Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My 1 year old female has been acting kinda wierd lately.. Some days she is normal and will dig and run and climb, jump, scratch the glass.. she will be normal. Others she is just like real lazy. Like I will go to work in the morning and see where she has crashed out from the night before and I come home and she is still passed out in the same spot. Now this isnt every day, but has been happening alot more lately. Her eating habits have kinda dropped off a bit, but she still goes after any bugs you put in her face. (she got spoiled as a baby with hand feeding, and now thats all she wants.. I'm trying to break her of it slowly).

What I'm wondering is if the outside weather has anything to do with their moods. It has recently got extremely hot here so I have the central air turned on but her cage temps have all been steady (she is in a room that is closed most of the time so it is pretty much ALWAYS hot) but I mean can they sense season changes or anything? When I do come home and she is laying where she passed out the night before, I pick her up sometimes and move her over underneith one of her basking spots and she seems to perk up and turns "normal" again.. Maybe she is trying to brumate very very late since she has never done it before? (only ~ 10 months old). She has been doing ALOT of digging lately and trying to get under things..

I dunno. Here is a breakdown..

Temps are fine.
Nothing in the enclosure has changed.
Eating habits have dropped a bit, but nothing drastic.
Sleeps alot, but is totally fine when she is awake and warmed up.
Still attacks any bugs but kinda weary on greens.
Not using the bathroom as much, but hasnt been eating as much either. Stools seem normal.

What do you guys think? Late brumation or just being plain lazy? Thanks for any insight!

Normally I wouldnt be as worried about this since I would be able to keep a close eye on her, but I am leaving for a 1 1/2 week vacation tomorrow and I'm having my sister come by twice a day to take care of food and pooper scooping. What do you guys think?

Could be the teenager in her! Brumation should be months away and provided nothing has changed as you say there is no reason to believe brumation has been triggered. It is also way early at this point. We have some young adults that act like this temporarily from time to time.

As long as she keep eating relatively well you will be fine. If anything gets worse it sounds like a vet visit could be in your future.

Good luck!
J Marchon Reptiles

I would double check the temperatures, make sure it isnt' getting too hot in her cage. If it's too hot she will remain in teh coolest location of the cage she can fine. If you haven't changed your UVB bulb since you bought her, may be an ideal to get a new one.

Also, as the weather has been nice in your area, take her outside in the sun for a bit. Natural sunlight really is great for dragons to be explosed to. Just make sure she is in a container or reptarium screen cage, so she can't escape. Provide a shady area in the container/cage (either by putting in a wooden hide, or covering part of the cage with a board (or the lid of the container) or cloth). Stay with her the entire time you are outside, to ensure nothing happens to her. She may be freaky at first, but I find carrying them outside and letting the bask in a solid rubbermaid container, is better. They still get the sun, (from the top) and the view of the outside is cut out nicely, so they do not get overwhelmed by the change.

Though it probably isn't likely, check her stomach area with gently with your hand, to see if you feel any oblong or roundish objects. It is possible she may be gravid, though it's not very common for bearded dragons under a year to produce infertile eggs, but some do it anyway. Increased digging and drop in appetite could be she is with eggs. If this is the case, provide her with an egg laying bin with about 8-12" of dampened untreated soil or vermulite/soil/sand mix. Make sure it is damp enough to clump when squeezed but not so damp you can squeeze water out of it. Place a basking lamp over the sand to heat up and placed the dragon into it. (a medium sized rubbermaid container is good, one that is about 14-16" deep, about 24" long and 14-17" wide). If she is gravid and near to laying, she should start digging to accmplish that.

A vet trip with fresh stool sample for a fecal certainly wouldn't hurt before you leave. This way you can be assured she has a clean bill of health before you leave her in the care of somebody else while you are away.

Oh, try giving her a soak in luke warm water, just in case she's dehydrated.
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PHLdyPayne