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My bearded dragon! hibernation!

  • Thread starter Trapsrock
  • Start date
Well, hello folks, im posting here to today to tell you about my beardie...dunno why I just typed...typed...tapt...typed that sentenace, but here we go.
Ok, ive got a Bearded Dragon and hes less than a year old, I got him October 14th. Well, he was really small back then, now hes gotten quiet large, not his full 2 feet, but hes around 12 inches now, from head to tail end. The little guy went into hibernation, or "Brumination" I just say hibernation, even though hibernation is what warm blooded do, and Brumination is what cold blooded do. So, the little guy went into Brumination in February!!! AND HES STILL NOT OUT! Ive been reading up like crazy, and all the websties confirm that there only suppose to have like a 3 month brumination period, when its been around 5 months! Ive been force feeding him a little sliver of lettuce every month, cause I am getting scared, but now im really scared, because he wont eat his crickets, hasnt pooped, or yurinated since February, nor has he drinken!. Recently I took out his hide box, and have been forcing him into the basking light, but he keeps going over to his water mountain dish thing, and trying to squeeze in next to it, but I keep forcing him back out, im trying to wake him up, but he just wont do it. I really need some help here, I dont know whats going on. He doesnt seem to be sick but...just, please! Someone help!
 
I couldn't find anything about this either. A slightly longer brumation (not brumin-) shouldn't be a problem as long as he looks good (still fat) but still he should have gotten "up"
He may be stressed if he's trying to squeeze into something for security take him outside. he may perk up because it has been said that UV-A has a beneficial psychological effect on reptiles and amphibians. Do you have a UV light? You may need to get another as the UV outage decreases over time even when it's still producing light.

I posted your question on kingsnake so you could get far better answers than I could provide go to
http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=85173,85173
 
He is not "STILL" fat... theres alot of limp skin hanging, and hes got extra skin and stuff, because he hasnt eaten for like 5 months. I havent tried to take him outside outside, like outdoors, but ill try it when its real sunny out. Anyways, Just posting to say, no, hes getting real slim.
 
Myself and 3 other herpers reccomend you get him to the vet as Internal parasites are probably the problem soak him in warm water until he hopefully poops (on dry substrate) then collect it and take it and him to the vet and (S)he will check it to search for eggs,parasites,etc.
 
Did your BD go into this by himself or did you lower the photoperiod and temps and he was forced to go into it? Anyways, raise temps to optimal levels and turn on his UVB lights. If you notice he is still quite sluggish, do what Sliz mentioned, VET. Even though it may cost ya some $$, it is worth it.
 
No, I didnt force him into it, he just started sleeping tons and wouldnt eat, I looked it up, brumination, and hes been in it ever since, the temps of the cage are around 80-90 withi his basking spot around 110. His UV light is on, so bone degrowth I doubt. He is starting to perk up, but still has not pooped, ill try the warm water thing, and ive been bringing him outside.
 
hmm...i was going to say it was lethargic, but after you said the uv's were up, im not sure anymore.
 
I put him in warm water, for approx 5 minutes, and he didnt poo, just puffed out his beard really big and looked at me mean.
 
I know nothing about beardies... but I do know something about UV lights. How often do you replace the UV light? You should throw away and replace it every six months. After six months, a UV light loses it's quality to produce UV rays, which deprives the reptile of it, which can lead to Metabolic Bone Disease. I learned this the hard way with my anoles a long time ago. Now I have none because I let them all go when I saw the symptoms of MBD in my female brown anole and my male green anole. I knew they were going to die anyway (MBD is uncurable), all because of my stupidity, so I let them go (I didn't buy them from the petshop. I caught them) so they could be a little happier for the time they had left. So you might want to change the UV light every six months so the beardie always has an adequet (sp?) amount of UV rays.

Good luck!
          FTG
 
  • #10
FTG, MBD is curable!! A vitamin D3/calcium injection once every one-three weeks (depending on animal, advanced MBD, etc.) It is fairly costly to cure, but it is possible. Sorry if I sound a little snappy, but I just want Trapsrock to know ASAP!!
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  • #11
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (lithopsman @ July 22 2003,10:55)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">FTG, MBD is curable!![/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Oh... ***walks off, feeling like an idiot***
 
  • #12
Oh no, I aint sticking my little guy yet! Dont worry, hes OK, I guess, hes so cute in there he looks up at me like hes all happy.... or hes not... but he shows no signs of the MBD and I bought the UV light like 3 months ago, so its all good, I may have bought it too late, cause Ive had him since october 14th, but he didnt show any signs of needing it, as long as I kept the window open and let sun shine in on his cage, at the time I didnt know this would do anything, just wanted to provide some sun. But... he wont eat crickets only lettuce, I think im gonna....kill him if he doesnt pull out of it soon, because he could have alot of pain going on, that I dont know about. What would be the best way to kill him? Even though.... hes so cool...
 
  • #13
Well, if he's eating the lettuce, he's obviously trying to survive, so I would give him another chance and see how he does. If he stops eating altogether, well...

EDIT: Oh, and since he's not getting all the nutrition he needs from eating crix, you might want to dust/dip the lettuce in reptile vitamin supplement powder before you give it to him. It may help him alot.

Good luck!!!
FTG
 
  • #14
Don't kill him! If he doens't come around by october, and oyu dont want to keep him anymore, at least take him to a vet to be treated... if you can't do that, take him to the vet and have him put to sleep... its free, and the best way to do it...
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  • #15
WOAH! Hold up!
You are thinking of killing the BD? If things don't turn, why not donate it to someone how has the potental to treat the poor guy? AND if you think taking it to a vet to be euthansized is better then doing the deed yourself, think about this: with the time and money to euthansize him, you could have treated him from the same vet.

As for the lettuce, do what FTG suggsted, dust his lettuce. Also, don't just give him lettuce, try Romaine lettuce, kale, bok choy, etc.
 
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