Hibernation/Burmation?

[Rhetoric]

I thought it was weird that 2 of my tegus have never hibernated/brumated. They're almost 2 which means they've seen 2 winters... Could it be they didn't sleep because they were underweight and small before I got them? It seems odd because hatchlings will go down if their bodies tell them to..

It's more of curiosity, they still appear to be in great health.

 

[herpgirl2510]

From my understanding some tegus don't hibernate. I wonder if they were being kept at the same temps all year so they did not go down. When I talked to Bobby he said there are people who keep their tegus up for the winter. I hope minewill stay awake or at least one of them.

 

[herpocrite27]

Good luck keeping them awake. I can tell you from experience, "Never" cycle the light to try to make them hibernate and if they want to hibernate, Dont try and keep them up. cycling the lights can cause MBD and continuing to feed them when they are trying to hibernate can cause food to rot in their stomach. If you try to keep light/heat on too long after they have permenantly went into hibernation it makes them burn up too much energy before hibernation. Just let them tell you what they are going to do, it will save you lots of frustration. I wouldnt worry either way, sounds to me like some will and some wont. Just my 2. Good luck with your gu

 

[Toby_H]

let them tell you what they are going to do

When it comes to the topic of brumation/hibernation... this is the absolute best advice anyone can offer.......

 

[Rhetoric]

Thank you everyone. I wasn't planning to try and have anyone go one way or the other over the winter. I just curious why the 2 older tegus haven't done it. They're not going to be bred, other than that is there anything wrong if they decide to just stay up?

 

[rrcoolj]

No they will just grow faster because they are up. Tegus kind of do their own thing when it comes to hibernating. As mentioned, the only thing you can do is watch what they do and act accordingly.

 

[herpgirl2510]

I agree on letting the d it if they are going to but leaving the lights on a normal day cycle is not going to hrt them. I am not sure why keepng the lights on would cause mbd I have never read that before can you post a link? If mine go down I would obviously not keep up a 12 hour light cycle.

 

[herpocrite27]

I agree on letting the d it if they are going to but leaving the lights on a normal day cycle is not going to hrt them. I am not sure why keepng the lights on would cause mbd I have never read that before can you post a link? If mine go down I would obviously not keep up a 12 hour light cycle.

Cycling the lights for shorter periods of daylight can cause MBD because they are getting less light/UVB. And if they decide to hibernate, make sure once they are down for the count that you shut the lights off untill its time for them to wake up in the spring. If the lights stay on too long after they are perminantly down, they use up too much energy.

 

[Big Dave]

Well we have had an awful Spring,low temps and rain for the most part. My 2yr old female Red I think must figure it's time for a nap beacause she has been down for a week. Hasn't come out of her hide as far as I know for anything. water, food, basking, the little bugger.

 

[montana]

Spring is called July in Montana.

 

[herpgirl2510]

I agree on letting the d it if they are going to but leaving the lights on a normal day cycle is not going to hrt them. I am not sure why keepng the lights on would cause mbd I have never read that before can you post a link? If mine go down I would obviously not keep up a 12 hour light cycle.

Cycling the lights for shorter periods of daylight can cause MBD because they are getting less light/UVB. And if they decide to hibernate, make sure once they are down for the count that you shut the lights off untill its time for them to wake up in the spring. If the lights stay on too long after they are perminantly down, they use up too much energy.

That would only make sense if they were awke and not being exposed to uvb and insuffiient calcium in the diet. I would be curious to see the link. I know plenty of people who leave thelights on and temps up to see if they can aoid hibernation. Ialso spoke to Bobby who said that is how people attempt t do this.never once have I heard it can caujse metabolic bone disease. It can also be unsafe when people attempt to force a tegu int hibernation espeially when they do not know what they are doing.

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Think about is they are not exposed to any UVB when they hiberate and this does not cause MBD.

 

[Toby_H]

I believe what is being suggested is...

When a Tegu is properly cooled it's metabolism slows down and it's need for food water and UVB slow or stop... But when a sleeping Tegu remains at higher temperatures, despite it being asleep, it's metabolism continues to proces energy and thus resources (including UVB) need to be replentished...