Letting your horned frog go dormant

[jasonm96]

Anyone let their horned frog aestivate for a a few months, how did it go? Was considering letting mine since it's a male, go dormant during the winter

[Drayvan]

My old male used to do it every winter no matter what I changed with his set up. He was usually under for 3-4 months, the rest of the year he ate like a pig and was fit and healthy. He lived for 5 years though, was a natural death, nothing wrong with him from what was found. Not sure if he would have lived longer had he not aestivated, but none of my current 3 do it or seem to be going to, so I guess this time in 3-4 years i'll be able to see if there's much difference in their average lifespan. From what i've read it seems to have it's risks so I wouldn't personally do it unless I couldn't persuade them otherwise or if I was going to breed them.

[jasonm96]

Thanks for your reply. That's weird so temps/humidity would be fine but it would still aestivate?

[Drayvan]

Yep, in fact one year I upped his temperature for a couple of weeks and gave him heavy sprays to simulate the season change to see if that changed anything and he still carried on regardless! He was having absolutely none of it until the end of February lol I assume he was going by day/night light cycles from outside and/or air pressure.

[jasonm96]

You're probably right, apparently they can sense those sort of things. I put some light above mine to keep the day and night cycle. I might just do it, most of the year they'd be dormant anyway. He doesn't seem to do much ATM, usually more active at summer

[monster]

My year old female didnt change slow down at all last year as a baby, she stayed up and ate like there was no tomorrow. But this year for the last month and half she really slowed down, she will go under for weeks without an appearance and nothing changed at all heat or humidity wise in the tank. I even tried upping temps and stuff like Drayvan said and nothing. I even did like you and put an extra light on top and still nothing. I got worried and brought her to the vet when she first started thinking something was wrong but she was just reacting to the changes in the air pressure and stuff. If she she goes into full estivation I will let you know in the new year how it went.