Brumation question?

[LeopardShade]

Is it normal for a gecko to go into a brumation state this late in the winter? Only asking this question because last year, around this time of the year, one of my geckos went into a lethargic state where she was less active and had an extremely decreased appetite. This happened for about a month, then she began eating like a pig once again.

 

[acpart]

Yes, it's normal. Some of my geckos bed themselves down on the cool side for even more than a month. Carrying out an actual brumation is a bit more involved. We ran an article about that this past week at Gecko Time (www.geckotime.com).

Aliza

 

[LeopardShade]

Mine stays on the warm side, is that normal for a brumation?

 

[TokayKeeper]

i would say no. The concept behind brumation is to lower temps to a point where the gecko is just barely metabolizing food stores from its tail and overall body fat reserves, and ultimately allowing its body to form fertile ova or sperm. If the gecko is sitting on the warm side, then that defeats the purpose of brumation.

 

[LeopardShade]

Your absolutely right, sorry I asked that question. Rather odd, though, she did this last year around this time, but it was once again on the warm side. Is it normal, without brumating, for a gecko to have a decreased appetite during the winter months?

 

[TokayKeeper]

given kabul, afghanistan is at 32°F with snow flurries forecast for tonight and tomorrow, I'd venture to say that it's partly instinctual for them to naturally slow in food intake right now. I mention kabul's weather as E. m. afghanicus is native to the Kabul River area and this is within the northern portion of the leopard gecko's range. From a natural history standpoint, leopard geckos occupy a very similar niche like that of their cousins, the banded geckos (Coleonyx) of the American southwest and northern Mexico. Temperatures and weather conditions are very similar here (I live in New Mexico) to that of the leopard gecko's range in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

On a side note, I find it funny everyone thinks it's the natural breeding season right now. Mid to late March is when I use to start finding TX Banded Geckos (Coleonyx brevis) surface active around Alamogordo, NM.

 

[acpart]

I actually don't expect breeding season to be starting now; I consider it to be a "getting the machinery working" period, but I would guess that as the generations of captive bred geckos mount, breeding times will have less to do with behavior in the wild.

Aliza

 

[TokayKeeper]

Breeding is still an innate behavior though. It is we that trigger it by adjusting the cycling. I had a local friend, who posts on here, ask if I had any eggs yet for the breeding season. I laughed and said I haven't even finished cycling yet.