Has your bearded dragon suddenly gotten extremely lethargic or stopped moving altogether? Have you tried poking and prodding them and gotten no response back? Donât worry! Thereâs a very good chance that your bearded dragon isnât dead, theyâre just going through something called brumation.
As a bearded dragon owner, you should be aware of the many different characteristics of this interesting lizard. Thatâs why weâre going to give you this overview of bearded dragon brumation, what causes it, what to look for, and how to deal with it.
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What Is Brumation?
Brumation is the reptile version of hibernation, where the reptile becomes dormant for a period of time to conserve energy in reaction to environmental changes. During this period, a bearded dragon may not eat, drink, use the bathroom, or move for quite a while. To do this, they may find the coldest and darkest part of their enclosure and appear to âshut downâ.
This is a natural occurrence in reptiles and amphibians and shouldnât cause any worry. It can happen throughout the year, and both male and female bearded dragons experience it, with females tending to brumate for a bit longer.
Difference Between Brumation & Hibernation
As stated, brumation is the reptile version of hibernation. However, this doesnât mean that theyâre exactly the same thing. With such different body and behavioral types, reptile brumation actually differs a decent amount from mammal hibernation. The main difference between these two is that brumation isnât a true long-term sleep.
During brumation, bearded dragons will wake up several times, sometimes for days at a time! While this characteristic may cause confusion and panic among owners, thereâs quite a use for it. Mammals store all that they need to store for hibernation, so they can sleep right until they come out of hibernation. Reptiles, on the other hand, actually need to wake up to drink and maybe get some sun to warm their bodies before going back to their dormant state.
During this period where theyâre awake, reptiles will be very lethargic, but theyâre awake nonetheless. With this key difference, you could call brumation âcasualâ hibernation.
Which Reptiles Brumate?
Although weâre focusing on bearded dragon brumation, it helps to know which other reptiles brumate! While bearded dragons are the most common reptile pet that brumate, there are some others that do it as well. Some turtles, tortoises, snakes, and even some frogs experience brumation!
While all of these animals are quite different, they experience brumation in virtually the exact same way.
Why Do Bearded Dragons Brumate?
Brumation may seem like a big deal to someone just learning about it, but in reality itâs actually quite pointless for captive bearded dragons! If itâs pointless, then why do they still do it? Well, it essentially comes down to their programming and what theyâve been used to doing for thousands of years in the wild.
In the wild, bearded dragons are exposed to a wide array of different temperatures and environmental changes and must adapt accordingly. Therefore, when the temperature gets cooler, light patterns change, and the food supply drops quickly, their bodies would shut down in order to get through this difficult time.
In captivity, your bearded dragon should be exposed to a consistent temperature, light pattern, and food supply, so thereâs no need for brumation. However, because itâs an innate behavior, many bearded dragonsâ bodies take over and continue to shut down for periods of time.
Because of the fact that brumation in captive bearded dragons is instinctual and not driven by environmental factors, some bearded dragons will experience it and some wonât. All bearded dragons are different, so itâs important that you know what to look for to know if your bearded dragon is preparing for brumation or simply getting ill.
Bearded Dragon Brumation Symptoms
There are a few key symptoms that will help tell you that your bearded dragon is about to experience brumation.
- Displaying lethargy, laziness, and overall less activity
- Going to sleep at earlier times or sleeping later into the day
- Eating a lot less or not at all
- No bowel movements
- Attempting to hide in dark, cool areas of the habitat
While these are all symptoms of bearded dragon brumation, theyâre not exclusive to it. Take your bearded dragon to a vet if you suspect that itâs sick.
âHow To Handle Bearded Dragon Brumation
âWhen your bearded dragon first starts to show symptoms of brumation, itâs important that you first ensure that theyâre not sick. Are their environmental conditions still optimal? Do they have parasites or some other ailment? Would they be stressed for any reason?
If you notice that your bearded dragon hasnât pooped for a while but you donât think that theyâre entering brumation, you can quickly make sure everything is okayâ.âââ Soaking your bearded dragon in warm water and gentle rubbing their stomach is a great way to get things moving inside of them. This soaking is beneficial for brumation preparation, too, as it works to hydrate their skin before their long period of dormancy.
Once your bearded dragon poops, you can get it tested for parasites. If everything comes up clean, there is a good chance that brumation is causing your bearded dragon to act strange.
During Brumation
During your bearded dragonâs brumation, itâs important that you keep their tank essentially the same as itâs kept when theyâre awake. This entails keeping the heat and lights on for them on one side of the tank. You need to do this because they need a place to bask while theyâre temporarily awake.
Traveling further down the same line of thought, youâll also want to keep a clean supply of water ready and available. Remember, bearded dragons still need to drink during brumation, so âthey need to have access to water for those random times.
While brumating, bearded dragons bury themselves under the ground to conserve heat, drawing moisture from the wet ground to stay hydrated. In captivity, there wonât be as much moisture to draw out of the ground, making it necessary to rehydrate your bearded dragon occasionally. If you notice that your bearded dragon is dehydrated (the skin on their back doesnât âbounce backâ when pinched), soaking them in a tub for 10-15 minutes usually does the trick. Be sure to keep their head above the water!
ââOne more thing to note is that you should watch for weight loss. Bearded dragons only lose a couple of grams during brumation, so excessive weight loss could indicate the presence of a serious problem that needs to be addressed.âââ
âHow To Prevent Brumation
âThe best chance youâll have of helping your bearded dragon avoid brumation is, ironically, keeping things as normal as possible. As the fall and winter months approach, make sure to keep the temperature, humidity, and lighting in your bearded dragonâs enclosure consistent. If your bearded dragon doesnât notice a changing in the environment around it, it may be able to overcome its natural instinct to brumate.
However, this isnât guaranteed. As stated previously, all bearded dragons are different, meaning that yours may simply brumate no matter what. In this case, just let them do their thing. Rehydrate them occasionally, but let them rest. Brumation is a natural process thatâs relatively risk-free, so itâs best that you just let it happen.
The only downsideâ to brumation is that youâll have to go without your bearded dragonâs company for a short period of time!