Brumation is when bearded dragons or other reptiles (not all) will reduce their activity to survive colder periods of the year. In this post, we will discuss what is brumation, why bearded dragons brumate, symptoms of brumation in bearded dragons, when bearded dragons go into brumation, tips on brumation and much more.
What is brumation in bearded dragons?
Brumation is a period of winter shutdown, when bearded dragons are mostly inactive, sleep a lot, lay in the hide box and eat very little or no food at all. Most bearded dragons need to brumate to reset their sexual activity and to survive colder periods of the year.
Some bearded dragons will not move, but will be awake during brumation. But some bearded dragons tend to go into deeper sleep during brumation.
At the end of brumation, bearded dragons become active and 3-4 weeks after, start to show breeding interest. Brumation is not same as hibernation, and during brumation bearded dragons will be often awake, but will move around much less.
Why do bearded dragon brumate?
Bearded dragons brumate (hibernate) in the wild to survive low temperatures, high humidity and lack of food during winter. Bearded dragons take long naps but stay very lethargic during brumation. If your bearded dragon is not brumating, this is normal too.
Not all bearded dragons will brumate in captivity. In captivity, your bearded dragon will start brumation if it senses any changes in temperatures and/or daylight cycle. So even if you keep everything the same, your dragon can still go into brumation.
Signs and symptoms of brumation in bearded dragons
- Hiding more than usual
- Sleeping more during the day or night
- Refusing to eat
- Digging the substrate and hiding
- Not pooping
- Acting lethargic
- Doesn’t want to be handled or touched
- Staying on the cool side of the tank
Most bearded dragons poop before entering brumation. They need to empty their bowels because they will be mostly inactive for the next weeks or even months.
At which age do bearded dragons start brumating?
Bearded dragons start brumating after they reach 12-18 months old. Baby or juvenile bearded dragons should not be brumating. A baby bearded dragon that seems to be brumating could be sick instead.
How long do bearded dragons brumate for?
In captivity, bearded dragons can brumate for as little as few weeks, and up to 3-5 months in captivity.
When do bearded dragons brumate?
Bearded dragons in Northern Hemisphere (USA, Canada and Europe) will brumate during late autumn-winter, often through October-end of February. In Southern hemisphere (Australia and other southern countries), bearded dragons tend to brumate through late spring-end of summer (late May-August).
What causes brumation in bearded dragons?
Brumation in bearded dragons is caused by fluctuations in temperatures and number of daylight vs. night. Even if you keep the temperatures and number of daylight the same, bearded dragons can sense changes and go into brumation. But not all bearded dragons will brumate.
How to stop a bearded dragon from brumation?
In some cases, brumation might have a negative or even detrimental effect on your bearded dragon if it’s weak or sick. Usually it’s recommended that bearded dragons that are sick or weak don’t brumate at all. Sick dragons can lose weight and even die during brumation.
However, it’s not that simple, as some bearded dragons will go into brumation even when you change temperatures or daylight hours. But you can try to shorten or prevent brumation by keeping the lights for 12-14 hours a day and having optimal temperatures. Also, you can handle your bearded dragon daily to stop brumation.
However, only do it if your dragon is very ill, has parasites or is very thin. Otherwise, preventing brumation will cause stress to your bearded dragon. In this case, you can let your dragon brumate for few weeks with short daylight before putting everything back to normal to wake it up.
What to do when a bearded dragon is brumating?
- Adjust lighting to only 8-10 hours of light a day
- Don’t feed anything if your dragon is sleeping all the time, if it’s slightly active – can offer some veggies or snacks
- Make sure that your dragon has pooped before entering brumation
- Give your dragon a bath once a week to hydrate and refresh
- Drop water on the nose to let your dragon drink every few days
- Keep monitoring your dragon’s weight throughout brumation
Should I keep lights on during brumation?
During brumation, you can keep lights on or off. If temperatures drop lower than 65F, you can keep a low wattage bulb on. Otherwise, you can keep lights off and just place a warm blanket for your dragon to lay and sleep in.
Regarding UVB lights, turn them off during brumation. Your bearded dragon will not need UVB as its metabolism will slow down anyways.
However, if your dragon seems to be somewhat active during brumation – even a little bit, please keep the lights on. Keep both UVB and a basking light on, but increase the number of night vs. daylight hours. You can also keep a small snack for your dragon – but remember, if it eats, it also needs heat to digest.
Reduce number of daylight gradually over the 2 weeks. To do this, use a timer or power center like this. Reduce from around 12 hours of light to 8-10 hours of light a day. Use lower wattage bulbs to reach lower temperatures.
