So my bearded dragon Draco is possibly trying to brumate but I’m not sure. Basically he is spending most of his time underneath his stump in his enclosure. Occasionally he comes out but he doesn’t go on his basking spot. He hasn’t eaten in a while and i try to feed him every time he comes out. I’m not sure if i should take him out every morning and try to feed him or if i should just keep doing what I’m doing and feeding him when he comes out. I also don’t know if he’s actually trying to brumate or if he might be sick or something. Also I’m not sure if i should wait to make his enclosure bioactive until he’s acting normal again or just go ahead and do it. If anyone can give their opinions on it i would greatly appreciate them. Thank you.
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Hey,
It’s that time of year, they will definitely slow down on eating. I’m not sure where your located? USA? UK? I’m in the UK and mine have never gone into brumation but always slow down for a few months this time of year!!
I would definitely wait until it gets warmer to make any changes, they don’t really like change and it can take a while for them to adjust, even adding new hides etc can stress them out. Also when you mentioned changing to a bioactive environment, be very cautious of the humidity, too much can cause respiratory infections in beardies they need a dry high heat with very little humidity, a large water bowl usually provides enough.
Have you weighed him recently? As long as he’s around 300-320 grams I wouldn’t worry too much if he doesn’t eat for a while, just make sure he’s hydrated…i use a syringe to drop water on their mouths 
You can also give him a luke warm bath but if he’s hiding and not basking it’s probably best to leave him be until he starts basking again. You’ll find once he starts basking again he’ll start eating again :))
I’m assuming he was basking and eating as normal previously?
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Thank you. He was basking and eating normally before this started about a week or two ago. I will go ahead and weigh him if i can find a scale. I did give him a bath a couple days ago when he came out and he drank some of the water. I will definitely wait until he’s back to normal to start changing to bioactive. Also i live in Texas so this started when we had a freeze a little bit ago which is why i think it’s brumation. Thank you for your help!
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No worries
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Even though our scaly babies are domesticated pets, they still have an innate urge to do what they would do in the wild, especially the males. I have 2 male adult boas that go off feed when the days begin to get short (I’m in IN) and the cold sets in. I continue to offer them smaller than their normal meals and eventually they get their appetites back. Like @lillycrow says, not to worry! 
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Ok thank you guys! I appreciate the telling me not to worry because I’ve been so worried about if hes okay or not and what i should do lol. I really appreciate the responses 
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Hey if you EVER have a concern or anything else do not hesitate! There are tons of knowledgeable caring people here who will be happy to help you! I am not a breeder, just a pet owner so I can’t provide many answers but I can give moral support once in a while!
All the best to you and Draco!
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Hey good news! Draco decided to come out today! I’m really hoping he’ll continue to stay out and not just go back to hiding all the time but we’ll see. I tried to offer him roaches and he didn’t eat them so he’s not fully back to normal but it is nice seeing home out!
Edit: here’s a picture!
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That’s great news for you and him! He is just probably taking it slowly but he will be back to normal soon I am sure! 
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Woo hoo! Since he has not eaten in awhile it’s probably best that he doesn’t stuff himself. Don’t worry! He’s got it covered!
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I just thought I’d update this real quick. So Draco’s been coming out regularly and I’ve changed his enclosure to bioactive! His basking spot will change pretty soon as I’m getting a new hide in specifically for basking in top of, but he really likes that spot on the stump so I’m leaving it there for now.
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Looks like brumation to me.
Wow @baby_yoda Draco looks great! His coloring looks very healthy! Great job on the enclosure! Mr. Draco is one handsome lucky boy!!! 
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