Depending on your reptile, the brumation period can take between a few weeks to three months. But in captivity, they don’t have to brumate because their keepers provide them adequately with what they need.

What Is Brumation In Rankin Dragon?

Brumation in Rankin Dragon is similar to hibernation, a period of dormancy that Rankin’s dragon undergoes during winter.

When petted, not all Rankin dragons will undergo brumation as opposed to when in the wild, whereby brumation is a necessity for survival during the cold months.

Because this is a seasonal thing, your Rankin Dragon will brumate around the same time period as his cousins during winter for only a few weeks to three months.

Only in the wild will Rankins dragons brumate a few weeks to three months, but technically, a petted dragon would only brumate for a few weeks. Precisely speaking, mostly under one month or up to eight to nine weeks, depending on what the Rankin dragon’s biological clock reads.

Your Ranking dragon will make a burrow to sleep it off and wait for warmer months. During the entire period, your reptile will be living off its built-up nutritional reserves and fats.

You shouldn’t worry about this because it’s something their ancestors have been doing for millions of years! So be prepared for it because petting them and breeding them for only a few decades wouldn’t change their brumating habit.

When Should I Worry During My Rankin Dragon Brumation?

The only time to be worried is when your Rankin Dragon goes missing for months on end after going into brumation. You might also want to check whether he is still alive. To do this, simply check in on your dragon breathing occasionally—or even daily—to make sure he is well when you start to get concerned.

While doing so, ensure you don’t arouse your little reptile friend, as this may stress him out.

Is My Rankins Dragon Brumating Or Dead?

Well, if your ranking dragons stay inactive for months when brumating, as a dragon parent, you might start to feel a little bit apprehensive when you see your reptile in such kind of deep sleep. Chances are that your Rankin dragon has never brumated, or it’s your first time to pet a Rankin Dragon.

Whatever the case, if your pet reptile was healthy before going into brumation, odds are you needn’t worry about losing your adorable mini dragon.

There’s nothing wrong with checking in on your Rankin Dragon. The essential thing is for you to confirm whether your its is still breathing from time to time, and you will definitely see him waking up even before you actually notice it.

What To Do If Your Rankin Dragon Is Showing Signs Of Brumation

So you have noticed that your Rankin Dragon is approaching brumation and wondering how to help or what to do. This is what you should do: leave your dragon alone. Avoid handling him as he’s in a “sleepy” era, and doing this is just a disturbance.

To help your dragon go into brumation smoothly, do these:

• Ensure their habitat is at optimum heating and lighting by lowering the temperature to mimic the conditions of the Australian desert.
• Ensure food does not rot in their stomach, try to encourage the dragon to poop by providing a warm bath and a belly massage.
• Perform a fecal test to rule out parasites that are known to cause similar symptoms like brumation.
• Do not force feed your dragon, but you should provide food
• Provide a hideaway for them to sleep in, such as a blackout hut or cave
• Keep a journal of their brumation and track things

Should I Ever End My Rankins Dragon Long Brumation Period Or Stop It?

For many reptiles, brumation is a natural process, including Rankins Dragons. In most situations, it’s best to allow Rankins dragons to do what their biological clock is telling them. However, there are circumstances in which your reptile vet will advise you to end or prevent brumation.

This is especially the case when your Rankins Dragon may be malnourished or sick. In such scenarios, your pet Rankin dragon’s life may be at stake since brumation can be fatal at that time.

Should your mini dragon show any of the following circumstances when it starts to brumate, you need to contact your vet:

• Your Rankin Dragon brumates during a warm season

Is your Rankin dragon showing signs of brumation during summer or any other season rather than winter? There’s possibly one explanation, and that is; your Rankin dragon biological clock is telling him to go into brumation because his brain is still hardwired to its original home.

Australian dessert contradicting with your season. While it may be summer in the United States or the UK, in Australia, it would possibly be winter, and your mini dragon is not yet able to distinguish your region’s season.

Normally, if it’s a matter of your pygmy-bearded dragon brain being hardwired to his home season, there is nothing to be disconcerted about.

However, should the warm weather brumation be something other than this, it may be advisable to prevent your reptile from brumating, especially when the cause could be as a result of:

• UVB lighting or heating issues

Well, Rankin Dragons know when to brumate, when to sleep off for a couple of weeks or months because of extremely cold temperatures. That being said, poor heating can cause your dragon to think it is actually winter, while that may not be the case.

Plus, improper heating can result in some health complications, including fatal metabolic bone disease.

Should you discover that your Rankin Dragon has not been receiving the proper lighting and heating, get your reptile vet to check on your mini dragon before he goes into brumation, or you’ll have to wake him up during his lengthy biologically resting period.

• Medical conditions or illness

You’ll have to prevent your Rankin Dragon from going into brumation if you know he is ill or has a serious health condition. So ensure you consult your vet on how to safely stop your reptile from partaking his long brumation period as soon as you detect any signs of brumation.

