Winter is Comming!

[Lacerta]

Just a question here.

Lacerta doesnt come out during the days anymore, I figure its due to colder weather.

I have to wake her up to feed her, which Im doing every 2nd day, otherwise she wont come out at all.
Once she’s up, she will stay up and bask usually – and become active.

Is this just normal for skinks to do when the weather starts dropping? I’ve put a heat mat under her bedding end of the cage (don’t worry it doesn’t get very warm at all – I’ve tested the glass temperatures).

Should I wake her up in the mornings before I go to work or just leave her to hide all day, apart from feeding?

Cheers

[Shadowfax]

Ack, no winter, we just got done with it!!!!!

It sounds like normal skinky behaviour though...

[Shellyjean]

Ewwww winter, don't even want to think about it.

But I would guess it was normal too.

[Lura]

Yes, it is very normal. Just let her do her thing; there is no need to wake her up. She'll probably just get grumpy with you

[Lisa]

Sounds like she wants to sleep the winter away. Let her if she wants to.
Stop feeding her, and if she has eaten recently but hasn't pooped then try and get her to poo before she goes to bed so food's not sitting in her tummy.

Over the next couple of weeks, begin reducing her current heat and light cycle by about 1/2 hour every couple of days. So if she's currently on 7-7, start by making it 7:15 - 6.45, then 7.30 - 6.30 etc till you're down to maybe only about an hour or two a day. By then you probably won't even be seeing her and you can completely turn her heat and lights off. You can give her a poke every few days to just make sure she's fine.

Depending on how cold your house gets, I don't think you'll need the heat mat. If you have a glass tank, you can just chuck a blanket over it instead to help insulate.

She may on occasion wake up and have a wander so I'd leave fresh water in there. But no food. If you see her up, you might want to turn her light on for an hour or so if she's interested.

When it starts warming up and the days start getting longer again around Aug/Sep, you can do the reverse with her heat and light cycle. ie start then on about 10am - 3pm then 9 to 4 then 8 to 5 etc over the course of a couple of weeks.

[KyleWeiss]

Ack, no winter, we just got done with it!!!!!

It sounds like normal skinky behaviour though...

You mean YOU want to be done with it. I have my first mosquito bites, my first sun burn, and people are driving even more like idiots. Winter RULES.

KW

[Lacerta]

Sounds like she wants to sleep the winter away. Let her if she wants to.
Stop feeding her, and if she has eaten recently but hasn't pooped then try and get her to poo before she goes to bed so food's not sitting in her tummy.

Over the next couple of weeks, begin reducing her current heat and light cycle by about 1/2 hour every couple of days. So if she's currently on 7-7, start by making it 7:15 - 6.45, then 7.30 - 6.30 etc till you're down to maybe only about an hour or two a day. By then you probably won't even be seeing her and you can completely turn her heat and lights off. You can give her a poke every few days to just make sure she's fine.

Depending on how cold your house gets, I don't think you'll need the heat mat. If you have a glass tank, you can just chuck a blanket over it instead to help insulate.

She may on occasion wake up and have a wander so I'd leave fresh water in there. But no food. If you see her up, you might want to turn her light on for an hour or so if she's interested.

When it starts warming up and the days start getting longer again around Aug/Sep, you can do the reverse with her heat and light cycle. ie start then on about 10am - 3pm then 9 to 4 then 8 to 5 etc over the course of a couple of weeks.

Thanks a lot for the info Lisa.

I just got her up before, she is always interested in eating once I get her up. Its only just getting into autumn so the days arent getting too short.

At this stage I might just get her up every 3-4 days because she will bask and get a drink ect.

Im glad to hear it is normal though

[Lisa]

Yeah I have one who's body clock must've told him it was time to go to sleep a month or two ago so he stopped eating, but the weather's still been 28C so he's now changed his mind and is up and eating again. But the weather is supposed to start to get cooler this week so I'm only feeding him little amounts in case he tries again. My other two are showing no signs whatsoever of wanting to go to sleep so far (one was asleep by mid april last year but I've never seen him so active as he is at the moment).

Just get her to poo first if she does decide to go to sleep.
....And if you start to miss her while she's brumating, just get a baby that doesn't need to brumate their first winter and keep getting one each winter

[Shadowfax]

Ack, no winter, we just got done with it!!!!!

It sounds like normal skinky behaviour though...

You mean YOU want to be done with it. I have my first mosquito bites, my first sun burn, and people are driving even more like idiots. Winter RULES.

KW

Hey, that's what you get when you live in the desert!! Neener neener!

[Fatal_S]

....And if you start to miss her while she's brumating, just get a baby that doesn't need to brumate their first winter and keep getting one each winter

Great Idea! I think this should be a skink rule of life! Do you mind if I quote this to my mother if I'm still at home next year?

[Lisa]

Hey, it's what I've been doing! But I don't have to ask my Mum! She just rolls her eyes when I send her pics of her new 'grandchild'.
She prefers the dogs