Unusual Behavior During a Possible Brumation..? (UPDATED)

[rlanguid]

To me it just looks like he is struggling to get comfortable. Maybe he just can't seem to get his body temp where he wants it or lights are bothering him. After watching the youtube vid the first thing I thought was "omg this is ME in the mornings." I get so groggy I feel drunk and often stumble around like this.

I have even heard of beardies having nightmares. It almost seems like that's what's happening. I know this may sound ridiculous but does anyone know if beardies can sleep walk?

I'm just trying to think of other reasons for his behavior that are simple but may be less obvious, since after seeing all you've done (vet visits, light replacement, etc.) you obviously know what you're doing and have pretty much done all you can.

I would recommend placing some small towels or baby blankets in different places in his tank. This way he will have more options. You could also make him a brumation box by cutting a hole big enough for him to crawl out of in the side of a shoebox. You can line it with blankets and put him in there.

In the wild they burrow into the dirt, so maybe it's that cozy feeling of being surrounded and safe that he is trying to find but can't.

I know all this may sound silly, but have you considered maybe it's as simple as a comfort issue? Have you experimented with any different "beds" for him?

Hi there! Indeed, it is very unusual behavior, but we've been seeing his condition get better as the time goes by.
As for his 'bedding', we have scraps of old hand towels that we cut up for him to lay in and sleep on. He seems to enjoy it, but often crawls away and around to different spots throughout the day. We have set up a little hideaway for him as well, providing a cover for him, but he didn't really take notice/care to it, and we found him usually just climbing on it from time to time. We took it out of his cage so he would not possibly fall from it if he ever got on top of it.

I suppose now would be a good time to update Sam's condition, though!
As for his odd behavior, we have notice a substantial decrease in it. He seems to lie down and sleep most of the time, but every now and then he has had little moments where he awakes and move about. What perturbs us is his black beard of his - he seems stressed, or frustrated. The dehydration he's experiencing is more than likely an issue of it.
Speaking of his dehydration, I believe our little man is constipated! With the last bath that I gave him, I felt a sizable lump in his lower right belly, just an inch and a half or so from his rear. It seems to be more so the case, as his recent poos - which have been 3 very little ones - have had noticeable blood in them.
I'm trying to feed him more of his baby food mixture we got him - applesauce and mixed vegetables - along with 2 or 3 soaks a day, and I'm gently doing 'circles' on this spot. Hopefully this alleviates the pain, or is the cause of the pain outright, so we can fix his frustrations.

As always, I will update this when I can. Thank you for monitoring it, for all who have!

 

[rlanguid]

So, here's an update on the little man.
Upon noticing his behaviors now, I'm more than confident that that he is wanted to brumate. I found him dug underneath his tank carpet two nights ago! I'm unsure how he even managed that. :lol:
As for his condition, we're tackling his constipation with a VERY small amount of mineral oil in some applesauce we have for him - stage 1 baby food apple sauce, of course.
All that's left now is lots and lots of soaks, and hoping that this mineral oil helps him out.
It might be a bit before I update, but I wanted to let you guys know.
Thanks again for all the support!

 

[rlanguid]

Bumping this thread to make sure people see the update to Sam's health.
For new information, please read the red text seen in the original post.
Thank you!