Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone. I have a male bearded dragon who has just recently come out of brumation. He has lost weight during his brumation period. I took him to a reptile vet to have a physical and a fecal done just prior to his brumation period. The vet gave him a clean bill of health both physically and internally (was parasite free). Since his emergence from his long sleep I have been offering him everything, crickets, mealworms, superworms, hornworms and he is showing zero interest in all of them. He is set up in a 4 foot by 2 foot enclosure. His bask stays at a constant of 110 degrees (measured with a temp gun), warm end is 80 degrees and cool end is 75. My subsrate is a mixture of top soil, sand and vermiculate which i keep moistened (50% humidity). He is very alert, and moving around his enclosure, I have taken him out once to observe him and he ran around and even bobbed his head a few times. I feel like my husbandry is good, however he is not eating. I guess my question is...will bearded dragons not eat right away after brumation? does it take a week or two before they will get back into good eating habits? I'm very concerned about him...should i get another fecal done?...any suggestions are welcome. Thank you.

-Ryan

he also has zoo med 10.0's. Thanks
-Ryan

Hey Ryan......how long did he brumate for? Did you put him into brumation or did he just want to brumate? Are you offering greens everyday? Are there other dragons visible to him? He may just not be ready to eat......try increasing temps a bit.........maybe 80 on the cool side. How often is he basking now?

He could just have his mind on breeding, not be ready to eat yet, still want to sleep, or something else is going on?

How much weight did he lose? What was he before and now?

If he's anything like my snakes after brumation he has just one thing on his mind-Mating! He will eventually eat. sounds like you have the correct set-up going. I would be more concerned if he was showing signs of lethargy, but he's not so give it some more time. Keep us posted

Hey Chris. He began a "hard brumation" in mid november (his eating decreased a few weeks before that) and he just woke up afew days ago. I did not put him into brumation...he went down himself. I do offer greens everyday (kale, collard greens, endive). There are 2 females in the room however they are out of his sight. When he went into brumation he was 346 grams however i am unsure of his weight now because i do not have a scale (weighed at the vets). I am just basing the weight loss off of what i can see. His tail is still very thick and strong however which i belive is a good thing. I actually increased the temps right after i posted my first message and i have his bask up to 120 degrees at the moment. He is extremly active (running around the tank and clawing at the sides, bobbing his head, taking breaks in between to bask). I think you may be right about him having breeding on the mind. I guess all i can do is wait a few more days and observe any behaviour changes. I will keep you updated. Thanks for the quick response.

-Ryan

If you are saying he still appears healthy(base of tail still thick), and he is running around bobbing, he probably just wants to breed.

I think you guys may be right. Thanks alot.

Setup sounds good, even if I would raise the top basking temp to peak even higher : )

Have you considered dehydration? Going without water for long periods can do much more damage than going without food, assuming good body mass.

Just eating greens may delay/slow a full uptake and proper moisture balance in the body. Until that balance is achieved, symptoms may persist.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Hey Robyn, I havn't soaked him since he has emerged, however I will give him one tomorrow morning (he is already sleeping) thanks for responding.

A month and a half is rather short brumation..most typically brumate for 2-4 months. My dragon has been brumating for about two months now and showing no signs of coming out. Last year she slept for about 4-5 months.

ALso keep in mind that dragons do have a good sense of smell so if your females are giving out 'ready to mate' pheromones he will smell them, especially since they are in the same room.

How long are your 'days' for your male dragon?

Also, dehydration could make a dragon look a little lighter but really no way to be sure how much grams he lost without weighing him. It is virtually impossible to guess the weight of a dragon by visual cues. Besides a little weight loss isn't unusual though I would be worried if he lost more than 30grams in the short time he was brumating.
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PHLdyPayne

You are right about the short brumation...it is possible that he is not out of this stage yet. However he has become very active and basks alot throughout the day. He shows no ineterst in the hide I had set up for him during brumation. My females are still to young to breed...do they still give off "ready to mate" pheramones...if so It would not be a problem to move them to another room. Do you think I should? My light cycle is 12 on 12 off set up on a timer. Although he ate some of his kale yesterday...he is still showing no ineterst in insects.

I doubt the females will give off 'ready to mate' pheromones if they are too young to be ready...if they are under a year then its not likely they are ready. Some females do produce eggs under a year old but its more an exception than the rule.

I wouldn't offer kale at all, especially alone. Kale though high in calcium, is also hide in stuff that binds with calcium so it becomes unusable. Kale can be fine if given in small amounts mixed with more healthier greens, such as collards, dandelion greens or mustard greens. Below is a website with a great nutritional guide for greens.

It isn't unusual for dragons once they are adults to have less interest in insects. Adults typically only need about 10% of their total daily intake of good to be insects, females tend to need more when producing eggs, but 20% is typically enough insect wise, unless they are loosing too much weight, then increasing insects help put the weight back on.

Your daylight time should be more 10 day/ 14 night for brumation time, to simulate winter and the reverse for summer conditions. Not that dragons will listen even if you have lights on 14 hours a day. Mine brumated without a change of light duration but I suspect she reacts more to the room temperature and darkness outside.
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PHLdyPayne

Wow. I thought that kale was one of the better greens for them. Everything I have read mentions kale atleast once. Well its not a problem I switch there greens every week anywas with collards and other greens. I guess i'll just cut the kale out of their diet (although it seems to be all of my BD'S favourites) I will also cut back his day light time. Thank you.

LdyPayne did not post the web site she mentioned so here it is.

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

As far as brumation, every dragon is different. I would not shorten the day cycle. Every male(14) I have but one is awake now, every female(9) is still brumating. A 2 month brumation is on the long side for a male in my opinion. BD's don't need to brumate at all. But, it does help the females prepare for breeding. I notice no difference in behavior between males that brumated and ones that didn't. They are all active this time of year.

I am at 13 on 11 off and will be 14/10 in another month. Generally all the dragons here (New Jersey) will be awake in the next 3-4 weeks.

Oh yes, silly me forgot to put the link in. Thanks BDlvr. One of the side effects of multi tasking, occasionally I get distracted and post before I am ready to.

At this point I think its best to just increase the daylight time from 12 hours to 14 gradually, say about half hour every week till its up to 14 hours. Your male is highly active and no point putting him into brumation again.

Greens I find it is best to choose 2-4 of the big staples (collard greens, endive (or chicory), Escarole, mustard greens, or dandelion greens) then add some of the occasional greens and vegetables as shown in the chart at beautiful dragons. Variety is the key. Kale can be added sparingly but it needs the support of healthier calcium rich greens.

The list at that website isn't all exclusive, there are other greens and vegetables that are not on it but for the most part, the ones on that list can be found at most grocery stores...though some are seasonal.
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PHLdyPayne