• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Winter shut down

P

Puckbalu

New member
Joined
Jun 4, 2005
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
England
Hi my name is Paul and i live in the UK, Last year i bought myself a Rankins Dragon and a lovely little chap he is to, but since about the end of February he has been sleeping a lot, and is definitely not as active, and at prescent doesn't seem to be to interested in waking up, is this normall.and how long does it last for, i would be grateful for and advice, many thanks
 
My vitticeps "nap" for 2 to 3 months in the winter. I usually shut them down right after Thanksgiving (late November) and start warming them up around the first of February.
 
I was told to leave the heat lamp on 24/7, so is there anything i should be doing or do i just leave him to wake up by himself, the temp at the hot spot is is steady 105f he has always got fresh water but im reluctant at this time to maybe start feeding him?
 
Almost all reptiles need a day/night cycle. Leaving the lights on or off all the time adds stress... I would get a light timer and set it for 14 hours on and 10 hours off. What you are witnessing could just be a late brumation, although most brumations, as Dean said, start towards begining of winter, and end at the onset of spring.
-Drew
 
Cheers guys many thanks for your help i really apreceate it i'll reset the timer on both the heat lamp and ultra voilet to what you have suggested, once again many thanks good luck
 
Hi Dean thanks once again for your help, one other thing what did you mean by "Shut them Down" are you reducing the temp, and by how much?
 
I change the timers from a 14 hour on 10 hour off schedule to 10 on and 14 off (in increments of 1 hour per week). During the last 2 weeks of this change, I stop offering food. Once the timers are at 10/14, I change from 120 watt floods over the basking spot to 90 watt floods. This gives me about a 10°F drop in temps over the basking area. That also reduces ambient cage temps by around 5°F. That is enough to get them to shut down. My beardies are in the living room. I keep a pretty close eye on them, but during brumation, there really is not much to see. I have seen one of my males stay in the same position for over 3 weeks!!! I am not even sure he moved a leg during that time.
 
For the record, my basking temps hover at 100°F and ambient runs to about 80°F during the 14/10 "summer" period. During brumation the temps run 90/75 respectively.
 
some_lizard_guy said:
Almost all reptiles need a day/night cycle. Leaving the lights on or off all the time adds stress... I would get a light timer and set it for 14 hours on and 10 hours off. What you are witnessing could just be a late brumation, although most brumations, as Dean said, start towards begining of winter, and end at the onset of spring.
-Drew
Click to expand...

If you bought the rankins as a full grown adult it is possible he has already developed a brumation cycle. Most lizards will brumate at the same time every year. I force brumation on my breeders as 1st years and then brumate at the same time every year after. At least that way they keep on an annual cycle which is the healthiest for them.
 
Hi Dean many thanks for your help, can you clear up one thing what did you mean by "shut them down". Are you talking about reducing the temp and if so by how much and for how long, obviously im new to this, and im gratefull for any help and advice you offer, many thanks Paul.
 
Is it adviseable to reduce the temp now at this late hour or should i leave it for now and then do what you have suggested at the end of November
 
By "shutting them down", I meant inducing brumation. Here is the outline of how I go about it:I change the timers from a 14 hour on 10 hour off schedule to 10 on and 14 off (in increments of 1 hour per week). During the last 2 weeks of this change, I stop offering food. Once the timers are at 10/14, I change from 120 watt floods over the basking spot to 90 watt floods. This gives me about a 10°F drop in temps over the basking area. That also reduces ambient cage temps by around 5°F. That is enough to get them to shut down. My beardies are in the living room. I keep a pretty close eye on them, but during brumation, there really is not much to see.

I hope that clarifies it.
 
Back
Top