Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all! Back from the abyss. Actually we're just getting settled in our temporary home. So, Snappy had settled in well to our new home. She was eating like a fiend. Like 18 to 20-some medium-sized crickets a day. Yesterday she went in her hiding spot in the fake rock and hasn't come out. She is alive. We checked this morning, but I think after reading some previous posts that this might be pre-hibernation behavior. What is the behavior to look for? Should I be worried that this isn't hibernation? Could she be sick? As I've previously said, we have no herpatologist within 6 hours of where we live, so that's out. If she is hibernating how to do I take care of her during her stay and how long should it last?

Thanks in advance for the info!

Deb

Hi,
Not to worry you or anything but I heard on here that It's not good for them to eat to much, it might be an effect of the meal. They could be getting ready for hibernation too. Have you been turning there lights off any earlier in the day?

Morgan

Thanks for the reply. I haven't been doing a thing with her lights. 12 hours of bright basking light and 12 hours of night light. Snappy was a Christmas gift from my sister and she's been a pig from day one. She eats as many as I'll let her have. I do spread out her feedings over three or four feedings a day. It's not unusual for me to go through 80 or more crickets in a week. I talked to a guy this afternoon who gave me a couple of vets to try. They're not herpatologist, but may at least look at her. Tonight she still hasn't come out of her hiding rock. And now she's dug down into the sand under it and has pushed all the sand up in the entrance/exit to the hiding spot. I am concerned it is something other than hibernation. She is definitely hunkering down. And there's still a cricket that she hasn't eaten all day in there. Her last meal was 4 crickets yesterday morning.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Deb

Debb, when they decide to brumate, they start not eating as much, not basking as much, sleeping more, this goes on for awhile.

Your girl as you say has been eating like a pig, and just ate a mess of crickets yesterday, I would tend to think she may be going to shed. Sometimes they will sleep or act a bit weird right before and during shedding. Just a thought.

The baracading the door is often done by them, looks funny ! Sometimes gravid females dig in and do that when laying eggs. But she has not been with a male. Some of mine do it also, males and females.

If she begins to go into her hide more and more during the day, and looks fine otherwise, then maybe she does want to brumate.
I will leave a link below, just scroll down to Mating/ and Brumation, and it may help to answer How you go about it.

Let us know how she is. Liek I say she could just be going to shed, if she has been eating as much as you say!
Mating/ Brumation

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PHEve / Eve

Contact PHEve

Well this morning she's out and about and jumping and hunting crickets. Has eaten 8 already this morning. Her eyes are bright and looking at me with her usual contempt. My sister works for a vet that does lizards, although not a herpatologist. She said she'd look at her early next week if she isn't acting right. So . . .

I don't know if she's been exposed to a male since she was a gift. She last the few days after Christmas and she was fairly lethargic at that time.

I'll keep an eye on her, but not tomorrow. We have tix to the Broncos vs. Steelers!!!! GO BRONCOS!!!!

Have a great weekend and thanks for all the help!!!

Deb

I think sometimes as lizard keepers we expect the lizards to behave in a certain way, lets face it the only time you will see a lizard in the wild is when they are thermoregulating their body temp to regulate their metabolism or quest for food and drink. This is done by sitting out in the sun and warming up or if temps get to hot miday in the summer they will hide under rocks or in burrows, either way they walk a fine line to self regulate their body temps. After a good meal they like to remain docile and warmer to raise their metabolism for digestion. Ever see a snake after eating a rat? Yes they are docile and sit in the warmer than normal spot to digest their meals, it is more obvious in snakes than in lizards. Either way they both behave the same, they also like to feel secure which makes us as keepers worry???? In retrospect they are doing in captivity what they would normally do in the wild, hide and feel secure from threats of bird predation, snake predation, raccoons ect. So I have let my lizards feel secure for days on end without being a threat and digging them uot from under rocks or from their burrows, I have learned over the years that by the time you find a reptile has a life threatening sickness that 8 out of 10 times it is to late anyway and they will die regardless of Vet sevice or your best efforts. Stress in captivity is a real threat to their over all health and digging them out from under their rocks everyday can be a major contributor to stress. Even though we know we mean them no harm by digging them out from under a rock I am sure they are not quit so sure to say the least. We have to remember death is a normal occurance in the wild and in captivity as well. I use to be sick for at least a week after looseing a reptile or an egg, now I just look into any mistakes I may have made and learn from them. It is my guess many CB reptiles are a weekness to the genepool because we eliminate many threts they face in the wild so many survive in captivity which would perish in the wild due to natural selection. And it is my best efforts that go into saving any sick herp but you cannot argue with Mother Nature in most cases. I try to leave my critters as natural as can be, eliminateing stress as much as possible leads to longevity. I once had W/C frilled dragons, adults when I got them, I ended up keeping them for 11 years in captivity and they produced numerous offspring, that is when I learned about stress on a lizard and made myself a rare sight for this pair other than their basic needs, food,water and cage maintenance. Sorry to ramble but I think a lot of new herpers worry to much when their lizard is not within view and end up stressing them just so they can examine them at all times.
Bob