Bruminating Beardies

When the seasons change and the days grow shorter and colder, most beardies start to bruminate. Bruminating is a light version of hibernating. For a week to several months, adult beardies will sleep constantly. Some will open their eyes and raise their heads; some will not move at all.

Don't panic. This is normal-- BUT only for beardies over a year. Juvenile beardies who appear to bruminate are actually sick and need bet attention immediately. 

So what about food? I always keep pellet food and water in their tanks. I cut way back on the greens, offering them greens only every couple days and only when I see they are alert and moving around. Most of my boys will pop right up if they see the roach container in my hand still.

Ziggy hasn't moved for 4 days.

For the most part, just let your beardies be. Lights go on and lights go off at normal times. Just let them sleep. It's pretty boring for us, but necessary for them. If you want, you can make them a cozy little box to hide in or a blankie to sleep on. My guys tend to just plop down and nap. The older they get, the longer they bruminate too.

I've been a bit more assertive with Drake as he's starting to bruminate because he's been sickly. So I'll let him sleep, but I'll also check him daily to make sure he's alive and responsive. :) He hates it, but it makes me feel better.

If you notice sunk in eyes or no response at all when you touch them, this could be a problem. Wake them up and give them some water to drink to keep them hydrated.

Read more information HERE about bruminating from a past blog post.

My Bruminating Beardies

These are my three bruminating beardies.

Max

That's about as wide as his eyes have been open for over a week

Lizzie

My daughter makes sure he is covered with his blanket every night and he
stays like that every day. She still gets him out to snuggle so he's not
totally asleep yet. 

Georgie (aka "Pickle 2")

Georgie is happiest when she is all wrapped up. I check her every day to
make sure she is okay. She ate a couple days ago so she'll be okay.

My other beardies (Toothless, Pickle, and Ziggy) are too young to be bruminating. I can't let Spike bruminate because I'm still doing wound care on him.

"Uh Oh! Is my beardie dead?" Learning about Brumination

This is the time of year when I get frantic texts & calls from people who are wondering if their bearded dragons are dying. "He's not moving!" "He won't eat!" "She hasn't moved!"

Take a deep breath. It's totally normal.

Adult beardies bruminate-- it's in between a torpor and a hibernation. For a few weeks or a couple months during the summer, your beardie slows way, way, way down. Bruminating beardies don't move much, they don't run around, they might not eat or drink at all.

The first brumination can be very stressful.

So this is what I ask:

1- is your beardie over 1 year? Juvenile & sub-adult beardies should NEVER bruminate. They may slow down, but they shouldn't stop.

2- do you have a good UVB light? is your basking spot between 95 and 105 degrees?

3- has your beardie pooped recently? is their stomach still squishy & soft?

If you answer "Yes" to these questions, chances are your beardie is bruminating. Leave him alone and let him sleep. Our beardie, Lizzie, slept for 4 weeks last winter. We poked him every so often to make sure he wasn't dead (because he looked dead!). We took a piece of cardboard and made a little shelter for him. We turned his basking spot down a bit and left him alone. One day he was back up and moving around-- and HUNGRY!!

Right now, Max, my super size boy, doesn't move much. He doesn't eat. He won't eat roaches (his favorite). Sometimes he's standing up, leaning against the perch in his tank; sometimes he is laying on the ground. He doesn't move much. It's totally normal. No need to panic.

Here's a cut-and-paste paragraph I found from one of my favorite beardie websites:

Brumation

Brumation is basically hibernation-lite.  It occurs is some dragons that are a year of age or older, although it does not occur in every Bearded Dragon.  Brumation can happen at any season of year, but the vast majority of the time it happens in the winter of whatever place you are in.  Every Bearded Dragon brumates differently.  Some just slow down for a few months, some slow down and stop eating, some take long naps, and some sleep for months at a time without break.  Its also possible for a Bearded Dragon's brumation habits to change as it gets older.  
During a typical brumation, your Bearded Dragon should not lose any weight to speak of. 
They should get a vet check just prior to brumation, when they are showing the first signs of lethargy, and the vet appointment should include a fecal check. 
You should provide your Bearded Dragon with a hide of some sort on the cool side of the habitat in which he can rest.  Temperatures can safely fall into the low sixties during brumation.  If your Beardie wakes up briefly offer water and food.  They may not take the food, that's normal.  If they do eat, encourage them to have a bowel movement before they fall back to sleep, otherwise the food may rot in the stomach.  Bearded Dragons have an instinct about this, and probably will not fall deeply asleep while still carrying lots of food in their stomach. 
In a few weeks to a few months, depending on the Bearded Dragon, normal activity should be resumed.  

 Here's another link to check out: 

BeardedDragon.org