Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey I have a question for you guys! My SHL has been hibernating but has un-burrowed. He's still sleeping, but does he need his uv light back on during the day now? (His cage tepm is between 60-65 degrees during the day now.)Thanks!

mine's been up & down too, due to the quite mild winter
temps we're having. he's up about once a week and moving about.
the outside temps just won't stay down.
I've kept the lamps off so as not to add any additional heat
source or stimulation, in an attempt to encourage him to go back under. he usually burrows again later in the day when the temps drop again, and I don't see him until the next warm day.

if yours is spending no more than a day or two on the surface, it won't hurt to use a UVB lamp, but, it won't really be of any great significance either if he's not eating. his matabolism will be low and I don't think much calcium in his system will be converted into D3 right now. if he's on the surface for several days and won't go back down, then go ahead and turn on the UVB just in case. keep the UVA/heat lamps off though unless you want him to come out of hibernation fully.
or, you could consider what kind of sunlight he might be getting outdoors right now if he came up in the wild, and match lighting accordingly...wouldn't hurt to use natural outdoor sunlight conditions as a reference...either way won't
really hurt.

the more important issue, though, to consider when a HL comes up during hibernation is health & hydration. young HL's are at greatest risk for problems. makes sure he doesn't appear sick, and, that he stays hydrated through the hibernation, as he may be looking for water also. if anything gives you cause to worry, it might be best to just bring him out of hibernation.

fireside3

The hydration advice is good, but you should really consider the thought of turning on UV. Unless you plan to bring him out of hibernation the added heat will serve to burn more calories by bringing up his metabolism. This could cause him to starve before spring. If you feed him, then you must ensure his system is cleaned out before he goes back down. I would either leave the light off and wait for him to go down, or bring him out early and start feeding.
There are those with more experience that might add additional insight.
Cheers!
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www.phrynosoma.com

Usually when a HL refuses to hibernate or has problems hibernating it is usually because the temperature is too high or because the individual doesn't have adequate fat reserves.Check the hip bones, if they are boney you should turn on the lights and resume feeding. If your HL is a juvenile it's hibernation should only be about 3 months (because of their small size their fat reserves don't last as long). They are active much later in the year and come out much earlier in the year than adults. Like in the former posts hydration is very important. For hibernation to be successful the temps need to stay below 55 F and proper health and hydration is essential.

good post cable...more to the point. I neglected to cite the impotance of a clear digestive tract since she didn't question resumption of feeding. but its too important to overlook.

I was trying to get at the same thing. I reasoned a low wattage UVB wouldn't raise matabolism much if at all, and, add little to no heat, but a UVA/heat lamp would, since the UVA is for stimulating activity & feeding.

do you think a UVB lamp alone would raise matabolism any appreciable amount? that is if the HL is not otherwise active from warm temps or taking in food in need of digestion? I'm curious for myself since I figured it wouldn't raise matabolism
enough to burn reserves any faster...

Mick

I don't know what effect a UVB lamp would have on metabolism. But then, I don't think it's necessary just for the sake of D3. It's a fine and difficult line as I myself am finding out. We are having near 80 degree temps here and I have half dozen HL's that won't go down. It's too hot for too long not to feed them if they won't stay down so I'm stuck right now too with these few. The rest are sleeping happily.

Jeff, any insight you can offer is much appreciated once again. (or anyone else)
Cheers!
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www.phrynosoma.com

My big concern is that for the past few days he has been sleeping on top of his sand. he is totaly in hibernation mode, and i have been misting him every other day, because he's not getting up to take it in the normal way. I thought it might be too warm outside for him to be comfortably burrowed, but i am still new at this. I wasn't going to hibernate him at all, but last month he began to sleep almost all day, he quit eating, and started to burrow more and more, so i put him outside in the cold (50-60 degrees) so he'd go down completly. i don't know if this has happened to anyone else. is it ok for him to be above ground to hibernate? that's why i asked about the uv.
sherry

I have placed my HL back under the sand before. you might try this, at a shallow depth & cover the snout with sand loosely.
if your HL is currently inside, hibernating above the ground won't hurt any. the burrowing is mainly to avoid predators & to maintain minimal bodyheat of the lizard ( heat is lost more rapidly to cold air than contact with sand ). they want to be cold to lower metabolism, but not so cold as to freeze. if he's outdoors in a secure enclosure, even if he's safe from predators, there will be a danger from freezing temps. ( if you have them in your area ).

when misting the HL, if he's not opening his mouth and responding to the watering, be cautious around the snout area to ensure he does not unconsciously aspirate on the water.
he could drown, or more likely, develop a respiratory infection.
though HL's don't seem to be as prone to them as some other reptiles are, I use the same caution when misting the sand above mine to be safe. I locate the snout, then mist the sand
to the rear.

another note on the UV...if you have a seperate fluorescent light that just puts out UV(B) & no real heat, and, your HL is still above ground, you might try it for a day or two. if it does raise his matabolism more than slightly, I'm sure he will become active. if that happens, turning it back off will slow him down again. that's just something I thought maybe I would try if my HL comes up again, to try and answer if it would raise metabolism. it doesn't really matter...they get little to no UV exposure when hibernating normally anyway.

Mick

Thanks for the help everybody!
Sherry