Is Spike in brumation?

[Pat B]

I have read a lot of posts on beardie brumation but would like advice as I think Spike wants to brumate....I did read that it is unusual for a beardie to brumate under a year old and Spike is about 10 months. He doesn't want to eat anything....greens, mealies, or his beloved crix, however he did eat only 5 yesterday and about 6 are in his enclosure now. He is not active as in moving around in his tank. I had him out yesterday and he wandered the house....a little bit. He hasn't pooped in about 3 days. He likes to go up against the tank and stays there almost all the time. His skin is wrinkely. I don't know what he weighs as I have never weighed him. He is 6.5" from nose to beginning of tail which I think is too small. The temps are good. What to do? Leave him be and see what he does? Turn lights off full time?? Little booger causes me too much worry....

 

[Jesse omg it's me]

He maybe about to brumate i did not know if it is unusaul for them to brumate if they are younger than a year but when they brumate they do it in the wild because the temps get colder not as much food to eat so they go in a low energy mode so they can survive...with captive bred bearded dragons they shouldnt have to go into brumation because everything in the tank stays the same food temps etc. but its smart to take them in for a vet check up to see if they are getting ready to brumate or if something might be wrong...since he havnt poop in three days i might say to give him a bath thats the right temp and rub his belly gently for at least ten minutes to make sure he is not constipated...if he is about to brumate try holding him more and feeding him so he knows he does not have to because brumation is hard wire in bearded dragons so they might do it anyways and like i said by holding him and interacting with him he wont go into brumation...double check his home make sure the temps are right the basking spot is getting hot enough and the lamps are the right distance away etc. i say take him into the vet for his yearly check up make sure things are okay with him and since he is 10 months old and is only 6.5" big that is kinda scary to me because i read that can be possibly MBD which in this case hopefully is not it but i say double check just in case because i had a breaded dragon named thesus and he died with MBD and did alot of things yours is doing and was to small for his age to...but since your was active before i am not sure thats the case...can i have a little more infomation please and thank you... how your tank is set up or even how he doing now what you are using in the tank and feeding him too... best of luck and if i am wrong or got anything mixed up please correct me...can you post picture of his set up too thanks

 

[Jesse omg it's me]

I did some research watch his weight loss and if brumation is happing it can happen for maybe 5 months or so make sure he is healthy and everything is okay and let it take its course best of luck...i dont know everything on brumation do some research hopefully more people on here who knows more helps you out.

 

[SouthernDissolution]

If you're worried about not pooping soak him in water at about 105-107 degrees. It'll get his plumbing working. Also, his skin being wrinkled beyond the normal wrinkling is a sign of dehydration. Lack of appetite is as well as lethargy. Give him a good soak for about 15 minutes, if he perks up it was dehydration, if not its likely he may be trying to Brumate. It's not uncommon for dragons close to a year to Brumate. One of my males went down at about 8 months old.

 

[Pat B]

Thank you all....I soaked him in a warm bath and rubbed his tummy. I do that about every 3 days. He will NOT let me feed him. His mouth stays tighter than a drum. He very well could be dehydrated because he doesn't eat greens, not eating anything. Right now the booger has climbed up into his vinery and ready to go to sleep and it is 430 est. His temps are good....108 in hotspot and 80 on the cooler side and that is where he is now. I will look up MBD and the symptons....thanks Jesse for the heads up on that one.

I just looked at a whole lot of pictures of beardies with MBD and Spike doesn't look like any of them....that is really a bad disease.

 

[Jesse omg it's me]

yeah i didnt expect my thesus to have MBD and one day sadly i had to watch things i couldnt bare to watch so want to make sure yours is as healthy as possible!!! to make sure he is not dehydrated mist him everyday with warm water spray gently with mist from face to tail do a little more on his face so he can lick the dropplets of his nose or his face he will even soak some of it up through his body just a little...doing this everyday from now on will make sure he is hydrated and will stay hydrated and of course with soakings to...misting him will even make shedding a lot better and easier for him

 

[SouthernDissolution]

Misting everyday can potentially raise your humidity to dangerous levels. High humidity puts your dragon at extremely high risk for a RI. I soak once a week to avoid drastic changes in humidity.

 

[SouthernDissolution]

Also, dragons draw a majority of their moisture from greens, which is why it's so important to stay vigilant on feeding greens.

 

[Jesse omg it's me]

Misting everyday can potentially raise your humidity to dangerous levels. High humidity puts your dragon at extremely high risk for a RI. I soak once a week to avoid drastic changes in humidity.

thats why you shouldnt do it in the tank/their homes!

 

[SouthernDissolution]

Of course. Just clarifying.

 

[Jesse omg it's me]

true true! hey later on i might need you help with somethinf southerndissolution

 

[SouthernDissolution]

Sure thing. Message me. I try to check frequently.

 

[Jesse omg it's me]

okay autunm has been doing something that she has never done before and i just want to see what u might have to say!

