Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i am planning on brumating 3 of my collareds and i have a few questions.

can i brumate them all together or is it better to do just 1 or 2 in the same container? i plan on using a cooler about 24w16h16d that has a built in cooling/heating element along with a fridge controller used for brewing beer.

2 of the collareds i plan to brumate have started staying under the rocks in the cage and will not come out all day. But one of the collareds, she comes out every day for 4-5 hours a day.
how do i transition her to the cooler? will she just not come out when the temp drops or do i check on her to see if she is staying active. right now the temps in the cage are around 70-75 with no heat lights.

this is my first brumation so i am sorry if these are redundant questions to some of you.

Hi, To prepare them or her, the one whos still staying up, you start by not feeding for 7 days, to empty the stomach completely of food.
Then turn off heat, leave UV on
Then after about 10 days turn of UV light.

Then you can move them to whatever you are using for brumation.

I believe the temps people use when in coolers/refrig is about 55, but please check on that, because I DO not use a refrig. And I do not brumate at such a low temp.

They are not completely imobile, so you will notice them changing postition and such. Offer water atleast 1 a week. I also keep a shallow saucer in with them, besides offering with a dropper.

If you would notice any of them losing weight, STOP. Weight lose and dehydration, are things to watch.

its recommended atleast 2 months for breeding purposes, but thats up to you.

When you are ready to end brumation, Put them in their tank, with UV light on.
Then after a week or so , turn on heat, Then when they have been heated for awhile, offer food .

Always offer water !

Your brumating late, LOL But good luck. Any problems, just holler, someone will answer

Oh its so important to only brumate the healthiest lizards.
No gravid, or thin/ sick ones.
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PHEve / Eve

what if my female doesn't go down. i am in the second week now and have only uv on, she is still very active. i know the best way to find out is just do it, but this is a critical time and i dont want to lose my animals ya know.

and about late brumation, i have had these animals i plan to brumate for over a year without brmumation so i am guessing that it wont matter what time of year, but that temperature will dictate more than the time. even in the wild the seasons are not on a schedule, things fluctuate. i will consider it an experiment for us all to learn from.

below my still active female.

Yes, some will sleep. but some will not , even with heat off. Its not uncommon for awhile after everything is off, to have a

HOLD OUT, lizard or two, hehehehe, one who is more uppy. But soon after they are in the LOW temps, they will begin to slow, and rest.

Some , like I say, will even move around alittle , when REALLY low temps. Thats why its Not like mammals Hybernation(they actually sleep and do not wake)

Brumation, they can be seen moving from time to time(super slow though) Very low metabolism.

But most will snooze!

You still have time anyway, for a short nap.
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PHEve / Eve

You can brumate then together. The female should stop moving around when the temps are about 55. Good luck.