Basking spot should reach around 80 degrees F (26.6 Celsius) during the day, and cool side – 70 degrees (21.1 C). 65 degrees F (18 Celsius) at night is optimal.
Preparing a bearded dragon for brumation – temperatures, lights, hide box and health
To prepare your bearded dragon for brumation, please make sure that it’s healthy. When approaching the season of brumation, your bearded dragon will slowly become less active, appear tired and sleepy.
You need to make sure that it’s healthy enough to go through brumation and survive it. For this, take your dragon’s poop for a fecal examination to rule out any parasites. This is because their digestive system will not be working during the sleep. Their immune system will also be mostly inactive – so make sure your bearded dragon is well fed and healthy before winter arrives.
Then, make sure your bearded dragon’s weight is normal. If you are not sure whether your bearded dragon is skinny, read this post will average weights and pictures. Get a small pocket digital scale that weighs to the nearest 0.1 grams like this, to keep track of your dragon’s weight.
What is more, lower the basking temperatures to around 80 degrees F (26.6 Celsius), cool side temps to 70 degrees (21.1 C). And night time temperatures to 65 degrees F (18 Celsius). Don’t use any night time heating devices as the temperature will most probably be optimal. Set the timers to automate the day cycle.
Also, prepare a hide box for your bearded dragon to sleep in. Bearded dragons will not eat before starting brumation. You can place a blanket in a corner, and your dragon might choose to rest there.
If you suspect that your dragon has any health issues, take it to a vet for an examination. Your bearded dragon has to be healthy to go through brumation safely.
Tips for brumating bearded dragons
Some bearded dragons won’t wake up when brumating, even if you try. But some might wake up. If your bearded dragon wakes up, offer it little food (only a little) and give it a warm bath to hydrate the skin. Offer water (important!).
After a small meal, place your bearded dragon in a warm spot to increase metabolism for digestion. Most brumating bearded dragons will stay awake the whole time, but will be moving slowly and sleeping more. But if your bearded dragon doesn’t move at all, don’t feed it anything!
Don’t confuse brumation with sickness: bearded dragons only start brumating when they are over 12 months old. This usually happens during the second winter. Bearded dragons might become lethargic and tired when they are infected with parasites, for example. Take your bearded dragon to the vet if you are not sure.
Brumation will make bearded dragons use their internal calcium and fat storage. If you can predict your bearded dragon will brumate, make sure to offer it a high quality diet before it starts to hibernate.
After brumation has finished, the female dragon is likely to lay 2-4 clutches if she is between 2-5 years old. She might lay eggs without mating with a male (infertile eggs) or after mating. Provide her with a nesting site or she might become egg-bound.
Bearded dragon coming out brumation
Brumation should end by February, and that’s when you will need to set the temperatures and humidity back to normal (read about lighting here in a new tab). Do this gradually, over a week or so.
Start feeding your bearded dragon normally. However, your dragon might not eat normally for the first 5-7 days. Provide different gut-loaded bugs and greens with added minerals and calcium. Pay extra attention to a female, who needs extra calcium for egg formation.
3-4 weeks after end of brumation, bearded dragons will start showing breeding behaviors. Breeding behaviors include territorial display (don’t bring any males close to each other), competitiveness, beard flaring, head bobbing and courtship. Breeding season can last from March-September. At this time, females might lay eggs even without a male.
Is my bearded dragon brumating, sick or dead?
Sometimes brumation can be confused with sickness and even death. Big difference between brumation and sickness is that your dragon shouldn’t lose weight during brumation. Weigh your dragon 2 times a week using digital scales that weighs to nearest 0.1 gram like this. Write it in a diary to keep track. If your bearded dragon loses a lot of weight quickly, take it to the vet.
Another difference between brumation and sickness is age. Bearded dragons start brumating when they reach at least 10 months old. Younger bearded dragons should not be brumating. If your young juvenile dragon becomes lethargic, refuses to eat and shows signs of sickness, take it to the vet.
If you think that your bearded dragon could be dead, please read this post on signs and symptoms. Dead bearded dragons won’t react when you turn it on its back. It will also have sunken eyes and act lethargic.
Bearded dragon brumation in summer
In some cases, bearded dragons can brumate in summer – in May, June, July, August. This is because bearded dragons naturally brumate through these months in Southern Hemisphere. During these months, it’s a winter time there.
Another reason why your bearded dragon would go into brumation in summer is a cold tank, short daylight hours, insufficient lighting. In this case, your bearded dragon would brumate to survive harsh conditions no matter the season.
Thank you for reading this post. To learn more about bearded dragon care, please see this resource page.