Many animals, including mammals, reptiles, and insects, enter a state of dormancy during the winter. Mammals go into a deep slumber, commonly known as hibernation.
Sometimes, it’s almost impossible to rouse true hibernators from this slumber. On the other hand, reptiles, including leopard geckos and bearded dragons, undergo brumation instead of hibernation.
Leopard geckos are a top option for novice and seasoned reptile pet owners because they have small adorable bodies. Besides, they are friendly, easy to feed and make housing fairly easy.
However, even though our reptile friends are easy to maintain, there’s still a lot of information you need to learn about these geckos to stay on top of the pet care and maintenance list.
One of the most important things to learn about your gecko pet is brumation. Read on!
What Is Brumation?
Brumation occurs when reptiles such as leopard geckos enter a semi-dormancy over winter. In this period, their metabolism slows down, thus reducing their activity levels. When your pet lizard is on brumation, it does not eat, hides for prolonged periods, and tends to stay in the cooler parts of its tank.
This dormant cycle usually begins with the gecko’s eyelids dropping. Later, the Leo stops moving and appears to be sleeping or lifeless.
During brumation, the leopard gecko has a very low metabolism, using very little energy to survive. So in this period, your pet gets its energy by burning down the fat stored in its tail to release energy.
Although scientists have tried to unravel the mystery behind brumation, there is no specific reason why brumation occurs in a gecko.
Mostly, this phenomenon is an adaptation from ancestral lizard species that occupied underground habitats.
Naturally, subterranean habitats are harsh, with little to no food and cold temperatures. Consequently, the lizards started the brumation cycle to help them survive the freezing temperatures.
Do Leopard Geckos Undergo Brumation?
Yes, leopard geckos undergo brumation whenever the surrounding temperatures drop. They can fall into this inactive state at least once a year during the winter. Brumation occurs naturally in wild geckos, whereas caged leopard geckos can go for a lifetime without entering into brumation.
Nevertheless, you can induce brumation in your pet Leo by cleverly lowering the tank temperatures and lighting to mimic the winter season.
On the one hand, it is normal and healthy for leopard geckos to go into brumation when the surrounding temperatures are exceedingly low. But, on the other hand, brumation is a great survival tactic for wild geckos.
Additionally, leopard geckos enter this semi-hibernation state to conserve energy and survive. During this time, the geckos hide from their predators as well.
Conversely, pet leopard geckos don’t need to undergo brumation to survive since their vivarium offers the right temperatures and conditions to thrive.
On top of that, captive Leos get enough food from their caregivers, ensuring they access sufficient and sustainable nutrition through the frigid winter weather.
Nevertheless, pet leopard geckos sometimes voluntarily go into brumation, albeit rarely. Pet owners may also induce brumation in their geckos for personal reasons, such as instituting breeding.
10 Signs of Brumation in Leopard Geckos
A sickly leopard gecko pet can freak out even the most experienced reptile pet owners. Thus, it’s crucial to understand the signs of brumation in Leos as they sometimes closely resemble some illnesses and other health conditions such as stress.
When your pet enters brumation, its appetite slumps, so it might stop eating and become dull or less active for a couple of weeks. On top of that, the gecko may gain or lose weight before entering into brumation.
In summary, the following signs are pointers that your leopard gecko is in brumation:
- Decrease in appetite
- Lethargy
- Shedding
- Not eating
- Less active
- Slow to no movements at all
- Prolonged hiding
- Frequent sleeping
- Reduced pooping
- Staying on the cooler side of the cage for prolonged periods
Note that these signs and symptoms may occur for other reasons. Therefore, you should look for more than one sign before concluding your gecko is in brumation.
The Duration of Brumation in Leopard Geckos
There is no straight answer to this question because the length of this semi-hibernation state varies depending on factors like the gecko’s age, weight, and prevailing temperatures. Nevertheless, brumation can last anywhere between one to four months.
Although leopard geckos don’t eat or drink water during brumation, this is not a cause for alarm. Thanks to the fat reservoirs, especially in the tail, your gecko can survive for months in this semi-dormant state.
