too soon for brumation?

[ash0587]

for the last four weeks emmy has been lethargic and refusing to eat (except for crit care). so I took her to the vet and was told that her blood work was fine and that her problems were from her being overweight. now she is being pretty active, running around her cage and digging at the door to get out, but still isn't interested in food unless it's crit care. not sure if she is starting to go into brumation since she's only about 16 months old so I dunno if she's too young or if it's too early in the year for her to be brumating. any insight would be appreciated.

 

[ash0587]

anyone have any ideas?

 

[AHBD]

She's definitely old enough to brumate, and if she's a good size [ your vet says overweight ? ] then she's fine. Her restlessness may be just looking for a place that is cool and dark, her instincts can cause her to act that way. She could also be gravid, but since it's fall, I'd guess it's just that sleepy time of year. But....every dragon is different, some will sleep for a week or two, get back up, move around, then go curl back up. Don't worry about her, they all do their thing differently. Don't stress about it, and don't worry about food. They don't need it during brumation. If she does go to sleep, you can offer water via syringe every other week on the tip of her nose if she looks awake . If your temps. go below 70, she may sleep right through for 2-3 months without even waking. Of course you would check on her every few days, but they know exactly what they need to do.

 

[ash0587]

do you recommend dropping her temps at all? I used to with my leopard gecko when he was alive, but he always went into and out of brumation like clockwork and I knew exactly what was going on with him. since this is my first winter with her I'm nervous. also what about calcium needs? that was something else I had though of a little while ago. thanks for the help I appreciate it.