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.]

Kai dug up one of his new succulents and flipped it upside down for absolutely no reason i can think of except maybe it was in the way of his veggie dish? (Not really totally in the way but he likes to poop just next to his veggie dish, and he did poop today)

 

[ChileanTaco]

Usually, with plants dug out, I replant them once (regarding the "headrest", I did not replant it). If dug out again, I either remove it and keep it as a house/ balcony plant, or if I think it really should stay there (like his golliwog plant which he eats a lot), I put it back in and place stones around it to prevent it from being dug out.

 

[xp29]

That pot really does fit his profile nicely he is for sure a clever boy

 

[ChileanTaco]

He's back brumating.
The last time he came out and was quite active, I did a quick sand top-up in the cave where he brumates as when he was out I saw there was a bit of bare glass visible (bottom of enclosure). I normally hate doing something on his caves, but this looked a bit uncomfortable and I wasn't sure whether he understands and digs it back over, so I put in one big scoop of sand and shaped it.
When he went back in, he licked it a bit, dug it a bit more out to his liking (this time, more sand in and no glass visible), and went to bed early. Since then he's back brumating.
Weather has cooled off a bit (for humans, still warm enough for typical summer clothes) and we had, I know it might sound funny, a weather warning: 7 % chance of rain! It was announced really big (like: precautions to take, but it once really took out the electricity at work as nothing regarding "water" was taken into account at all), and then as often, nothing happened as it normally just doesn't rain. (If it really "rains", it is a super light spray and over within 1 - 2 minutes, not even I with wearing glasses care )
I have the impression, but I don't know, that Taco can detect changes in barometric pressure. I know some reptiles can. I'm trying to look up papers.

 

[Sue E.]

He's back brumating.
The last time he came out and was quite active, I did a quick sand top-up in the cave where he brumates as when he was out I saw there was a bit of bare glass visible (bottom of enclosure). I normally hate doing something on his caves, but this looked a bit uncomfortable and I wasn't sure whether he understands and digs it back over, so I put in one big scoop of sand and shaped it.
When he went back in, he licked it a bit, dug it a bit more out to his liking (this time, more sand in and no glass visible), and went to bed early. Since then he's back brumating.
Weather has cooled off a bit (for humans, still warm enough for typical summer clothes) and we had, I know it might sound funny, a weather warning: 7 % chance of rain! It was announced really big (like: precautions to take, but it once really took out the electricity at work as nothing regarding "water" was taken into account at all), and then as often, nothing happened as it normally just doesn't rain. (If it really "rains", it is a super light spray and over within 1 - 2 minutes, not even I with wearing glasses care )
I have the impression, but I don't know, that Taco can detect changes in barometric pressure. I know some reptiles can. I'm trying to look up papers.

I agree..this would make perfect sense since in general the temps and even humidity in their tanks remain constant, or as constant as we can make it. Animals in the wild can sense a storm and either search out shelter or flee in advance of the storm, even before the clouds appear. With storms and other changes in weather, barometric pressure fluctuations can be one of the first signs. You cant even really credit captive beardies' behavior to changes in light or shadow, as they dont all have access to windows, and many of us simulate sunlight for them by the combination of uva, uvb, and full-spectrum LED lighting, regardless of the season outside.

 

[ChileanTaco]

The change in barometric pressure, however, should be felt by all of them - not blocked by any walls or MDF enclosures or... otherwise a barometer kept indoors won't work.

It's clear that my dragon will get a good amount of weather change as kept directly in front of two large windows, but I bet that also other dragons will recognize the change in day length as well as brighter vs. more cloudy days unless really kept in a room with no windows at all (unlikely). Even to us humans, using artificial light at home, this change in daylight length IMHO is quite obvious, like making us to tend to feel "cozy" on winter nights (and on the obvious, annoys people often if it doesn't fit together - we have x-mas in summer and I constantly feel like no I can't do all the winter decoration and candles and... as it's bright daylight until late evening and it just doesn't fit now we had Easter which for us is in fall... feels weird to bring the easter eggs with spring motives out when it just gets dark so soon and daylight still decreases instead of increases).
Especially the change brighter vs. more cloudy might be even more for most dragons other than e.g. Taco, as most are being kept in more moderate climate zones than here were the sky on almost all days has zero (!) clouds and a really cloudy day with zero blue sky visible I might see one or two days a year with then still no rain.

 

[ChileanTaco]

An update on his brumation behavior:
After not coming out since April 23, today in the morning he sat up and watched us eating breakfast. Later, I did some crafts in the same room he is in, he came out of his burrow, one hand propped against a climbing structure to stand up and watching me. After a while, he walked to his bug bowl, licked it, licked the golliwog plant and now sits next to his pooping spot - I guess he will use it and that, combined with me doing crafts, had driven him out.

 

[Sue E.]

New enrichment for Kai, watching the world outside as reflected in his tank's walls. Of course hidden in the comfort of a sheltered spot lol

 

[Rocky2022]

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....

This happens to me too. I have learned to respect the process.
I wondered if 1 degree mattered but it appears that it does.

 

[Rocky2022]

He just peeked out 🩷

 

[Sue E.]

He just peeked out 🩷
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I love his little hidey hole!

 

[xp29]

He just peeked out 🩷
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I love that picture