Bearded dragon behavior

Question
Hello, I have a bearded dragon that I have had for about 8 months, and he has acted really normal up too this point, but suddenly there is something different about him. I noticed that he has been sleeping alot more than usual, and he doesnt seem to be pooping as much as he usually does. Is there something wrong with my beardie? Hope to hear from you soon.

Answer
Hi Bailey,

It is quite possible that he is merely entering brumation which is similar to hibernation. They usually start brumating anytime during the fall or winter. Brumating dragons typically sleep most of the time and often in the cool part of the tank. They eat and poop very little or not at all. Because their entire metabolism has slowed down they do not lose an obvious amount of weight. There should not be any signs of illness such as sunken eyes or darkened areas around the eyes during brumation. Brumating dragons should appear quite normal and alert when handled but quickly go back to sleep when put back in their enclosure.

This link has lots of info about brumation and tips on  how to tell if your dragon is actually ill or just brumating. It also has descriptions from other owners of the behaviours they noticed during brumation.

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