Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got a couple ?'s about brumation. My beardy isn't currently going through this, i just want to be prepared for it when/if she does.

- Is it necessary for bearded dragons to go through the proccess of "brumation??" (spelling??)
- What are the main "signs"??
- Is there any way to prevent them from going through this?
- How long do they go through this "cylce" for? days? weeks? months?
- what specific care should be taken to make sure dragons stay healthy during brumation?

sorry for all the questions!

thnx in advance to all who reply!!!
-----
Just Another Herp Crazy Person
Allan
E-mail: Flip4Life_03@hotmail.com
0.2 Leopard Geckos - Lea, Cleo (Mite end up 1.2...expo coming up! [2 eggs cooking so could be 1.4])
0.1 Bearded Dragon - Loki
0.0.1 Fire Skink - Blaze

- Is it necessary for bearded dragons to go through the proccess of "brumation??" (spelling??)
Yes.

- What are the main "signs"??
will get "Lazy" less active, eat less

- Is there any way to prevent them from going through this?
No.

- How long do they go through this "cylce" for? days? weeks? months?
about 2 months Dec-to-Jan

- what specific care should be taken to make sure dragons stay healthy during brumation?

reduce temp about 10 degrees, day length to about 10 hours
let the dragon do his thing unless you see a rapid loss of weight ...

it's "Vacation Time" for them, after growing or breeding they need a rest....
around nov you can start to get them ready by lowering light and temp a bit... then watch at about 6-8 weeks for them to start to "Wake Up" and start warming them up and restoring former light levels and bring on some food -- they'l be hungry!

some times shutdown can be longer or shorter than the 2 months.
let the dragon decide unless he is sick during that time.

do not try to force feed during shutdown -- it will just harm the dragon with stress and as he is cooled-down he can't properly digest food -- that could lead to life threataning gastric rot.
-----
This space reserved for future use...

i have a question about this as well... is it normal for them to burmate during the summer months or is my beardie a little odd.. he seems to burmate during the spring and into the summer.. could it have anything to do with the house being warmer during the winter months and cooler during the summer because of AC... just wondering... all of my setups have to change slightly in the summer due to the AC...

alissa

I may be wrong but.....

most animals including us that are called "Diurnal" have a "Biological Clock" that is programmed by things like the intensity and duration of light.

I think with reptiles and snakes etc... heat also plays a role.

so if you have lower night time temps and a short enough day lenght it could well set his clock for a summer rest pattern.

just make sure that you set a steady pattern and keep with it...

I think to many changes could be stressfull and lead to helth problems....

but if you run the lights and temps the same every year should be fine for the guy
-----
This space reserved for future use...

If a beardy does not brumate, will that cause any serious harm to the animal? Or is it alright if it does not brumate sometimes? Thnx
-----
Just Another Herp Crazy Person
Allan
E-mail: Flip4Life_03@hotmail.com
0.2 Leopard Geckos - Lea, Cleo (Mite end up 1.2...expo coming up! [2 eggs cooking so could be 1.4])
0.1 Bearded Dragon - Loki
0.0.1 Fire Skink - Blaze

Hmmm?

well I think in time he will shutdown for a while.

but as I just answered in a post:

setup a plan for a two month time to tell him it's time to nap.

as thye have done it for like a million years I think it *MIGHT* be best to stick with what his biology is setup for doing.
-----
This space reserved for future use...

This URl will take you to a site by Dr Kathryn Tosney, who really loves her dragons, it is a compling of several very good breeders experiences with brumations and one of the best I think available on the web.

We had some that did not brumate, some that did for 2 weeks and one that did for five months. Hardly any weight change and when each got up they responded differently, some attacked food right off, some hardly touched anything for a few weeks. All returned to their normal self and the one that slept 5 months laid eggs and had not been breed or within sight of a male.... they are all different and you should let them tell you what they need and want to do. We do have all them checked for clear fecals befor they go down
Brumating Dragons