bearded dragon seems to be hibernating

Question
okay i have a male bearded dragon that i have had since he was a hatchling.i have had him in a 40 breeder with max.time out of his tank. he has a harness and i take him out frequently due to limited space. i recently was given an iquana wire cage that stands about 4feet tall and is about 2 1/2 - 3 feet wide. i have allowed for extra heating and lights. he is an extremly hearty eater and i have had no health prob. it is currently going into winter and the temps have been dropping outside. we keep the house at about 72 degrees all the time i have made previsions to make sure that it doesnt get to cold in my room. he seems to be in some sort of dormant stage. he has buried himself in the substrate and sleeps all the time. he only eats if i put his food in front of him and he will only eat insects. hes not eating his veggies. i did but a supplement meal for him and he will eat a few pieces of that every once in awhile but that is about it. i know its unusual to have a beardie in a wire cage but i thought i would try it.he seemed to enjoy it until the temps outside started to get cooler. he was very active. i also want to use it for the summer so he can actually bask outside. do you think this is a bad idea and do you think that i have caused him to be sick or is he just kindof hibernating. if that is the case what do i need to do as far as getting him to eat and to come out of it and when. i appreciate your time.dojo says "hi"and "please school my mom"

Answer
Hi Codi, If your bearded is around a year old at this point then his behaviours do sound quite consistent with brumation.  I've included an excellent link where bearded owners note the variety of behaviours they have encountered during brumation. Reading through them will likely set your mind at ease. It seems to be triggered by a combination of shorter daylight hours, lower temperatures and barometric pressure changes. The timing of  this change also suggests brumation.
I think wire cages can work very well for beardeds and access to unfiltered sunshine will be very beneficial, just be very carefull of fireflies which are highly toxic to beardeds.
The drawback of wire, of course, is that the heat does dissipate so you do tend to need a little extra heating to maintain  suitable temperatures in them but it sounds like you have that covered.

It also sounds like you are doing an excellent job of caring for Dojo and he is in good hands.

http://www.biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/ktosney/file/BDbrumate.html