Could someone give me a quick definition of brumation? Could this be what my Zilla is doing? Slowing down on feeding? He is definitely acting a bit diff. I have tortoises. They slow down during the winter. Is this the same kind of thing?
Maleea
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Brumation?
snowqueen4
Sep 12, 2005 07:19 PM
Replies (1)
PHLdyPayne
Sep 13, 2005 02:11 PM
brumation is similiar to hybernation, basically the reptile's metabolism slows down and they stop eating and sleep. They can come out for a few hours during brumation but generally they are sleeping 2-4 months, once brumation sets in. Various things contribute to bringing on brumation, temp changes, changes in the amount of light, or something else. Dragons are known to go into brumation even without changes of temp or lighting.
The one important thing is wh en dragons are in brumation, there isn't much weight loss, maybe 20-50g. Any more weight loss or fast weight loss, indicates illness or parasites. It's always good to get a fecel done before the dragon enters brumation, to make sure they are healthy. Also, stop feeding several days before brumation sets in.
To bring on brumation, reduce lights from 14 hours day light, to 10-12 hours of daylight, decreasing about half hour a week. Temperature should also be decreased slowly (about 10 degrees total). After a couple months, increase temp and daylight in the same way.
There is alot more details on brumation on the net, if you do a search for it.
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PHLdyPayne
