Baby Skink Brumating

[xXxBORISxXx]

Hi all!

First-time owner of a nothern blue tongue. His name is Rupert, and he is almost 5 months old. For the past four days, he's been in his hide sleeping, and won't come out when offered food. I suspect he may be going into brumation.
Online I've been reading that this is possibly dangerous for young skinks as they are still growing. Should I intervene with his behavior?
I leave his heat light on 12 hours a day, with a basking spot around 100 degrees F, and a cooler side that's in the high 70s. At night the temperature falls to 70.
Thanks!

[splashy07]

If his size and weight is good it shouldn't be an issue. I've got a few four and a half month olds that are close to adult size already, and I have previously had brumation occur at six months with Easterns. He could be just responding to seasonal change, which sometimes has nothing to do with temperature so far as I have seen with my own. (I currently keep Northerns and Easterns.)

[kingofnobbys]

Are you sure he's in brumation ?

None of my Eastern BTs or beardies (or eastern water skinks when I had them) have ever shown any interest in brumating.

I keep the same photoperiod year round (16 hrs) and keep the temperatures high year round.

At 5 months old he's likely too small and doesn't have the fat reserved to survive a long period of fasting , I'd keep his temps up , and the photo period long (summer like) , and keep on offering fresh water daily , and fresh salad and insects and protein twice daily because he's a juvenile and will need them along with plenty of dietary calcium & UVB to thrive and grow and develop properly.
Keeping him warm enough over the NORTHERN WINTER will likely be challenging and may well involve bumping up the basking globe wattage and adding a ceramic heat emitter for nighttime (to keep the juvenile warm overnight ( about the mid 20s Celsius overnight ).

I regularly see juvenile wild skinks (including wild juvenile and baby eastern BTs) out basking and on the hunt for worms and other food sources when we have some sunny warm days in winter. I think they just hunker down somewhere dry and cozy , but don't actually go into full fledged brumation like wild skinks will for several weeks over winter.

[Fedes87]

with adults? do the brumation? or not?

[kingofnobbys]

with adults? do the brumation? or not?

.... is not necessary when in captivity (pampered pets) and living in a home that is climate controlled/ aircon runs 24h/d in summer / winter.

brumation is only their response to :
>>> no more food ( plants not fruiting/flowering , insects scarce and other food sources disappleared )
>>> short days
>>> colder weather

in the there natural rang , I have seen northerns actively foraging for food and basking year round , in their main natural range there are only two seasons , the wet ( Nov - Apr = very hot monsoon season) and the dry ( hot and dry ).

[Fedes87]

for the coupling? is not it even necessary?

[kingofnobbys]

for the coupling? is not it even necessary?

'
Breeders say inducing brumation helps make females more productive , I'm not a breeder , and so there is no incentive and little evidence I've read that indicates brumation is NECESSARY (for captive reptiles).

[Fedes87]

exactly ... I knew so