Hey guys iv just noticed today my 7 month old male bearded dragon is really lazy and looks really lathargic and lazy when he walks im really scared and he want eat iv tryed, im using a 150 wat bulb as the 100 wat was not hot enough and i have a 10.0 4ft uvb he also hasnt been eating much and ideas? thanks
Bearded Dragon Help
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ssnakeboyy
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Most likely that it's just the cold .. Have you got heat on a night if the temps are dropping to 10 c. Or so
Defective
~ Yoda (2008-2020), you loved me more than life!!
its called brumation...both snakes, lizards and geckos do this....many people get it confused with hibernation....let me define them for you so you know the difference
What is Brumation?
As previously mentioned, brumation can be loosely equated to hibernation among mammals. When a reptile brumates, it becomes lethargic, sometimes not moving at all for the duration of the cold season. In nature, these animals typically find hibernaculums within their environment in which they can be somewhat insulated. A hibernaculum is simply the place where the reptile spends these periods of inclement weather. Burrows, rock crevices, caves and leaf litter are a few examples of hibernaculums documented in nature. Some temperate species can even brumate under water!
The amount of time that a reptile brumates is dependent on a number of factors. Perhaps the biggest variable is in regards to whether the animal is in the wild or being maintained in captivity. In the case of the latter, environmental conditions can be easily manipulated by the keeper at any given time. Other considerations include the age of the animal, its gender, geographical origin, and varying natural conditions. Due to the wide range of species and habits, it is futile to make quantitative generalizations regarding how long a reptile will brumate. In the broadest of terms, reptiles will enter brumation in the late fall (when temperatures drop and the days get shorter) and come out of brumation in spring, triggered by increased temperatures, longer days, and changes in barometric pressure.
Why do Reptiles Brumate?
As ectothermic organisms, reptiles cannot raise their body temperature independently of environmental conditions, and as such must contend with the conditions that nature presents them with. The vast majority of our planet experiences seasonal temperature extremes, from the deserts to the plains to even the tropics. The amount of temperature variation does change from region to region. For example, sub-tropical animals, as well as those found near the equator, often do not undergo what herpetoculturists call a "true brumation." However, these animals are just as receptive to natures cues as those from more northern or southern climates. They may slow down, i.e. reduce food intake, eat less, etc, but not enter a true state of brumation.
Conversely, many reptile species inhabit regions that do in fact get very cold in the winter, and accordingly must have behavioral adaptations in order to survive. In the most basic sense, brumation is a survival tactic - a tactic that has been hard wired into the brains of these animals for well over a million years.
Take for example, the Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldi). Over much of their range they experience summer highs well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the winter temperatures fall far below freezing. Without the option of brumation, these animals would perish. Instead, they construct burrows, sometimes as deep as six feet, and remain in them until conditions become favorable. During this time, the tortoises physiological functions grind to nearly a halt. Feeding obviously ceases, as does digestion and defecation. Heart and respiratory rates also drop.
Suspended animation is a phrase often used to describe this state among reptiles. In fact, there are theories suggesting that these long periods of inactivity may actually lengthen the lives of wild herps much the way your car would last you longer if you kept it garaged and purged of all fluids for 5 months of the year.
What is Hibernation:
Hope this helps
What is Brumation?
As previously mentioned, brumation can be loosely equated to hibernation among mammals. When a reptile brumates, it becomes lethargic, sometimes not moving at all for the duration of the cold season. In nature, these animals typically find hibernaculums within their environment in which they can be somewhat insulated. A hibernaculum is simply the place where the reptile spends these periods of inclement weather. Burrows, rock crevices, caves and leaf litter are a few examples of hibernaculums documented in nature. Some temperate species can even brumate under water!