 

[Pat B]

thats why you shouldnt do it in the tank/their homes!

I always take him out of the tank when misting. Another thing that I forgot to mention....he hasn't shed in about 2 months that tells me he isn't growning....maybe he was the run of the litter....

 

[Pat B]

Also, dragons draw a majority of their moisture from greens, which is why it's so important to stay vigilant on feeding greens.

I give him greens every dang day....and sometimes just greens and nothing else....Doesn't work! He is a stubborn booger!!

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

@Pat....really think that it is probably more the seasonal change that is affecting Spike than him going into Brumation. As far as him not pooping in a few days it's quite common for beardies to go even several days without pooping especially when their appetite has been down and they havent eaten a lot and when their activity level is slowed down then their metabolism is slowed down too which can cause the processing of food that they do eat from a nice fresh green leaf to a nice pile of poo take longer. Sometimes it can take 36 hours or longer for digestion to complete. Just keep that it mind.
Also as mentioned before the seasonal change is still felt by them even though we keep them in "controlled" environments. I have mention for instance that no matter the lighting schedule I have set in Mungi's enclosure he goes by the lighting schedule of what he see's out the french doors on the other side of the room from where he is at.
I would just watch Spike a little closer and in particular I would would watch for signs of dehydration and weight-loss. Offer his salad and feeders as normal and let him decide if he his hungry or not. They know infinitly better than we do what they want when they want it. I think a nice soak a couple of times a week would be a good thing for like 20-25 minutes and as has been mentioned with the water at about 105 degrees...I personally wouldn't go higher than 105 though. The longer soak may produce better results as far as the poop thing goes too. I can tell you that Mungi is a 22 minute pooper...lol..20 minutes no go but at 22 minutes if he has anything in there its coming out so stand back
If Spike continues to not eat and becomes even more inactive and especially if he shows signs of dehydration or noticeable weight-loss then I would suggest a check up with the vet just to make sure he doesn't have anything else going on.
These creatures just as we all have out of the norm behaviors that are perfectly normal...So just watch him, be vigilant for signs of distress and stop worrying
AND....Enjoy Your Week!!

 

[SouthernDissolution]

Tough love man. If mine wont eat greens I won't give then anything til they take greens.

 

[Pat B]

Tough love man. If mine wont eat greens I won't give then anything til they take greens.

Alrighty then....greens it will be!!

 

[Pat B]

@Pat....really think that it is probably more the seasonal change that is affecting Spike than him going into Brumation. As far as him not pooping in a few days it's quite common for beardies to go even several days without pooping especially when their appetite has been down and they havent eaten a lot and when their activity level is slowed down then their metabolism is slowed down too which can cause the processing of food that they do eat from a nice fresh green leaf to a nice pile of poo take longer. Sometimes it can take 36 hours or longer for digestion to complete. Just keep that it mind.
Also as mentioned before the seasonal change is still felt by them even though we keep them in "controlled" environments. I have mention for instance that no matter the lighting schedule I have set in Mungi's enclosure he goes by the lighting schedule of what he see's out the french doors on the other side of the room from where he is at.
I would just watch Spike a little closer and in particular I would would watch for signs of dehydration and weight-loss. Offer his salad and feeders as normal and let him decide if he his hungry or not. They know infinitly better than we do what they want when they want it. I think a nice soak a couple of times a week would be a good thing for like 20-25 minutes and as has been mentioned with the water at about 105 degrees...I personally wouldn't go higher than 105 though. The longer soak may produce better results as far as the poop thing goes too. I can tell you that Mungi is a 22 minute pooper...lol..20 minutes no go but at 22 minutes if he has anything in there its coming out so stand back
If Spike continues to not eat and becomes even more inactive and especially if he shows signs of dehydration or noticeable weight-loss then I would suggest a check up with the vet just to make sure he doesn't have anything else going on.
These creatures just as we all have out of the norm behaviors that are perfectly normal...So just watch him, be vigilant for signs of distress and stop worrying
AND....Enjoy Your Week!!

Thank you 'Brett' as I think everyone thinks your name is Mungi!! LOL!! Never thought about the seasonal change but the weather is definitely changing here in Columbia SC. I will get a little scale and watch his weight and make sure to keep him hydrated. Thank you so much for all that you do for this forum. What is going on with Mungi? I hope he is doing better.....Pat

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

@Pat...always glad to help anytime! btw you can get a really nice digital scale at Walmart for $19.95...they are located in the Kitchenwares section. That's where we bought our newest one. Has a nice big square glass platform that is easy to clean and large enough for an adult dragon to easily fit on. It measures in grams too which is what you want.

Mungi is doing much better but we are just taking things a day at a time. I have been updating his progress in the General Discussion thread...I just posted some very exciting news too a lil bit ago about his progress. I appreciate you asking about and thinking about him!
You can read more here:
http://beardeddragonforum.com/index...il-further-notice-big-update-10-22-2012.6933/

Enjoy your day