Growing During Brumation

[mom22wins]

Do your skinks come out of brumation looking larger than they did going in? Do they come out of their sleep mode to drink water or pee/poop?

[AndrewSeike]

Hi!

A terrific question! Breeding blue tongues and seeing hundreds of babies and brumating them (depending on circumstance) often, I note very little growth on their part if I can even notice such minute details.

They do not defecate or urinate - most just seem to go into a sleep. However if disturbed many do wake up in a sluggish, *ticked off kind of way.

Andrew

[mom22wins]

Nice to meet you Andrew!

Very interesting about the brumation thing. I was going to try to keep Sammy from brumating this winter since she's so young. (She was born June 28th) Any suggestions on how I can acheive this??

Diane

[Drew]

could be Boris be brumating?
im fiding answers why he isnt eating and just sleeping.

[Lisa]

Nice to meet you Andrew!

Very interesting about the brumation thing. I was going to try to keep Sammy from brumating this winter since she's so young. (She was born June 28th) Any suggestions on how I can acheive this??

Diane

Simply keep your heating, lighting and feeding schedule the same.
I don't brumate mine their first year, but of course they do in the wild. Actually, I'll rephrase that, if mine showed signs of wanting to sleep away their first winter then I would take steps to allow them, but so far all of mine have seemed happy to stay awake for their first.

I always think my eastern looks fatter and firmer after brumation, but it might just be I can't remember what he looked like before he went under.

But from a scientific point of view (that's Lisa the Scientician, not something you'd read in a book ), because their metabolism slows to allow them to sleep, you should not notice dramatic weight loss or weight gain.

And remember that it's not true hibernation. They don't necessarily go to sleep late autumn and wake up in spring. I have one who does literally that, but another that has just come out of brumation where he would like sleep for 3 or 4 days, get up for one or two, then sleep for a week, be up for a week etc. (It was his first time, and it was Ralphie, so we make allowances )

If you do brumate, still give them access to fresh water in case they wake up, but no need to offer food. Mine generally do a megapoo once they wake up. Like, that's the sign that they've woken up fully for me! You can almost hear them going 'oooooh yeaahhhhh, that's a load off my ..... mind'

[Leigh]

Are yours all up and about yet Lisa?

[mom22wins]

Thanks Lisa! As always, lots of good info from you. I so appreciate it!

Diane

[Drew]

what are the signs that your bluey is brumating n in the process of it?
Boris have been digging vigorously and tsaying under the newspaper, he hasnt been like this before.
i offered a humidity hide, put damp sphagnum moss and reptile bedding inside. Boris went inside right away and slept. is this a sign? will the humidity inside the box be ok for him?

[Lisa]

No worries, Diane

Drew, come Autumn here (anywhere between late April-early June), if I've not seen one of mine out for more than about 4-5 days in a row, I know they've gone kippin' and start to reduce their light cycles. The other indicator may be a lack of appetite, and that can start as much as 4-6 weeks before they actually go to sleep. I've not ever noticed signs of restlesness leading up to brumation, but they're all a little different. Last year Jubby slowed down gradually over a couple of weeks, but this year he was raring one day (11th June), and then I didn't see him again August 10.

I would be hesitant, particularly where you live, to let him brumate in a humid place.

Yeah Leigh, mine are all up and at em. Santos has been up for over a month, Jubby about a month although he's still sleeping more than he's awake, and Ralphie's been up fully for about two weeks now.

This month is of course Santember (pics coming soon!!) and next month we celebrate Ralphtober, but Jubuary is still some time away

[Drew]

id loose the humid box and juts go through the normal routine, feeding etc.
weather here is definitely a strange thing, ive posted that its been cold lately not its again HOT, whew.

boris is sleeping inside the humidity box now, maybe tomorrow i will loose it.