The amount of time that a reptile brumates is dependent on a number of factors. Perhaps the biggest variable is in regards to whether the animal is in the wild or being maintained in captivity. In the case of the latter, environmental conditions can be easily manipulated by the keeper at any given time. Other considerations include the age of the animal, its gender, geographical origin, and varying natural conditions. Due to the wide range of species and habits, it is futile to make quantitative generalizations regarding how long a reptile will brumate. In the broadest of terms, reptiles will enter brumation in the late fall (when temperatures drop and the days get shorter) and come out of brumation in spring, triggered by increased temperatures, longer days, and changes in barometric pressure.
Why do Reptiles Brumate?
As ectothermic organisms, reptiles cannot raise their body temperature independently of environmental conditions, and as such must contend with the conditions that nature presents them with. The vast majority of our planet experiences seasonal temperature extremes, from the deserts to the plains to even the tropics. The amount of temperature variation does change from region to region. For example, sub-tropical animals, as well as those found near the equator, often do not undergo what herpetoculturists call a "true brumation." However, these animals are just as receptive to natures cues as those from more northern or southern climates. They may slow down, i.e. reduce food intake, eat less, etc, but not enter a true state of brumation.
Conversely, many reptile species inhabit regions that do in fact get very cold in the winter, and accordingly must have behavioral adaptations in order to survive. In the most basic sense, brumation is a survival tactic - a tactic that has been hard wired into the brains of these animals for well over a million years.
Take for example, the Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldi). Over much of their range they experience summer highs well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the winter temperatures fall far below freezing. Without the option of brumation, these animals would perish. Instead, they construct burrows, sometimes as deep as six feet, and remain in them until conditions become favorable. During this time, the tortoises physiological functions grind to nearly a halt. Feeding obviously ceases, as does digestion and defecation. Heart and respiratory rates also drop.
Suspended animation is a phrase often used to describe this state among reptiles. In fact, there are theories suggesting that these long periods of inactivity may actually lengthen the lives of wild herps much the way your car would last you longer if you kept it garaged and purged of all fluids for 5 months of the year.
What is Hibernation:
Hibernation is a time when animals ‘sleep’ through cold weather. This sleep is not like human sleep where loud noises can wake you up. With true hibernation, the animal can be moved around or touched and not know it. [Don’t you do this, though. Some animals only go into a torpor or temporary sleep time and can wake up quickly. Like BEARS.] We are going to use the word 'sleep' sometimes but hibernation is different from regular sleep. With normal sleep, the animal moves a little, has an active brain, and can wake up very quickly. With true hibernation, the animal appears dead. There is no movement and it takes a long time for it to wake up enough to even walk around.
We will show you how animals get ready to sleep the winter away, what it is like, and who does it.
GETTING READY: During the fall, hibernating animals eat more food than usual. Their bodies will live off their body fat as they ‘sleep’ through winter. The animal will use up the body fat it stores and not lose any muscle. This causes the animal to come out of hibernation thinner but still as strong as it was in the fall.
The animals get their winter nests, dens and burrows ready. Different kinds of animals hibernate in different kinds of safe spots. When they go into hibernation and their bodies slow down, enemies can get them easier. They try to pick the safest place to spend the winter away from these enemies.
WHAT IT IS AND WHO DOES IT: Hibernation is the way that animals adapt to the climate and land around them. Animals must be able to live through extreme cold…. or die. Animals hibernate—or deep sleep—to escape that cold. They also do this because it is really hard to find food during the winter.
We don’t think about body energy too often. Our bodies are like machines that need power to work right. Food gives animals the energy they need to walk, run, hunt for food, and lots of other things. Hibernating animals store food as body fat during the end of summer and during fall. This body fat runs their bodies all winter. This would be hard to do if they stayed awake, moved around a lot, or ran around because those things would use up the body fat before winter was over. A hibernating animal’s body saves energy by doing a couple of cool things.
When an animal begins to hibernate, its body temperature drops very low so that it almost matches the temperature outside. Your temperature is normally about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If you were a hibernator and it was 30 degrees outside, your body temperature would drop from 98.6 down to about 30-40 degrees. THAT’S cold!
