BRUMATION.

Brumation in reptiles.

A state of hibernation that some reptiles and amphibians go into when food supplies dwindle in the wild and temperatures drop at the onset of autumn or winter and for the new reptile keeper often the greatest source of worry is when your reptile becomes lethargic, inactive and doesn’t want to eat. While your animal seems in good health, the temperatures are right and UVB lighting is good but your reptile has stopped taking in any nourishment and sleeps the days away, it may be going into brumation.

All reptiles and amphibians are ectothermic (cold-blooded) which means they rely on their environment for regulating their body temperature and when seasons change and temperatures cool, they go into this state which is the reptile equivalent of mammals’ hibernation. Don’t panic as this is instinctual behaviour and maybe what is happening to your dragon, skink, gecko or amphibian and exotic reptiles in New Zealand seem to begin brumating around March/April and can sleep right through to August or September with some animals. How and where they brumate can be varied for different individual reptiles within a species but you generally find most reptiles retreat to their hide or bury themselves under the substrate while some amphibians do it under water. Let your animal decide what it wants and needs, youngsters often times do not brumate the first year but adults usually do, some youngsters under 12 months old if they are in good condition can brumate but it is usually recommended to avoid this. During this period their metabolism slows right down and some may wake have a drink and go back to sleep again, some will sleep right through, don’t try to force water or food on the reptile during this period and try to minimise disturbing it also, though a quick check to ensure it is alright is okay.   Even though your captive reptile has constant warm temperatures brumation can sometimes occur at any time of the year and is very stressful on the reptiles and so before brumation it is good to ensure they are in good health with a vet check including a faecal test to ensure they aren’t full of parasites as it will set your mind at rest and help ensure a good outcome for their awakening.
 

In captivity environmental conditions can be manipulated by the keeper at any time by a reducing lighting hours and temperature but it is best to let them decide when the time is appropriate as forcing an animal into brumation can create a few possible issues. The reasons I recommend let your animals brumate naturally are so they go through the normal process of slowing down and stopping eating while your temperatures are still warm as this allows any food to be digested, the stomach and bowels to empty preventing any food or waste retained rotting during their long sleep. Some scientists also feel that this suspended animation like state allows their bodies to clean of toxins and helps trigger the production of sperm in males whilst preparing females for ovulation in spring allowing for bigger and more viable egg clutches.

The length of time that a reptile brumates is extremely variable varying from 3 or 4 weeks to 3 or more months, desert species tend to brumate much longer than forest species with some tropical region animals just slowing down and not brumating at all but simply undergoing a mild slowing in activity and feeding patterns. Most reptiles generally do not feed during this time but may wake to hydrate themselves so ensure their water dish is always full of clean water, I wait about 3 to 7 days after the animal goes to sleep before turning the heating off to ensure any food left in the stomach will be digested properly, turning it back on when the animal wakes properly. Once they wake up they may take several days to get back to their normal behaviour and eating just ensure the lighting and heating is correct to create a safe transition back to normality, eating again may take a little longer but ensure food is there to eat when they are ready.

Where they brumate depends on the species, Blue Tongue Skinks will dig into substrate or usually under grass carpet, driftwood or a hide/cave, Leopard Geckos, Bearded and Water Dragons will use a hide or just sleep in a cool area. For the outside animals I provide a wooden box with an entry hole and half fill it with leaf litter, bark and topsoil mix for them to dig into. A healthy Bearded Dragon with no internal parasite load should come out of brumation not weighing much less than when it started and usually get back to routine fairly quickly allowing you to get back to enjoying your pet.

OUTDOOR BRUMATION

We live in a warmer part of New Zealand so some of our outdoor reptiles brumate in their enclosures as autumn approaches and temperatures drop, being ectotherms (their body temperature is reliant on external heating like the sun) they naturally wind down and you will notice that they are moving and eating less so once this happens, we stop making food available for them. Before going into brumation they need to have an empty gut so nothing ferments during the long sleep they are about to go through. At this time you need to check them daily and ensure they haven’t gotten cold and stopped moving in a place exposed to wind and rain, if that happens I usually just move them into the sheltered part of the enclosure or put them in their brumation boxes. The boxes I have built are just a low 12mm plywood construct with a hinged lid to allow a quick view without disturbing them too much, I cut a small entrance hole on the side so the animals can come and go as they wish, some of the boxes have a couple of layers of artificial grass in them so they can slide between the layers while others have a 10cm minimum layer of leaf litter, sand and peat moss mixed together they can burrow into.

By putting them in the boxes their bodies can warm slightly which allows them to still digest any possibly uneaten food in their digestive tract, I find that if the weather warms slightly often they will come and bask outside but care needs to be taken that they don’t leave themselves to be exposed again as night time falls, so we do a check before dark every night and if needed put them back inside. I have found they tend to communally group together, whether because it is the best spot or they like friends I don’t know. Their brumation last from 3 to about 5 months depending on the animal and the outside temperature, occasionally the odd one may come out then go back in so I always ensure clean water is available.