[Leigh]

Nice one Lisa,what time scale would you say was an average brumation period , we get winter from about Ralphtober/November to somewhere in March /April, dont know about Auss but the seasons seem all screwed up up here the last few years

[Lisa]

Nice one Lisa,what time scale would you say was an average brumation period , we get winter from about Ralphtober/November to somewhere in March /April, dont know about Auss but the seasons seem all screwed up up here the last few years

Over here, they come out of brumation mid/late August, they'll begin mating around Sept and pop babies out anywhere between Dec to late March. They start slowing down around May and brumate June-August.

In the colder states down south, Vic and SA, they start to slow down a little earlier in April or even late March.

I'm beginning to think that their trigger for brumation is not necessarily weather related, but that the shorter days play a part as well. When the days start to get longer again around now, that seems to play more of a part in their waking up than the weather actually changing.

They're just my observations but!

We've definately had milder winters and drier summers here the last few years than I remember as a kid. This year we had a really cold winter, but only for the month of July. June was still 27-8C and August just passed was consistently over 25C. Remember, they're the winter months here! Is cold again this week but. Just wish we could get some regular and decent rain.

I know you've had heaps but! The last time I was in the UK for a prolonged period of time (6 weeks) was July/August 05 and I got rained on only one day! (shoot me for a traitor, but being there to see the Poms regain the Ashes was one of my greatest experiences I simply cannot support an Aus team captained by Ricky Ponting and, at that time, coached by John Buchanan)

[Leigh]

Thanks mate, it'll be his second winter with me and there was not much change in him last year, our winters last 11months and 20 days so I dont see it being temp related, as you say I reckon day length must be a key factor, has anyone noted down the day length when there bluey's start to slow down?Yes I know there was 24hrs in a day last time I checked, I refer to daylight hours.

[lernmeabook]

super dumb question... what's brumating?

[Leigh]

Thats when they slow down to see the winter out

[Lisa]

Thanks mate, it'll be his second winter with me and there was not much change in him last year, our winters last 11months and 20 days so I dont see it being temp related, as you say I reckon day length must be a key factor, has anyone noted down the day length when there bluey's start to slow down?Yes I know there was 24hrs in a day last time I checked, I refer to daylight hours.

You give yourself 10-11 days of summer a year? Mate, I like your positive thinking Conor has a different take on it, he says back in Ireland they have a good summer .... but only for about 4 minutes each day. 15 mins is considered a scorcher

I've never actually checked their brumation against the length of days but I imagine it would be easy enough. It would be interesting too, to compare northern hemisphere lizards to ours down here, like for example your 11 days of summer are much longer than ours. Even in the height of summer here it starts to get dark at 8pm. There's just so many factors to consider, yet at the end of the day their genetics obivously tell them when it's time.

[Leigh]

I've noticed that during summer it gets light about 5.30 /6am and dark 9/9.30 times vary due to clouds and what not.Now its dark by 8pm, in summer he used to still be asleep when I left for work, the last week he seems to be waking up earlier and greets me before I leave , so I think he knows the days are getting shorter and he's got less time in the day so he's making an earlier start, does that make sense. I'm not changing his light yet,maybe lose an hour next week,one question I have is does everyone try to replicate sunrise/fall by loosing time in the morning and evening, or just take it of one end?Does it even matter?

[Fatal_S]

I think when I reduce time I'll do most or all of it off the morning, as I'd rather he be awake in the evening with me.

[Lisa]

,one question I have is does everyone try to replicate sunrise/fall by loosing time in the morning and evening, or just take it of one end?Does it even matter?

I really don't think it matters. If they want to, they'll still brumate even if you don't change their light cycle, or sometimes they won't brumate even if you do.

I reduce from both ends. Like, mine are currently on 7am-5pm, but in another month it'll be on their usual summer cycle 5am to 7pm. In the middle of winter I reduce till it gets down to around 10am-3pm.

I don't think the cycle we put them on really does much to determine when they will be active, so I just do my best to replicate the conditions outside.