In early spring, the temperatures increase steadily, making the environment warmer. Since leos are cold-blooded like other reptiles, their body temperature relies on and tracks with the surrounding temperatures. Consequently, the geckos’ metabolism rate rise and they recover from brumation.
Types of Brumation in Leopard Geckos
Generally, a leopard gecko can experience either voluntary Brumation or involuntary brumation. Let’s dive into the intricacies of these two types of dormancy:
Voluntary Brumation
It is the natural way leopard geckos enter into brumation to conserve their energy and survive extremely low temperatures. Voluntary brumation mostly happens in wild leopard geckos. The process helps the wild geckos save energy and survive the harsh winter temperatures.
In this case, the geckos drift into a low metabolism and dormant state and stay put throughout the winter. The geckos become active again only when the temperatures rise. In like manner, pet leopard geckos can also experience voluntary brumation. In this case, you will observe that your reptile friend starts to stay on the cooler side of the tank. Besides, the gecko becomes less active, does not eat, and hides for prolonged periods. These, among other signs, are true indicators that your pet is in brumation.
Involuntary Brumation
On the other hand, the pet owner is the one who induces involuntary brumation in a leopard gecko. You can orchestrate brumation to your leopard gecko by:
- Gradually and steadily decreasing the temperatures in the gecko’s housing to winter-like temperatures
- Reducing lighting (intensity and length) in the gecko’s tank
Pet owners choose to brumate their leopard gecko pets for personal reasons. However, for the most part, this type of brumation enhances the breeding process.
How to Prepare Your Leopard Gecko for Brumation
Before your leopard gecko enters into brumation, it’s essential to do the following:
1. Ensure the gecko is in good health
Before letting your leopard gecko brumate, get it checked by a veterinary. If your gecko is not healthy, it might not survive brumation. Therefore, you should invite a professional vet to check your gecko’s fat reserve, illnesses, or other health aspects.
During brumation, the gecko gets energy for its survival from its stored fat. Since most fat reserves reside in the tail, they should be plump and thick enough with stored fats.
If your pet’s tail is thin, it’s best to feed them with superworms until they gain enough fat to survive brumation.
Additionally, if your pet has parasites, treating them to full recovery before brumation is better.
Lack of proper treatment and recovery may lead to the death of your pet as the parasites will sap the gecko’s much-needed energy, denying it essential nutrition and leaving it vulnerable to premature death, especially in extremely low temperatures.
Furthermore, your pet Leo should be healthy before you allow it to brumate. Since the goal is to have a fat tail and sustainable weight, you can achieve this by feeding it with gut-loaded insects.
2. Gradually and steadily reduce the gecko’s food consumption.
Ensure that you stop feeding your leopard gecko for about a week to two before you induce brumation. Keep in mind that a low metabolism characterizes brumation.
During brumation, a leopard gecko’s body lacks sufficient energy and the ideal temperature for effective food digestion and other physical activities.
Accordingly, food still working through the gecko’s digestive tract during brumation stays intact. So, the food begins to rot with time. If you’re lucky, the gecko will vomit the undigested food and remedy the situation.
On the downside, the rotten substances may stay in the stomach and accumulate bacteria, causing impaction, constipation, inflammation, and other gut complications.
These health problems will eventually damage your pet’s gut and prematurely send your precious reptile buddy to the grave.
Therefore, it would help if you ensured that your gecko digests all the food before entering into brumation. Further, you should only give it water a few days before brumation.
How to Initiate Brumation and Care For Your Leopard Gecko During This Period?
Once you are sure that your pet is in good health and has completely emptied its gut, you can proceed to initiate brumation. Here’s how to go about it:
- Start by slowly altering your gecko’s housing’s temperature and lighting conditions. It would help if you reduced the daytime temperature to between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, the tank’s night temperature should not exceed 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21° C). On top of that, you can opt to cease providing any lights during the brumation period or adapt to offering a short light cycle to mimic the shorter daylight period of the winter.
