Brumation

[jewfish1]

Hi everyone,

I have yearling eastern blue tongued skinks in an outdoor cage and this year they will be spending their first winter outdoors. The cage is half covered and half exposed to the elements I cover the whole cage at times during rainy weather..

Any tips please as to maintenance etc during the brumation period, if any?. Do's and don't etc.

What are the best and warmest hide materials and the best product for allowing them to bury in to keep warm.

Could any bluey owners with outdoor cages or pits please give me some feedback on how you cope with bluey care during the winter period.

I live on the NSW south coast and it gets pretty cold at night during winter.

Thanks

 

[MarcAtterton]

hi mate

i keep my bluies outside in an outdoor enclosure, one quarter enclosed the rest to the elements, during the winter i usually cover the enclosure with a tarp to stop any rain getting in for starters just to keep it dry,, as for hide materials, i have the enclosed area lined with polystyrene (not sure on spelling) to help insulate and then a thick layer of mulch and aspen grass mixed in it, this works for me, the depth of this mix is about 10-15cms, my bluies usually dig right into it.

 

[jewfish1]

Hi marc

What you do is pretty much what I was thinking of doing.

Is there any need to check on them or do you just leave them be from april to august?

 

[MarcAtterton]

i just leave them be,, my first winter i was checking up on them every week or two just to see if they were ok, but i think that was me just being a little paranoid as it was their first winter outside. As long as they are well feed prior to the brumation period and stay nice and dry they should be fine mate

 

[jewfish1]

Thanks for your input mate.

Do the blueys give any signs as to when they are about to enter brumation period, ie: Do they eat more/eat less, get restless, start digging etc?

Also, when they come out of the rest period do they get straight back into eating mode and routines or does it take a week or 2?

I appreciate your help as I want to get it right and understand whats happening so next year I wont be so paranoid about the whole thing.

Cheers

 

[MarcAtterton]

hi mate,, you will notice that they start to become less active and in turn their food intake will lessen to a point where my guys didnt want to eat maybe 1-2 weeks before they started to brumate, when they start to come out of brumation they again may not eat for a week or 2 until it starts to warm up, i noticed that a few bluies of mine came out for a day or two then went back to sleep for a couple of days when a cold snap hit, to get them to want to start eating they will need a few warm days in a row to let them know its time to come out and start the feasting.

cheers

 

[jewfish1]

Thankyou so much for the feedback.

Really appreciate you sharing your experience.

Cheers mate