Is my Dragon OK

Question
I have 2 bearded Dragons. One is approx 10 mths old and the other is approx 4mths old. They live in separate tanks. My  question is Do bearded dragons hibernate and if so for how long? The older one has been asleep now since mid April. It has not touched it's water or any food that we have put in there. We have pulled him out a few times to make sure he is Ok  and he seems to be. The younger one is still very active. Also should we keep the UV light on. He is sleeping in a corner away from the heat resources that we have in the tank. I am from central Australia and it is winter here, If that helps!

Answer
Hi Natalie, As I was reading your question I was thinking (and hoping) that you might be in the Southern hemisphere, I was glad when you confirmed that at the end of the question. Your dragon's behaviour is quite normal for the season and does not sound like illness. It is called brumation and can go on for several months. Up here, beardeds will often start in October or November and not really wake up until late Feb. or March. There are probably some that go even longer. Young dragons like your 4 month old don't usually brumate. You could subdue the lighting and reduce the heat during these few weeks until you start to see signs of waking up. Some literature suggests a weekly soak in tepid water to make sure brumating dragons stay hydrated. I'm inlcuding a couple links on brumation. The first is from the excellent site by biologist Kathryn Tosney. It includes the observations of many other bearded keepers in regards to brumation and the waking up process and can ease your mind a bit that things are normal with your dragon.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/ktosney/file/BDbrumate.html

http://lllreptile.com/info/library/care-and-husbandry-articles/-/reptilian-bruma...