• Malnutrition

When your Rankin dragons lack vital nutrients, they may brumate off-season. Just ensure you provide your pet with a complete proper diet each time you feed him to ensure he stays healthy and happy. This way, your dragon will always be conscious of the season because he isn’t stressed.

• Dehydration

As a reptile parent, your Rankin Dragon should not go into brumation dehydrated. Don’t assume the fact he’ll emerge periodically in between brumation to take some water means that your mini dragon is okay.

If he’s dehydrated before brumating, as this may pose him some risks. As a rule of thumb, check for any signs of dehydration before brumation, such as loose skin, loss of appetite, or sunken eyes, and provide him with adequate water in advance.

• Your Rankin Dragon starts to brumate, yet he is under one year old

In the wild, baby pygmy bearded dragons don’t brumate. The main reason for this is because baby Rankins will hardly survive the brumation period, in addition to harming the baby Rankin’s growing body.

That said, you should consider preventing your baby Rankin Dragon from brumating. Your reptile vet will guide you on how to do it effectively and safely.

How do I know that my Ranking Dragon is Breaking from the Long Brumation Period?

When your Rankin Dragon initially makes a burrow, there’re signs you should look out for. You will definitely know when your mini dragon wakes up.

Your adorable little friend will show some excitement when he sees you! Remember that your Rankin Dragon has been sleeping it off for a couple of weeks or months, so he must blow some steam off the first time after brumation.

During the entire brumation period, which can be three months, for instance, your Rankin Dragon has not been feeding. So, checking on him, you may notice him wandering around after coming out from where he’s been hiding for months and beginning crawling in his aquarium in search of food.

Also, you might come into contact with his wide eyes, which will be staring at you. Either way, whether it’s your first time petting a Ranking Dragon or you’ve never seen one breaking from brumation, you’ll probably be able to tell the difference between your mini dragon actually waking up vs. wandering out to sip in some water.

Keep in mind that your Rankin Dragon may take a number of days before it gets back to its old routine. Besides, he may have been into brumation for more than two months, and that is a long time that requires some time to adjust. Pretty soon, your pygmy bearded dragon will resume back to his old routine.

To facilitate your pet dragon with a progressive change into his old habits, steadily adjust his lighting to what he’s been used to, and ensure that you gradually offer his preferred regular meals and be patient. Then, wait as your pet wakes up, and he’ll just be fine.

Well, it’s okay to feel worrisome, especially if it is your first time to keep a Rankin Dragon. But remember, a couple of weeks in an inactive state that your dragon has been into would require a lot of patience while he adapts.

However, should you notice anything abnormal or feel alarmed, it is always advisable to reach out to your reptile vet.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

At What Age Do Rankin’s Dragons Brumate?

Typically, these dragons will start brumation at any time past 9 months. Babies rarely brumate during the rapid phase of growth, and they shouldn’t. They need to eat and complete the developmental process. What’s the need for them to power down their metabolism during the phase?

In captivity, brumation does not follow the seasonal cues of the wild and can happen at any time of the year. It’s worth noting that there’s less to do with the conditions of the enclosure and more to do with instinct and hardwired behavior.

How Do You Know Brumation is Ending?

When your Rankin Dragon wakes up, it’s obvious that brumation has ended. You can even see her eyes staring back at you, and she can crawl around in the terrarium in search of food. Either way, it’s easy to tell.

Once your dragon wakes up, here’s what you need to do:

• Increase the heating and lighting back to normal but do this gradually
• Offer foods increase gradually over the next few days. You may want to avoid insects at first and go with the greens until their appetite is back.
• Offer fresh water to hydrate the dragon

How Do You Wake Up A Rankin Dragon From Brumation?

There’s no reason why you should wake your brumating Rankin Dragon. It’s recommended that you allow them to do it naturally. Some owners try to increase the temperature to wake them up, but this is not advised.

Once they have entered into brumation, there’s not a lot you can do but leave them alone. Turn off the heating and lighting and provide a dark secure hide.

Keep in mind that waking your lizard repeatedly in an attempt to stop brumation may actually cause them to brumate longer.

However, they may fall sick or be under 9 months old, or are underweight, so you want to stop the process from happening.

Follow these steps to wake a brumating Rankin Dragon:

• Set summer heating and lighting cycle for about 14 hours
• Hydrate the Rankin Dragon by dropping a few drops of water on their nose or via misting
• Provide vegetation for food

Keep in mind that sometimes this does not work, and some may go back to brumation even after days of waking up. This is less likely to occur with ideal temperature and lighting.

Conclusion

Now that you know more about Rankin dragon brumation, we hope you are not scared about your brumating Rankin Dragon. It’s a completely normal process that almost all dragons will go through at some point in their lives.

During the few weeks or months, all you can do is keep the process healthy by lowering the heat and light, offering water and a hide. If you have any questions not covered herein, we are more than happy to help!