The animal’s heartbeat and breathing slow down, too. This is when that stored fat that the animal packed on in the fall comes in handy. This stored fat lasts longer because their bodies are slowed down so much that they don’t need much energy. This is how the animal makes it through the whole winter on the fat it has stored in its body. This is why it's important for animals to get enough food stored in the fall. If there is a shortage of food at that time, the animal might not live until spring when it can find its food again.
Some of these hibernators also store food in their caves and burrows. The ones that do this do not sleep straight through the winter. They wake up once in awhile, walk around a little, and eat before they go back to sleep. Some warm-blooded hibernators are:
Badgers
Hedgehogs
Bats
Nighthawks
Chipmunks
Poor-Wills
Dormouse
Prairie Dogs
Fat-tailed lemurs
Raccoon
Ground squirrels
Skunks
Hamsters
Swifts
Marmots,
Groundhogs,
Woodchucks
And bears [depending on who you talk to]
GETTING READY: During the fall, hibernating animals eat more food than usual. Their bodies will live off their body fat as they ‘sleep’ through winter. The animal will use up the body fat it stores and not lose any muscle. This causes the animal to come out of hibernation thinner but still as strong as it was in the fall.
The animals get their winter nests, dens and burrows ready. Different kinds of animals hibernate in different kinds of safe spots. When they go into hibernation and their bodies slow down, enemies can get them easier. They try to pick the safest place to spend the winter away from these enemies.
WHAT IT IS AND WHO DOES IT: Hibernation is the way that animals adapt to the climate and land around them. Animals must be able to live through extreme cold…. or die. Animals hibernate—or deep sleep—to escape that cold. They also do this because it is really hard to find food during the winter.
We don’t think about body energy too often. Our bodies are like machines that need power to work right. Food gives animals the energy they need to walk, run, hunt for food, and lots of other things. Hibernating animals store food as body fat during the end of summer and during fall. This body fat runs their bodies all winter. This would be hard to do if they stayed awake, moved around a lot, or ran around because those things would use up the body fat before winter was over. A hibernating animal’s body saves energy by doing a couple of cool things.
When an animal begins to hibernate, its body temperature drops very low so that it almost matches the temperature outside. Your temperature is normally about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If you were a hibernator and it was 30 degrees outside, your body temperature would drop from 98.6 down to about 30-40 degrees. THAT’S cold!
The animal’s heartbeat and breathing slow down, too. This is when that stored fat that the animal packed on in the fall comes in handy. This stored fat lasts longer because their bodies are slowed down so much that they don’t need much energy. This is how the animal makes it through the whole winter on the fat it has stored in its body. This is why it's important for animals to get enough food stored in the fall. If there is a shortage of food at that time, the animal might not live until spring when it can find its food again.
Some of these hibernators also store food in their caves and burrows. The ones that do this do not sleep straight through the winter. They wake up once in awhile, walk around a little, and eat before they go back to sleep. Some warm-blooded hibernators are:
Badgers
Hedgehogs
Bats
Nighthawks
Chipmunks
Poor-Wills
Dormouse
Prairie Dogs
Fat-tailed lemurs
Raccoon
Ground squirrels
Skunks
Hamsters
Swifts
Marmots,
Groundhogs,
Woodchucks
And bears [depending on who you talk to]
Hope this helps
miss_mosher
Well-Known Member
Mines the same every Winter 
he should be fine
he should be fineOhh okaaay feeew lol thought he was sick or something i new it had to be someting with the change in weather however i have a 100 wat night bulb for him at night as it tends to get abit nippy here in the mornings its kepts him warm as iv put my and in the cage during morning before work its a nice warm temp for him, but yeaahhh....so do you recon its just becuase its cold yeah?
Defective
~ Yoda (2008-2020), you loved me more than life!!
Yup your beardie is slowing coz of the cold
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