Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i think my 1 yr old bearded dragon is hybernating. He lays under his log all day and only comes out ocasionally for some food. when he does get up i put him under his light bbut he doesnt last very long before he goes back under his log and goes to sleep. this has been going on for almost a month. some days he doesnt even come out from under his log and sleeps the whole day! he has stopped going to the toilet again!! and i have tried warm baths and giving him carrot and squash but still nothing has happened. im really worried and a bit unsure of what to do should i take him to the vet or give him some more time to come out of hybernating? im also unsure of the hybernation period...totally confused please help thanks for your time.

It could be natural burmation but I do need to know more details about your setup.

Firstly, what is the cage temperatures? (basking, ambient, daytime/nightime temps). Has he lost any weight lately? Before he started getting 'sleepy' was he active, eating plenty, basking etc?

What is his current weight/size? (head to tail tip length)

What sort of substrate are you using? Are you using UVB light? How old is the current bulb? HOw long are his lights on/off?

Brumation for a healthy dragon is fine and can last up to 4 months. Even if temperatures and length of daylight are consistant, dragons do go into brumation anyway. Most times, brumation can be stimilated by reducing basking temps and length of day light, then after 2-4 months, increasing temps and day time lengths to bring them out again.

The important thing is to ensure your dragon is not being lathargic/sleepy for reasons other than brumation. If they are loosing weight, looking wrinkly, not eating much, etc, are all signs of sickness, which need to be identified by a vet and treated.