BRUMATION
If your Bearded Dragon is ten months or older this you need to read!
October is here weather is cooling down, and the days are shorter. Your light times should reflect the changes in the daylight hours as well.
Your BD sleeps a lot , eats less than usual ( never force feed unless you know it is a health issue and have been instructed by your vet). The potty has reduced in frequency as well. Your Bearded Dragon may be showing the natural behaviors of what is called "a Brumation". The word is taken from the French word "Brume" which means fog. Animals and Reptiles in England and other parts of the country start slowing down once the foggy season sets in, or if they live with a heavy smoker, (which by the way is not healthy for the BD ).
Brumation is a semi dormant period when your BD undergoes extreme physiological changes. Brumation usually scares new BD owners. Don't worry this is a normal lethargy period.
If your BD doesn't show these signs, there is no need to force him to enter dormancy. Young BD usually don't Brumate & even some adults prefer not too. They just slow down on their eating, and sleep a lot more in their hiding spots. Remember a BD that can hide when he chooses is a happy Dragon.
From my experience Brumation can be dependant on the temperature. Shorter daylight hours, foggy mornings etc. Usually around Mid October our BD's start showing the signs of slowing down.
Our BD's for the most part are completely down by mid November. lasting until the first part or mid February. Below I will explain how I help the process.
In mid October I start to gradually reduce their daylight hours. The basking bulb is reduced to a 60 watt. This way they still have the temp needed to digest their food. Feeding is every other day. ( They reduce the food intake naturally so I just go off their cues.) The second week I reduce daylight even more and add long low cardboard boxes, which they will sleep in for their Brumation. Below is a schedule of what I do for the uv light schedule.
First week - 8:00 to 6:00
2nd week - 9:00 to 5:30
3rd week - 9:00 to 5:00
4th week - 10:00 to 4:00
After the fourth week I remove the BD's from the cage that are not shutting down, and continue the process again until they are down. Most of these will not take another 4 weeks, they will be down in about a week. In the cages where the Dragons are down I continue to turn on the basking lights for 2 hours a day incase one still has food in their stomach, (this will only decay & can make them sick or die).
At the end of the fourth week I give all BD's a warm soak, for hydration. Now they are placed back under their box's and they are ready for their long sleep. All cages have been cleaned and new substrate provided.
They will now be sleeping under the box's provided. Some will come out and lay under basking for awhile and then they will return to the box.
If your Beardie is under weight it is a good idea to concentrate on their nutrition and fatten up starting in September or even sooner.
From our experience you can force a Brumation on an adult BD, but you cannot stop one. Infact this is natural, and especially for breeders I feel is very healthy.
The temps go down to the low 60's. They say a Bearding can stand even lower, but my temps have never gone below 63 degrees. You don't want the temp in the middle say 70's. this is not cold and not hot, this can make your BD sick. If your BD is shutting down and where it is located stays very warm, you may want to move cage, or pack up the BD in a tupperware with ventilation into a closet. I know your freakin out by now! You can check on him periodically. He may peek at you with one eye, and he may not even bother. JUST DON'T FORGET ABOUT HIM! By late Jan. start checking and see if he's waking up. By the end of January you can place back in his usual cage and he should wake up naturally.
Around mid December I will lightly mist some of the dragons. This is mainly for me, just to be sure they aren't dehydrated. Some I didn't mist on purpose and they did just as well through out the Brumation as the others. The first time we did a Brumation it seemed so unatural, we peeked on them a lot. Just don't force them out into the basking light once they are completely down. If they have food in their stomach trust me they will crawl out on their own. Or when you do the warm soak they will go potty.
The BD's start to wake up around the end of Jan. beginning of Feb. As they woke up I would begin the light process, only backwards. By the end of Feb. most were awake. They were all eating and drinking. At this time they love a warm swim in the tub. Just be sure it is not too warm. By March all are up and starting to get ready for the breeding season.
If you only have one or a few BD's it can be the same process only on a smaller scale.
Again, if your BD does not show signs of entering a Brumation this is not necessary. They may just sleep a lot more and only eat a little. You can cut back on their food, just follow their cues. Never turn off the basking completely if your BD is eating. You can shorten the uv hours like the season.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us by E-mail and we will try to help in any way.
Also, this is our procedure only and what works for us! If you question any procedures please contact your veterinarian and choose what works for you.
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