beardie?
(At least Taco is now in a different cave, and awake, looking out curiously. Also there are some less dubias, and I doubt my husband ate them )

 

[xp29]

@xp29
Which of the two - husband or beardie?
(At least Taco is now in a different cave, and awake, looking out curiously. Also there are some less dubias, and I doubt my husband ate them )

Taco

 

[ChileanTaco]

Just continuing a bit with his brumation:
Yesterday, he didn't came up to his basking spot, but stayed on the ground, in a quite hidden part (not actually cave) of his tank around the aloe, where the branch goes down to the ground, close to the back wall, there are also some stones there. He was pancaking on the ground (almost a circle), awake, which is not an unusual behavior for him. It looked like he did not eat (but I don't wonder after him having eaten the day before).
So his behavior was like more one of his "lazy" days outside of brumation.

So far, I did not take him out or pet him as I only do so when he comes up, and when he did so once, I was not home. The day he was up on his branch basking, my husband pet him and hand-fed him some dubias.
Today I left two small-to-medium-sized dubias, along with a slice of carrot (which I always do, for the dubias) in his insect bowl.

 

[xp29]

Just continuing a bit with his brumation:
Yesterday, he didn't came up to his basking spot, but stayed on the ground, in a quite hidden part (not actually cave) of his tank around the aloe, where the branch goes down to the ground, close to the back wall, there are also some stones there. He was pancaking on the ground (almost a circle), awake, which is not an unusual behavior for him. It looked like he did not eat (but I don't wonder after him having eaten the day before).
So his behavior was like more one of his "lazy" days outside of brumation.

So far, I did not take him out or pet him as I only do so when he comes up, and when he did so once, I was not home. The day he was up on his branch basking, my husband pet him and hand-fed him some dubias.
Today I left two small-to-medium-sized dubias, along with a slice of carrot (which I always do, for the dubias) in his insect bowl.

Sounds like he is winding down, not not quite ready yet

 

[ChileanTaco]

@xp29
Likely he recognized it's just not getting cool "enough". He was brumating more (= sleepy) before and is now significantly less doing so.

 

[xp29]

@xp29
Likely he recognized it's just not getting cool "enough". He was brumating more (= sleepy) before and is now significantly less doing so.

Light cycle plays a huge role also, as the days start to have less daylight hours, he'll probably go on down

 

[ChileanTaco]

Light cycle plays a huge role also, as the days start to have less daylight hours, he'll probably go on down

It already has started so a good while ago (which is very obvious: when I get up and when I leave for work, it is pitch black - it was bright daylight a while ago at the same time).
Also here, despite our winters are warm to even hot, we have less daylight hours in winter.

 

[ChileanTaco]

Yesterday - it was quite a hot day, enclosure heated up more through the windows - he was out again, basking for hours and using different zones in his enclosure (directly under the UVB lamp, then where UVB and basking lamp overlap more).
As he was still basking when I came home around 6, I pet him a bit.
He ate 1 dubia and some of his golliwog yesterday.

 

[ChileanTaco]

Today we had that:
Taco enjoying a really hot day (hey that tail is up ), totally active, eating veggies, and I took him out for some time. And, what he rarely does, he pooped while he was out and this was... a giant one - thankfully, we have tile in our apartment

 

[xp29]

Today we had that:
Taco enjoying a really hot day (hey that tail is up ), totally active, eating veggies, and I took him out for some time. And, what he rarely does, he pooped while he was out and this was... a giant one - thankfully, we have tile in our apartment

Tile is a life saver lol

 

[ChileanTaco]

@xp29
For that yes (would be really bad on carpet...), but when I see how poop looks on tile (smears around, if there is any liquid it runs - can imagine very well why a dragon might get dirty from this in an enclosure with tile), honestly, I'm happy to have sand in his enclosure. Poop dries up quickly, I scoop the poop + sand out generously (okay, here I benefit from "endless sand for free" ) like in a cat toilet.

 

[xp29]

@xp29
For that yes (would be really bad on carpet...), but when I see how poop looks on tile (smears around, if there is any liquid it runs - can imagine very well why a dragon might get dirty from this in an enclosure with tile), honestly, I'm happy to have sand in his enclosure. Poop dries up quickly, I scoop the poop + sand out generously (okay, here I benefit from "endless sand for free" ) like in a cat toilet.

That was always the best part of loose substrate for me also. Clean up is easy.