- Quit offering your pet any food during the brumation period. Even so, providing some drinking water for your pet at all times is vital.
How to Care for a Leopard Gecko after Brumation?
Although the brumation period varies from one leopard gecko to another, it usually lasts one to three months. After this, you have to reverse the process by restoring normal tank temperatures and the regular photoperiod.
Although some breeders prefer doing this gradually while others perform the procedures simultaneously, the choice solely depends on personal preference.
Pet leopard geckos can take a couple of weeks to recover from brumation. Nonetheless, its appetite should kick in once it fully recovers, so it’s best to provide adequate water and food after brumation.
Typically, brumation will deplete the gecko’s fat reservoirs. As such, you should add fatty insects to your pet’s diet. Nevertheless, be cautious about feeding it to make it manageable.
Above all, keep your eye open for any disturbing behavior after brumation. You want to ensure that your leopard gecko is eating well and it is healthy.
If the gecko does not eat well or recover in a couple of weeks, it’s best to take it to a reliable reptile pet vet.
Once your reptile friend recovers fully, eats well, and is generally healthy, it’s time to begin the breeding cycle.
Does My Leopard Gecko Need Brumation?
Most reptile pets, including leopard geckos, remain healthy and active throughout their lives without the need for brumation.
They don’t need to enter a state of dormancy as long as their enclosure stays at relatively warm temperatures and other ideal conditions such as lighting.
For the most part, brumation is usually optional in pet leopard geckos. However, brumation is crucial to help wild Leos survive the harsh winter conditions.
Then again, breeders induce involuntary brumation in leopard geckos to aid the breeding process. Nevertheless, most Leo breeders successfully multiply their geckos without brumation.
Still, some captive leopard geckos go into brumation voluntarily. In such cases, your pet lizard will start to refuse food, sleep a lot, and generally act lazy, among other signs of brumation.
Pro Tips for Effective Leopard Gecko Brumation
There are many tips and tricks that you can use to ensure that your leopard gecko undergoes brumation successfully, including:
- The pet gecko should be at least one year old before brumation.
- Ensure that your gecko is healthy by involving your vet before inducing brumation
- If the pet lizard has any illness or parasites one month before brumation, it’s advisable to delay or forego the process until the pet recovers fully.
- The gecko’s tail should be plump since that’s where it stores its fat.
- Refrain from feeding your leopard gecko a couple of days before brumation to clear its gut
- Set up a dedicated area for the process, preferably hidden and dark hiding places
- Visit your vet and put an emergency plan in place before initiating brumation.
- Provide your gecko with a shallow dish of drinking water throughout the brumation period
- After brumation, feed the gecko water for a couple of days before offering food.
Instances Where You Shouldn’t Induce Brumation in a Pet Leopard Gecko
Generally, brumation can be hazardous if not done correctly. Thus, there are instances when you should not induce brumation in your leopard gecko, including:
When Your Gecko Is Sick
A sick pet needs to feed regularly to generate enough body energy to fight the illness and get better.
Brumating a sick leopard gecko will deprive it the much-needed energy. As a result, it becomes weaker and vulnerable to death even by the mildest of illnesses.
When Your Gecko Is Underage
It would be best if you never induced brumation in a leopard gecko below one-year-old. Naturally, wild geckos begin to brumate after they are over a year old since baby geckos need regular feeding to grow.
Therefore, inducing brumation in an underage leopard gecko will deprive it the much-needed food and negatively impact its growth and health.
Final Verdict
Brumation is a normal behavior in most reptiles, especially those living in the wild, and leopard geckos are no exception. It helps the animals to conserve lots of body energy and limited food resources, thus surviving the harsh winter conditions.
So, leopard geckos undergo brumation, particularly wild Leos. On the other hand, pet reptile geckos don’t require brumation to survive or thrive.
They can stay healthy and active throughout the year as their vivarium provides the ideal temperature, lighting, hiding, and feeding conditions.
Nonetheless, caged leopard geckos sometimes undergo brumation, so it’s best to provide the pet with the necessary requirements to successfully see it through the brumation process.
