To brumate or not to brumate? Worried about Budo. Again.

[herpfreak]

Last year when Budo decided to brumate (not long after he came into my life), he was in such bad shape that several months without parasite treatment, UVB, or calcium might have killed him. His MBD was already bad enough. So I fought tooth and nail to keep him awake and basking.

Now he's in much better shape, I am happy to say. But he still wants to brumate, and I personally think he could use a few more grams of belly and a bit more liquid calcium. So, in other words, he is eons better but maybe not quite better enough to be allowed to brumate. I'd just like some other opinions here.

How old is your dragon? 2+ years
How long have you had your dragon? Almost one year
How long is your dragon? ~17"
What is the sex of your dragon? Male
What size enclosure do you have your dragon in? 4x2x2 custom-built melamine
What type substrate do you have on the bottom of your tank? tile
UVB? 100w SB MegaRay, 2 months old, 13" from basking spot
Temps? 105-110 basking, 78-83 cool side
Do you use a heat rock or heat pad? Human heat pad set on low on cold nights
Feeding? 10-20 large dubia roaches per week & fresh dandelion greens + varied veggies
Do you use vitamin or calcium supplements? What brand(s)? Liquid calcium prescribed by vet
Is your dragon having regular bowel movements (poops)? Yes
Do you bath your dragon? How often? Every 1-3 days
Do you mist your dragon or offer water other than in the bath? No
Have you gotten a vet check and fecal test done? He was a rescue so the vet saw quite a lot of us. Finally tested negative for parasites 3 months ago, haven't seen the vet since. He's been doing really well, especially since I got the MegaRay in.

 

[Gail]

How much does he weigh now? Any chance you can post pics of him? If he is a good weight then I don't see the problem with letting him brumate if he wants.

 

[herpfreak]

I have no idea, I don't have a scale. :| Here are a few pictures from last week.

He seems in good health / weight to me, but he's my first and he's a rescue, so I don't have anything to compare him with.

Another thing; he's pretty much over his MBD, but I am worried about it coming back. He's on liquid calc. right now from a vet. Could I keep giving him calcium supplements while he brumates, or would this cause problems? Maybe cut the dosage in half while he brumates? Will his MBD get worse or does the shutting down during brumation stop MBD from progressing?

 

[TheDragonKeepers]

Where are you based? If you're in the UK, I can post you my set of scales for a couple of days. (I use them for all sorts, mostly to make batches of gecko food, but I can do a big batch before I send em out)

 

[Buggsy]

Sounds silly but i use kitchen scales! They work wonderfully! He lloks healthy enough, but if you are concerned with the calcium issue/brumination, have a chat with your vet. Its always a very good idea to have an annual check up at this time before brummination to check everything is ok!

Buggsy

 

[Gail]

He looks great, I wouldn't worry about him brumating at all. He's plenty fat enough to be ok, even if he was to loose a bit of weight while sleeping. I don't think I would do the calcium, I would worry about the kidneys not being able to process it while he is slowed down.
Did the vet say he still has MBD? are his bones still soft? In the time you've had him the MBD should have went away and he looks strong.

 

[herpfreak]

Thanks for all the info, guys! I'm pretty sure my neighbor has a scale, I'll ask if I can borrow it.

I had to take one of the snakes to the vet today and I asked for her opinion. She's seen him a lot in the past and she said that, even if he's doing much better and the MBD appears to be gone (which he is and it really does seem like it's gone), I shouldn't risk it. She said that a few months without calcium could definitely do some damage at this point.

Thanks for the opinions, though, I really appreciate it!