Strange change in waking hours....

PredatoryLizard · #1 (**permalink**) 12-11-2004, 09:12 PM

My tegu is about a year old. He hasn't hibernated this year and is still an eating machine. But he has changed his waking hours gradually over the last 2 months from waking at 4pm to waking as late as 11pm now!! Recently I have been waking him as soon as I get home for maybe 3 days in a row, then seeing the 4th day if he wakes earlier on his own. He continues to rise at a later and later hour. I leave food for him and leave the lights on He's in excellent health. But I don't get to see him as much unless I go through the trouble (for me and him) of waking him, or unless I am up late that night. His old schedule was perfect, he woke about an hour or two before I got home, then went to bed right before I did. Anyway, has anybody heard of this before? Does anybody have any idea what to do about it? Thanks for any advice!

NicoleRussell · #2 (**permalink**) 12-12-2004, 12:32 PM

If you leave the lights on that late he will tend to get his days and nights mixed up...my male went through that a while back and I stuck to the sunrise/set times in NYC and put out his favorite food for a while in the early afternoon.
Their lights go on and off with all the others in the herp room now. Just like it would be outdoors anywhere else in the world---the light and heat will only last so long before it goes off.
Try waking him the same time each day for a week(I say this because you have been keeping lights on later already)...putting a favorite treat out for incentive...then leaving the situation alone for another week (in other words keep putting out a treat but do not wake him the following week). See what happens after that.
he might have been slipping into a brumatory state and the light cycle has been throwing him off too.
What part of he country are you in?

PredatoryLizard · #3 (**permalink**) 12-12-2004, 03:36 PM

I am in Louisville KY, and it is finally starting to get really cold. I thought that he was maybe brumating, but he wakes up everyday, eats everyday, and poops everyday, so it makes me think he is just getting confused. I tried turning the lights off when the sun goes down, but after him not coming out after a few days, I cut the lights back on because I don't want him to get stomach rot. It's not a life or death thing, he is doing just fine. Will they still wake each day during brumation? Its just I don't get to see him!! Thanks for the info and any more is appreciated!!

NicoleRussell · #4 (**permalink**) 12-13-2004, 12:55 PM

Mine would wake sometimes for short spurts and then at times not wake for days in NYC. They never slipped fully into brumation because the cage was kept warm and the ambient temps never really got cold---but the biological clocks are amazing on these animals and changes in environment--no matter how slight affect them.
Nico was brumating when I shipped him to me. He slept for weeks and weeks after--no matter how warm I made it---no matter what food I put out. I woke him a couple of times to see if he was alive and he was NOT happy about it. It was then I bought Rocco---his female counterpart. I made sure she was FULLY awake when I shipped her and it was totally different. He eventually woke up but it took an abnormal amount of time.
If your day cycles are changing (everyone's are) and your temps are cooling (ditto) then he's just doing whta comes naturally. Keeping the lights on is not a good idea.
Try and mimic the natural sunrise/set times (I actually run mine a little longer int he am) and he will be fine. Do not cut the light /heat off in an attempt to brumate him---he needs to have the consistancy of it when he wakes and attempts to bask.
The worst that can happen is that you miss him during this time

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