Bearded Dragons make fantastic pets as they do not demand a lot and occupy little space. However, you need to know everything about Brumation in Bearded Dragon to properly take care of them during this period.
It would be best to be informed about all the signs of brumation so as not to mistake them with other symptoms that indicate sickness. Brumation is a natural process, and it’s more like hibernation. Let’s look at the signs of brumation so as not to mistake them for sickness symptoms. But first, let’s understand what brumation is and the age at which Bearded Dragons start brumation.
What Do You Understand by Brumation in a Bearded Dragon?
Brumation in Bearded Dragons happens as a response to the changes in their environment. Bearded Dragons are reptiles; unlike mammals, they don’t know how to regulate their body temperatures. So, during the cold season, they hibernate to conserve their energy and heat.
Therefore, if you have a bearded dragon pet, you must ensure that during the cold months, you are offering them as much warmth as possible. Pawfect pawprint has all the information you need about caring for bearded dragons during brumation and after.
What Age Does Bearded Dragon Brumate?
Bearded dragons don’t have a specific age at which they start the process. Even those as young as one year can still enter brumation. However, since they don’t have sufficient body mass to withstand the process, they can die if anything untoward happens, like a bite from a parasite.
It is recommended that bearded dragon owners take their pets for a check-up at the vets when the cold season nears to ensure they are overall healthy.
Signs That Your Bearded Dragon Is In Brumation
When your bearded dragon enters brumation, you’ll notice the following signs.
● Constantly Sleeping
Before brumation, your bearded dragon is awake and active during the day; you’ll find that they spend most of their time sleeping when they enter brumation. You may be worried that they may be sick, but don’t worry; it’s their way of preserving their energy.
● Low Appetite
You may wonder, since they are bromating shouldn’t they eat more. During brumation, bearded dragons rely on their stored fats and other nutrients to produce energy for little to no activity. And when they are awake, they may eat little or no food at all. So, don’t be alarmed. They also don’t take that much water, but keeping a bowl of water in their cage for that occasional sip is good.
● Hide In The Shade
During brumation, bearded dragons prefer to hide in shaded areas deep in trees or underground while in the wild. However, a domesticated bearded dragon will hide in dark places in the house to allow them to retain body heat.
● They Defecate Less
Since they eat less, they will also poop less or not poop at all.
● Less Movement
They avoid moving as much as possible as it will only consume much of their preserved energy. So you’ll notice that your bearded dragon moves slowly.
While these are natural signs of brumation, you must visit your vet for a check-up for your pet’s overall health and wellness. Your pet might have other sickness symptoms which your vet may diagnose.
9 Sickness Signs You Should Not Ignore About Brumation In Bearded Dragons
Your bearded dragon may be sick if you notice the following symptoms.
1. Excess Weight Loss
Something must be wrong if your bearded dragon is losing weight at an alarming rate. It could be that it’s not feeling well; all in all, take it to the vet.
2. Constipation
If several days pass and your bearded dragon has yet to pass any feces, it’s a sign that something is wrong.
This could be due to having given them large food particles or food that contains shells. It could be that you used the wrong substrate or the incorrect temperatures.
3. Has Diarrhea
Although they don’t often poop, when they do, it should be solid. If you notice that your bearded dragon has diarrhea, it might be because of a parasite. Please take it to the vet for antibiotics.
4. Wrinkly Skin
The bearded dragon’s skin appears wrinkly because it doesn’t stretch like other animals. However, if you notice that their tail appears scrawny and feet pads are not indented, then this means that your pet has lost a lot of weight. It would be wise to feed them more protein and boost their weight gain by giving them Repta+Boost.
5. Sunken Eyes
Even in humans, sunken eyes are a sign of sickness, so something must be wrong if you see your bearded dragon having sunken eyes. They could be dehydrated, so ensure they have fresh water in their cage. And if you notice that they are reluctant to drink, try and coax them. Alternatively, you can feed them water using a dropper.
If severe, you can mix the water with Powerade to give them electrolytes to recover faster.
6. Jerky Movements
During brumation, bearded dragons don’t move much, but if you notice that even during those small movements, they are jerky, they have a calcium deficiency. It would be best to intervene as soon as possible to prevent the development of Metabolic Bone Disease.
Ensure that your pet has enough exposure to UVB and feed them foods high in calcium. You can also give them calcium supplements as recommended by your vet.
7. Discolored Skin
Discolored skin is hard to miss, especially if you spend quality time with your bearded dragon. If it starts with tail rot, it could be pretty severe and could result in death.
It could also be due to fungus infection, especially if the skin is inflamed and has wounds. These signs are pretty severe, so you should visit your vet immediately.
8. Not Eating At All
Bearded dragons in brumation have little to no appetite, but if they don’t eat, there is a problem. This could be due to
- Stress: Bearded dragons get stressed by changes in their environment, so if you have moved houses or bought them a new cage, you must give them time to adjust.
- Improper UVB bulbs.
- Wrong Temperatures.
9. Is Lethargic
During brumation, bearded dragons move very little, but if you notice that your pet isn’t moving, there is a problem. This could be inadequate temperatures, meaning that their cage is too cold.
What Should You Do When Your Bearded Dragon is Brumating?
- You must take extra care of your bearded dragon during the brumation process.
- You must take it to the vet for a fecal test to ensure they are healthy. But if the results show something is amiss, you must get them treated to help them survive through the brumation process.
- If they are healthy overall, you must start by reducing the temperature in their cage to a point without heating.
- It would be best if you also reduced their basking hours.
- Feed them less and less food to ensure no food remains in their stomach. This is because food in the stomach during brumation could rot inside the tummy, thus further health problems.
- Once they’ve passed poo, especially in the last few days, turn off the basking bulb and UV and let them sleep.
- During brumation, you should not feed your bearded dragon. We’ve seen that when a bearded dragon enters brumation with a belly full of food, it calls for worry because digestion barely takes place as all they do is sleep. Therefore, the food could rot inside and lead to more health problems.
- You can feed them small amounts of water. But note that they are wired to survive hibernation with what they had preserved. Just remember to change the water frequently.
How Long Does Brumation in Bearded Dragons Last?
The brumation period in bearded dragons is determined by the seasons and their tank conditions. In that case, it can last from one to three months.
How Does Brumation Help Bearded Dragons?
Apart from helping them conserve energy to survive during this period, brumation also helps in the reproduction process. During brumation, male bearded dragons can accumulate more sperm which increases the chances of successful reproduction when breeding.
How To Help Your Bearded Dragon After Brumation?
After the brumation period, your pet will start moving around, though not as fast. When you see this, turn the heating system and the UVB on. Don’t do it all at once; turn them on slowly to allow your bearded dragon to get used to it.
Don’t rush them, as it will take time for them to return to their usual ways. They may not eat, drink, or play as much at first, and it’s okay. Make sure to feed them proteins such as dubia roaches.
Final Thoughts
Keeping a bearded dragon as a pet is exciting as you can experience first-hand brumation, also known as hibernation in reptiles. This article is a piece of gold for any pet owner keeping a bearded dragon because apart from the signs of brumation, it also cautions them on symptoms that indicate your pet is sick and what to do to treat them.
