With the onset of autumn, many eublephar owners think about hibernation for their pets. In nature, these lizards slow down their life processes for the winter, and some want to repeat this cycle at home, considering it beneficial for the gecko's health. But is this necessary in captivity?
Artificial hibernation is a serious and responsible undertaking. It is not mandatory for domestic keeping. If you are a beginner or your eublephar has health problems, it is better not to take any risks and continue with normal care all year round.
If you are an experienced owner and have decided to help your pet survive its biologically determined period of rest, you need to do so correctly. The main thing is to create conditions gradually and safely so as not to harm the lizard. Let's figure out how to prepare your eublephar for hibernation and get through it without stress.
Eublepharids are domestic lizards that hibernate in nature during the winter, and with proper care, they can also hibernate at home. The main thing is not to confuse this with negligence: hibernation requires preparation. Over a couple of weeks, you need to gradually reduce light and feeding so that the animal's metabolism slows down. The temperature in the terrarium is gradually reduced to +18–20°C, and then to +15°C. It is important that the animal is healthy, with a reserve of fat and no parasites. During hibernation, it is left almost untouched, checked once a week, and the substrate is slightly moistened. Awakening is just as gentle, with a gradual return of heat and light. Done correctly, your eublephar will wake up alert and ready for the new season.
When hibernation is necessary
In fact, artificial hibernation is only necessary for eublepharids in two cases.
Breeding. In natural conditions, there is a constant cycle: after the cold season, warm months follow, which are ideal for the proper development of offspring. Accordingly, after hibernation, the instinct to reproduce “wakes up,” because it is relevant at this time, when timely mating ensures that the offspring will have time to grow before the next cold spell.
At home, hibernation is necessary for eublepharids to stimulate this vital instinct. After emerging from hibernation, the reptiles will be ready to mate within a short period of time.
A necessary measure. Sometimes the owner of an eublephar simply does not have the opportunity to regularly feed and care for their pet for a long period of time. In this case, hibernation is the best way to preserve both the health of the pet and your own nerves. A peculiar “suspended animation” in the gecko allows it to painlessly survive several weeks and even months without your involvement.
But sometimes your pet may make the decision for you and “demand” hibernation on its own. If the eublephar was active and healthy, but with the onset of the cold season began to spend more and more time in a cool area and lost interest in food, this is exactly the case. This means that the eublephar has simply obeyed the natural call of nature, which urges it to settle down for wintering.
Preparing for hibernation
This stage is very important to ensure that wintering does not affect your pet's health. The basic rules are as follows:
You need to start preparing for wintering with dense feeding. After that, you should give the eublephar a little time for the digestion process to complete and stop completely. You will know this has happened when the reptile's intestines are completely empty. Make sure that the gecko has completely relieved itself before moving on to the next step.- — Sexual pores, which are found in many insects. It can be extremely difficult for the small male to maneuver and begin the process.
Fertilization is not always successful. In some cases, none of the laid eggs hatch. Incidentally, they are usually sticky by nature. Interesting facts about the insect
— Ekaterina Alekseeva I got acquainted with the world of terrarium keeping as a child.
The genus was identified in 1921, but it is still poorly studied.
- they manage to lay eggs (up to 200). They do this on the surface of wood or on damp fallen leaves. At this point, the insect's mission is complete — within two weeks, the female also leaves this world. Females live longer
- males hardly react to light traps. Because of this, seeing males is a very difficult task for insect hunters. In America, the insect has been declared “endangered” and is prohibited (except by authorized persons) from sale, import, and purchase.
- during an expedition to Asia in the 1990s, zoologist Erik Möberg offered local residents a reward for male trilobites. Only then was he able to obtain several insects for study. Net-winged Beetle
Mating in beetles is a long process. There is information circulating on the Internet that researcher Alvin Wong was able to record a mating process in the wild that lasted 5 hours. Usually, shortly after such a long “romantic encounter,” the male dies. Death occurs within 3-4 hours.
If you decide to move your pet to a hibernation chamber, in addition to a humid chamber, water dispenser, and napkins, be sure to provide ventilation. A holding tank can be a regular food container with a secure lid. Its volume should be at least 8-10 liters (this is optimal for placing a humid chamber and a drinking bowl in it).
The terrarium or container should be placed away from household heating appliances and under no circumstances in a draft.
How hibernation works
Unlike many other reptiles that actually hibernate, hibernation in eublepharids is slightly different. The gecko simply reduces its activity to zero, with rare trips out of the humid chamber to drink water, but no deep sleep is observed.
You can regulate the duration of hibernation yourself. The optimal period is 1 month. This is enough to stimulate the reptile's reproductive instinct. But if the purpose of hibernation is simply to reduce the pet's activity during your absence, then this period can vary from 3 weeks to 3 months.
It is important to understand that 1-2 weeks of “starvation” and staying in a cool terrarium during hibernation are not considered hibernation, as they do not have any stimulating effect. The reptile's body perceives this regime as normal malnutrition or fasting days. Therefore, do not expect your pet to be sexually active after such a short-term “diet.”
Coming out of hibernation
At the end of hibernation, gradually and smoothly increase the temperature in the terrarium. Within a week, it should be brought to normal. Also, starting from the first day of coming out of hibernation, it is necessary to gradually increase the length of daylight hours by turning on the lighting elements for longer and longer periods of time.
Eublepharid behavior can vary greatly. Some animals remain calm or even apathetic for several days, not responding very actively to food. Others, from the very first day, show all the signs of a ravenous appetite: they pounce on food and even react to your tapping on the wall of the terrarium or container, mistaking it for the movements of live prey.
But regardless of how your pet behaves, proceed gradually. Gradually increase the temperature, the length of daylight hours, and the amount of food, and your eublephar will return to its normal routine within a week.
So, hibernation for eublephar is not mandatory, but it is a useful procedure. It helps to mimic natural cycles in nature, which can have a positive effect on the health and activity of your pet in the long term.
The main thing is to remember that this is a gradual and careful process. No rush. All changes in temperature, daylight hours, and feeding are introduced and canceled smoothly, over several weeks. Sudden changes are the most stressful for the lizard.
If you are a beginner or your eublephar is young, weak, or underweight, it is better to refrain from hibernation. A nutritious diet and stable conditions are more important for it right now. Always pay attention to the condition of your lizard — it is the best indicator of what is good for it.
In any case, the “do no harm” approach works perfectly here. A properly conducted rest period can be a kind of reboot for your pet, after which it will feel even better.
