Water Dragon hibernation help please.

[Mexie13]

Hi, can anyone help? My Eastern Water Dragon seems too active to be hibernating. Despite no food for at least 3 weeks, still finding tiny bits of poo in the water - perhaps from eating random insects getting into the indoor enclosure?

When the cricket house is near, she watches them with great interest, and looks hungry.

There are no lights or heat in the Dragon Palace. Could the gas heater - in the same room - be keeping the temp too high? Or is this normal Dragon behaviour?

This is my first Dragon, and my first winter with her. She has hibernated the past 2 winters, she is 3 yrs.

Thanks for reading, I would be very grateful for some advice.

Mexie13

 

[vinny292]

how do i make my own post

 

[Mexie13]

Look in help

Hi Vinny,

Hit help, it is explained well there.

Mexie13

 

[KaotikJezta]

My EWD is in a cold room with no heating and she stays awake all winter. I used to try leaving the lights off and not feeding but she has never brumated. They can handle it fairly cold and if there is no basking spot they will soak in their water to digest food.

 

[beeman]

You people need to learn the difference between Brumation and Hibernation!

Hibernation is where and animal feeds heavily pre winter in preperation for a total state of torper where their body systematicly slows its metabilism untill they are basicly surviving, This allows for energy and body fat conservation so they last through out the winter months unmoved and undisturbed.

Brumation is what the aussie reptile go through where they feed well during the warmer months and then go through a period of fasting over the winter.
During this time they still remain active and are able to sense when the conditions are favourable to come up and re-warm their bodys and return to their hides again before the temps of the evening drop again.

They continue to function like this the whole of the winter, unlike the animals that
do actually hibernate that do not re- surface again at all untill the spring season returns!

 

[KaotikJezta]

Some reptiles do actually sleep all winter beeman, and no-one is talking about them just remaining active, my girl looks for food all winter and happily eats as much as she does in the warmer months. She doesn't hide at all except for night time, summer or winter. On the other hand, I used to have a blue tongue that would retreat to his hide first sign of cold weather and stay there until spring.

 

[beeman]

Some reptiles do actually sleep all winter beeman, and no-one is talking about them just remaining active, my girl looks for food all winter and happily eats as much as she does in the warmer months. She doesn't hide at all except for night time, summer or winter. On the other hand, I used to have a blue tongue that would retreat to his hide first sign of cold weather and stay there until spring.

I would suggest that you bluetounge didnt find the conditions correct enough
to resurface so as to rewarm itself.

I have been keeping quite a few forms of the larger skinks and dragons in outdoor pits for 30+years, Observations over this time tell me that they will All resurface
at various stages during the brumation period to take advantage of the warmth if it is there.

I have had them surface after a -3dg morning when the afternoon sun hits their pits, It may only be for an hour or two but they all do it and retreat again as the suns warmth starts to fade.

 

[KaotikJezta]

I would suggest that you bluetounge didnt find the conditions correct enough
to resurface so as to rewarm itself.

I have been keeping quite a few forms of the larger skinks and dragons in outdoor pits for 30+years, Observations over this time tell me that they will All resurface
at various stages during the brumation period to take advantage of the warmth if it is there.

I have had them surface after a -3dg morning when the afternoon sun hits their pits, It may only be for an hour or two but they all do it and retreat again as the suns warmth starts to fade.

I agree, some will resurface. This one did not despite being indoors with full access to basking and UVB. I bought him as an adult and the person I bought him off kept him outside and he said the same thing. He put himself off to sleep at the start of the cold and was not seen again until spring despite several cage mates that would resurface.

 

[Mexie13]

Thank you all for the info.

Thank you all for the info. My Bluetongue has been inactive, and hiding under newspaper. But it sounds like I should be allowing access to food and warmth/U.V. And I could move these things to a separate section to the main living quarter, giving a choice?

Grateful for all opinions,

Mexie13

 

[KaotikJezta]

Thank you all for the info. My Bluetongue has been inactive, and hiding under newspaper. But it sounds like I should be allowing access to food and warmth/U.V. And I could move these things to a separate section to the main living quarter, giving a choice?

Grateful for all opinions,

Mexie13

I ended up turning the lights off in my bluetongue enclosure after the second winter as it was just wasting power, the water dragon I leave on all the time as, like I said, she never even looks like slowing down and if I do turn everything off she stays up anyway. I live in Melbourne and it gets pretty cold here in winter and she still shows no inclination to brumate.