Reptile & Amphibian Forums

alright here is my current situation i'm just gonna break it down and try and get everything out there. I've had my Bearded dragon for around 2 maybe 2 and 1/2 years and i got him from a pet store and i was pretty stupid i didn't really know what i was doing i wasn't really educated but anyway i've learned my stuff and know alot more since although there is always more to learn but anyway i didn't take my beardie to the vet ever untill like 6-8 months ago and we found out he had pinworms and hes had them all his life and stuff and hes had them since the pet store i bought him from but anyway my recent dilema is hes like just shut down. Now i don't really know anyhting about brumation but i have allthese logs and branches under my basking area and he just craweld ot the floor of the cage and it camping out in the shade underthere hes stopped eating and hasn't pooped. I thought he was dead at first but hes just lying there with his eyes closed but like i don't know what i'm doing so i've just been picking him up and putting him under the basking light he perks up and starts eating again but then like a couple days later he'll be back on the floor with his eyes closed i've been reading alot about brumation and trying to find out what to do everyone is saying you shouldn't let them brumate with a belly full of food and with out getting a fecal done first but i am just making sure if he deffinatly is brumating like can anyone tell from this info if thats it cause if it is i'm just gonna call the vet and ask them to tell me what exactly to do. thanks i know i sound like an idiot but i am really not that bad hes been doing great sine we got rid of the pinworms hes like 18 inchs 346grams which still isn't that much but concidering two months ago he was like 18inchs 290 grams. hes improving, thanks though for anyhelp

I think the best thing to do would be to take a fecal sample in if you can, if it's clear, leave him alone and let him sleep. If he wants to brumate, don't stick him on the basking site.
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TheClassyLizard

I think Christy is giving you good advice, take a fecal sample to your veterinarian to make sure you have cleared all parasitic infections. The only thing I would add is that you want to make sure your beardie is in good body condition before he brumates. You mentioned that he had recently gained a considerable amount of weight. How underweight was he? I do not think it is a good idea to let a physically compromised lizard brumate. They have a harder time coming out of it. Has he ever brunmated before? If he is compromised you can keep him from brumating this year by changing his light cycle (longer days than nights like in hte spring and summer) and increasing the temperature in his enclosure.

Just my thoughts,
Stacey