Weight loss during brumation

[JenFid]

Hi everyone,

Sartharion has just started what I'm pretty sure is his first brumation (he turned 1 year on Monday). His eating had been slowly ramping down to now he won't even look at his food. Over the weekend he snuggled under his blanket in his hide and didn't come out once until a day or 2 ago I took him out for a bath.
I'm naturally a little nervous about the first brumation...I don't want to be wrong!

I've read some weight loss is normal during this but not very much. I weighed him maybe a day after I decided that he was brumating (a little over a week ago) and he was about 345g...yesterday he was 338g. Does that sound normal?

This morning he didn't come out of his hide but he is awake and alert. I have him out now and he seems to be his normal perky self, although I'm sure he'll walk right back into his hide once I put him away.

 

[my1stBD]

Hmmmmmmmmm 7 grams in about 7 days is a bit much or should i say quick.

Did you have a fecal done recently to rule out any parasites, it should be done before allowing them to brumate as brumations symptoms and parasite symptoms are very similar both includes lethargy, not eating. The weight loss is what concerns me. Last year when mine brumated (Also started a week after her birthday) she lost a total of 38 gramms over a 3 month period, so as you can see it wasnt as quick as yours.

Once you are sure that there is no underlying illness, it would be safe to assume it is brumation.

 

[JenFid]

That's kind of what I was thinking as well. He has done this before when he was about 5 months, but I thought that might have been my fault because I think it got a little chilly in his viv a few nights in a row (fixed that with a che). Now it's summer though so his viv doesn't drop below 75 at night. He was parasite free that time so hopefully he still is. I'll try and get him to the vet on Sunday.

Thanks!

 

[my1stBD]

Keep me posted, Hoping its NOT parasites and just brumation

Oh and if it makes you feel any better...........mine started brumation in spring time also, ate like a pig in winter Grrrrrrrrrrr. Guess some of them have a better internal clock than others

 

[LeapinBeardie]

Keep me posted, Hoping its NOT parasites and just brumation

Oh and if it makes you feel any better...........mine started brumation in spring time also, ate like a pig in winter Grrrrrrrrrrr. Guess some of them have a better internal clock than others

Remember, beardies are from and get their instincts from Australia. Southern hemisphere gets winter at northern hemisphere's summertime.
Some just follow their natural instincts by body clock, and some start when the temp drops.

 

[JenFid]

Well the vets diagnosis was that he is perfectly healthy from everything he could see/hear/feel physically. He felt that it was too early for Sarth to start brumating, but then again he also thought that you had to *make* them do it by starting to lower temps and light cycles etc and that they didn't do it naturally. Which I guess is kind of true since you probably can make them by lowering the temps (probably what I unintentionally did last Feb), but he didn't seem to think that they do it no matter what.

He wasn't able to do a fecal there, so they gave me a little cup to bring home to collect a "sample" of 3 baths later and he still hasn't pooped :evil: But his weight has been holding steady for the past 2 weeks so I am no longer so worried

 

[LeapinBeardie]

There's a good article on the homepage of this website for Brumation.
It says that some beardies don't brumate at all, so there is no reason to intentionally "induce" it.