Reptile & Amphibian Forums

2 out of 3 of my adults have started brumation. I only saw them for 5 months this year. Thank god for little dragons. lol.

Aww. I Know I've asked before, but how do you know if they're in brumation? I mean Bindy "hid" for a few weeks but It was stress.....we remedied that and she's better.

What do we look for? How long? Thanks!

Very difficult question to answer.

I check everything else out first. I make sure they have a clean fecal especially. I also keep my ear to the ground as to what other american dragons are doing. This is very early for brumation but for whatever reason mine are part of a larger population that have decided to brumate early this year. It amazes me as the temps. are still in the 90's here.

Well, in general they start slowing down. They become less active and eat less. The first sign for me is that they stop eating crickets, I haven't seen a full size cricket get eaten in weeks. They just hold out for some kind of worm if they're going to bother eating at all.

I think it's important to give them a cool dark place to brumate in. Sorry, but this is a big disadvantage for you non-particulate substrate users. I add 1/2 logs on the cool side of my enclosures. The dragons go inside and dig out the sand to close the opening. I feel this enclosed space reduces the dehydration risk and closly resembles what they would do in the wild. But, many breeders provide no cage furniture or hides and their dragons just brumate out in the open for lack of a better place.

Last year my adult male brumated for a few week and then awoke to make sure his mate remembered him and then went back again. He did this on and off for about 3 months. A small female began brumation in Nov. and was gone solid till mid March. I woke her every few weeks to make sure she wasn't dehydrated, she would drink but never eat and always went right back within a few hours.

Brumation is always stressful. Observation is your best tool. When you notice them less active and eating less have a fecal done. Now would be a good time in case you need to treat for anything.

Thanks, BD! Hey you think an upside-down ice cream bucket with a "door" cut out would work? Not dark enough? (yes, I use playsand)

I think anything will work. I think they like to be surrounded so they feel more secure. My male never blocks the opening completely and I can see he's awake so I don't know if darkness is all that important. Some don't ever brumate so you never know. Plus you need to put it at the coolest place in the enclosure so it's usually darker there anyway.