Posted by:
veronicag
at Wed Jul 16 10:19:07 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by veronicag ]
Do you have a digital thermometer to take the temps in the cage? If not, you will need one. Don't guess at the temps or rely solely on the stick on ones. They aren't very accurate.
What are the temps (basking and cool side)? How long are his lights on for? These are really important factors when it comes to brumation. Because it's the seasonal changes that encourage a beardie to brumate in the first place.
To get him out of brumation, you have to reverse it. Slowly bring the basking temp up to 100 to 110. And bring the cool side of the tank to 75 or 80. Don't allow the tank to get cooler than 65 at night. If you have air conditioning, make sure it's not blowing right on his cage or near it, especially if his cage is located on the floor. His lights should be on for at least 12 hours. I prefer 14 on and 10 off. There's more daylight in the summer time, so if you should change the light cycle gradually and leave so that the lights are on for 14 hours. Also, if you're not providing UVB, you will need to get a bulb that has UVB. Reptisun 5.0 and the mercury vapor bulbs all work great.
I wouldn't force feed him until he's basking. If you force food into his stomach and he runs back under his log and hides, the food will rot away in his stomach. A beardie has to have an internal temp of 95 degrees to digest food. Provide him with plenty of water by dripping some on him nose every day or every other day. You can also mist him once in a while. Weekly baths also help to hydrate dragons. The most important thing you should be worried about is if he is getting enough liquids. As long as he isn't loosing weight, then he Should be fine. If he is losing weight, he could have parasites or some other kind of problem going on.
It is also good to bathe him to try to get him to deficate. If you can get him to poop, take a fresh sample to the vet to get it checked for parasites.
Good luck.
Veronica
Beautiful Dragons
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RE: Hibernation problem - veronicag, Wed Jul 16 10:19:07 2003