Pygmy Bearded Dragon Brumation

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fjsmith

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Hi, I have a pair of pygmy bearded dragons that are almost a year old. I purchased them in March, so they were born very early in the year. They went off their food and have been spending almost all of there time in the hide. This began around the start of winter, I have been occasionally waking them up to give them a drink etc, but I am starting to get a bit concerned, It is starting to approach summer and they are still brumating. Is there something wrong here? What should I do?
 
Can we go over your tank setup first please. Size, temperature, UVB, are they housed together, food, supplements and so on.
 
as Jarrod mentioned can you tell us their setup. Mainly basking temps and uvb type.
 
as Jarrod mentioned can you tell us their setup. Mainly basking temps and uvb type.

They are in a 4x2x2 foot melamine enclosure with 10.0 UVB globe. The basking temps are about 40 degrees and the cool end around 28 degrees. I feed them a variety of woodies and crickets dusted with calcium and vitamin powder. There is always veggies in there enclosure which include kale, bok and pak choy, carrot as well as apple. They are housed together as well.
 
sounds fine mate. I'd give them some more time.
 
My Pygmy slept from 17 June to 19 September and that is only because I turned her lights back on otherwise I think she may be still asleep! When she started brumation she was 64 grams and when she woke up she was 60 grams. I weighed her two times during the brumation to check on her. She didn't eat or drink anything during brumation. She has since put on weight and is almost 80 grams and is having her first shed since waking up. She quite a "still/settled" dragon and doesn't run around much. Not very flighty. This is her drinking from the tap after she woke up.

phoenix7.jpg phoenix-drinking-from-tap.jpg
 
You could bump up to 43-44 degrees but other than that just wait. Don't really want to change the point of this thread but have you thought of separating them? There are just so many bad incidents when housed together. If I had a buck every time I hear/ read about something gone wrong I wouldn't have to work lol
 
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I have thought of separating them, but I thought it would be ok as I have read that pygmies are quite communal, as well as the fact that they are both female. They seem to get along well but if a problem does arise I will separate them.
 
so I have been waiting a few more weeks and they are yet to come out of their hide. I have taken them out and they both ate some woodies and drank alot, but as soon as I leave the room they go straight back in. The temperature is about 42 degrees in the basking spot and 30 degrees in the cool end, and it has been quite hot in melbourne recently, so why are they constantly in the hide? Can somebody please help?
 
Could be light. Have you tried increasing the length of their "day"? Ours didnt move, drink, do anything for around 4 months. We turned the heat up - nothing. It wasnt until we ramped up the daylight hours, and natural light through the window increased, that they woke up.
 
I have found that they take quite a while to get over brumation,they don't eat well straight away and like to sleep heaps much like a drunk after a party,actually took more than a month to get back into it
 
Thanks for the replies, I will try increasing the hours of light, hopefully it works. But when I lift up the hide they're not asleep or anything, they're awake, so why are they spending so much time in the hide?
 
I really need some more help here, they are STILL in brumation, even though it is summer and I have increased the temperature significantly, they continue to spend all of their time in the hide. I have tried taking them out, but as soon as I leave the room they go straight back in. If i take the hide out they will just half-bury themselves in the substrate. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
 
if you have some time off over the christmas period take them out and get them some sun or place them under their basking light. spray them with water also or give them a warm soak as they probably haven't had a drink in ages. THey will come good but you might just need to give them a little help.
 
if you have some time off over the christmas period take them out and get them some sun or place them under their basking light. spray them with water also or give them a warm soak as they probably haven't had a drink in ages. THey will come good but you might just need to give them a little help.

getting them out into real sun is definitely the go it wakes them up more fully than the heat lamp does and also stimulates the appetite
 
yep direct sunlight and keep an eye on them at all times. They will wake up for sure

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and give them a soak also
 
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