Hello! My older beardie, Kyra is finally finished bruminating. I can say that for a first time mom to a bruminating beardie, it is very nerve racking watching her sleep for almost two months without eating or wanting to move. She had just prior to bruminating, been treated with albon for coccidiosis and parasites that were found by my vet in high, high numbers. The vets around here kept telling me to try to force feed her with special diet can food, thinking the meds must have slowed her down, made her sick, and stopped her eating. After a couple very nervous weeks, I took the advice of a good person here at the reptilerooms and left her to herself to see if she'd pick up on her own. I kept her quiet and made sure she had access to her lights. I stopped with the live food, so she wouldn't get overrun herself, and just gave her greens, fruits, and veggies about once every three days to see if she'd eat. She choose not to touch the foods, but I made sure to bath her in warm water at least once a week to keep her hydrated. After the baths, she would sit under her light until dry and then meander back under her shoebox that she chose as her bed. All in all, she never really lost any weight and seemed to be fine other than not eating and sleeping a lot. I have since, in the past couple months gotten another dragon, this one a male, Smeagol. I divided the 100 gallon reptarium into two sections so he'd have more room to roam, since Kyra wasn't using the full 100 G. Keeping them seperate until he was bigger and at least a few months were set to make sure he was well. He has grown so fast and is almost half her size now at about 5 months. The thing that finally woke up my older dragon was the fact that a few weeks ago, the smaller male found a way to get under the divider that was separting them. She was awake when I found them, a few hours after having feed them in the moring and he was being very dominant over her. He would head bob and wave at her. He even attacked her once, biting her neck and all before I could get the barrier fixed and them seperate. She was no worse for the wear, just kind of sitting there and acting as though he was nothing more than a fly (since he is only half her size). I have since fixed the divider and he can't get back over to her, but she has now woken up fully and has resumed eating her crickets and mealies and is now basking again. She will also accept some of her salad. I don't know if the fact that she woke up because of my "little bully" or if it was just time for her to, but I'm glad she's awake again and enjoying activities with those of us who don't sleep for months at a time. For all of those people who are experiencing brumination, or just need somemore info, I found a lot of information of this website as well as the wide variety of books that specialize in beardies. It may seem like a very scary time, but they will eventually wake up and smell the crickets once again! : ) I do however, have the knowledge now that I didn't before and hope that neither of my beardies will become sick again that may be the onset of brumination. I think that I'd rather choose to experience it when they are fully healthy and ready for it.
Great to hear that she is awake again and eating! Brumation is a part of many healthy dragons life cycle, we have one that goes down for 5 months! Wait til you see the appetite she will will have in a few weeks, ours become bottomless pits. Also glad you got the littler guy out and she did not think he was a new snack you put in for her Little males can be so pushy and we have found most our girls ignore them too, it like their thinking "what is that toad doing around here" Welcome to the awake world Kyra!
She's already started to pick up her appetite. She's even accepting her greens by hand again. Wow, five months!? That's a long time. I was nervous after what, 2 1/2-3 months. I think I would have been a nervous reck at 5 months. My little one hasn't tried to cross the divider again. Thank goodness. He got through the last time in a tiny hole under it. I have left no room for him (or crickets for that matter)!
I'VE GOT A LITTLE MALE THAT I WAS REMINDED OF ALOT BY YOUR STORY. I GOT HIM FIRST AND HE'S ALWAYS BEEN SO SWEET AND PASSIVE. THEN I GOT MY LITTLE GIRL, WITH THE HOPES THAT SOMEDAY WHEN SHE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM IN SIZE THEY'D MEET AND FALL IN LOVE, AND I'D HEAR THE PITTER-PATTER OF LITTLE CLAWS. (ROMANTIC CRAP.) BUT THATS WHAT I WAS HOPING FOR. I HAD THEM DIVIDED TOO, BUT I GOT CURIOUS AND JUST HAD TO INTRODUCE THEM AND SEE WHAT THEY THOUGHT OF EACHOTHER. I DID IT WITH HER IN MY HAND AND HIM IN HIS SIDE OF THE TERRARIUM IN CASE CUPID MISSED HIS CUE AND HE DICIDED TO MAKE A MEAL OUT OF HER INSTEAD. WELL MY SWEET, PASSIVE BABY BOY WHOM I'D RAISED FROM A PUP TURNED INTO A RABID TASMANIAN DEVIL ON CRACK! I WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO PUT HER ON STEROIDS SO SHE'LL STAND HALF A CHANCE OF SURVIVING IF I EVER DECIDE TO PUT THEM TOGETHER. OH WELL. ANYWAYS, I KNOW THIS WAS TOTALLY OFF THE SUBJECT, BUT YOUR STORY REMINDED ME SO MUCH OF MY LITTLE "CASANOVA." GLAD YOUR GIRL IS DOING GOOD!
Yes, I've found your story to be all too familiar. I introduced my two dragons on the floor of the room they are staying in, outside of their reptarium. Well, the female just sits there and acts like the boy has lost his mind. He starts to head bob very aggressively and then runs laps around her several times, until he finally jumps on her and then tries to destroy her neck. She will just sit passively. From what I've read and been told, he's either being very, very donimant or might be trying to breed. But, I think it's the former though, because he just acts way too aggressive when he does this. He grabs her neck and tries to pull chunks of it off. He's still a tad smaller than her, so he doesn't do any damage, but still it worries me. I pry his mouth open and remove him. I haven't had to guts to put them together in the reptarium, I chose to put a divider between them still. The female, however, makes no attempts at acknowledging him. No head bobs, arm waves, or hardly any movements out of her. Any suggestions on if I should just take down the divider and let them fight out their dominancy or just let them be for now? Let me know what ya'll think on this, thanks.
If it happens, this will be the first winter Brendan will brumate. I think he's tried to do it before when I had a cave in his tank, but on sage advice, I took it away. I'm hoping he sleeps all winter since he prefers his waking hours outside,(what beardie wouldn't? . I have no idea how long he'll be down, but if some stay out cold for 5 months then I won't panic prematurely. Before they start, do beardies start beefing up and eat everything or do they just stop? Is there any warning signs to look for. Or do I just shove the cave back in the tank in October and hope for the best?
