7.1Brumation, in winter
As the weather turns some dragons choose to brumate. They may still come out to bask now and then before going back to sleep. Leave the lighting on.
| Date | Daylight period |
|---|---|
| 1 November | reduce to 8 hours |
| 15 November | reduce to 6 hours |
| 15 February | back up to 8 hours |
| 1 March | up to 12 hours |
Daylight hours step down from twelve to eight on 1 November, to six on 15 November, back to eight on 15 February and to twelve on 1 March.
7.2Estivation, in summer
Bearded dragons do not brumate in summer. The old line about a dragon remembering it’s winter back home in Australia isn’t true.
What’s happening in hot months is estivation, dormancy through a hot or dry period, which is how they get through Australian summers in the wild.
To stop their metabolism climbing as the heat rises they bask less, or barely at all in captivity when they can’t cool down properly overnight. They eat less and hide more, often dozing.
The difference from brumation is that they’re awake. Alert, reactive, they’ll respond to noise around the house. It’s not a deep dormant state.
As long as you’re keeping up with fecal exams, an estivating dragon is probably just responding to the season. Let them get on with it; they’ll bask and eat when they’re ready.