Keeper timer setting
T5 UVB: one hour later on, one hour earlier off
ON: 1 hour after the daylight lights come on.
OFF: 1 hour before the daylight lights go off.
October: daylight 11.7 h; T5 UVB 9 h 42 m per day.
The T5 runs for two hours less than the total photoperiod. Example: daylight 08:00-20:00 means UVB 09:00-19:00. Keep the monthly UVI strength as listed beneath the tube. Existing care values are preserved.
UVI beneath the optional T5 tube
Working exposure targetOctober target at normal back height
UVI 3-5directly under the tube when it is on
The retained range remains a provisional captive working target. No new species-specific result was found that clearly requires a numerical change. Retaining it is not certification of an experimentally established optimum.
Your measuring point
Measure at the animal's normal back height directly beneath the brightest accessible part of the T5 strip, positioned toward the middle/back. The animal can enter and leave this area freely.
Keep a lower-UVI gradient and fully covered refuges near UVI 0. This is the optional exposure area, not the average across the cage.
Use a UV Index meter, such as a Solarmeter 6.5/6.5R. Warm the tube for about 30 minutes; keep reflector, guards and mesh in place. Raise or lower the fixture within its manufacturer's minimum-distance guidance, then recheck the reading and every higher accessible surface.
Evidence level: Provisional retention. These are working recommendations, often inferred; exact species optima and seasonal UV dose usually have not been measured. Log lamp-on time and animal behaviour as well as UVI.
Baines et al. (2016), UV-Tool ยท Muryn, Baines and Dishman (2026), Reptile Lighting Guide V10
October management
Selected automatically using the Netherlands date
Late nesting possible / female recovery
Central Fiji; arboreal humid forest and forest-edge habitats
27-30 CDay air
22-24 CNight
35-39 CBasking
3-5T5 UVI*
11.7 hPhotoperiod
9 h 42 mT5 UVB duration
70-83 / 82-92%RH day / night*
Wet season easing; daily drinking dropletsRain / mist
7Food days/week
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day air | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | RH day / night* | Rain / mist | Food days/week | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26-28 C | 20-22 C | 34-38 C | 3-5 | 11.0 h | 9 h | 66-79 / 78-89% | Dry-season phase; keep humid refuges and leaf water | 6-7 | Maintenance; captive laying can occur out of season |
| February | 26-28 C | 20-22 C | 34-38 C | 3-5 | 11.3 h | 9 h 18 m | 66-80 / 78-90% | Relatively dry; good ventilation and regular misting | 6-7 | Conditioning; rebuild reserves |
| March | 27-29 C | 21-23 C | 35-38 C | 3-5 | 11.7 h | 9 h 42 m | 68-81 / 80-91% | Rain begins increasing gradually | 7 | Reproductive conditioning; increase browse variety |
| April | 27-30 C | 22-24 C | 35-39 C | 3-5 | 12.1 h | 10 h 6 m | 70-83 / 82-92% | Warm/wet transition; daily rain/mist | 7 | Pre-breeding; monitor male display and female mass |
| May | 28-30 C | 23-24 C | 36-39 C | 3-5 | 12.5 h | 10 h 30 m | 72-85 / 84-94% | Wet season begins; frequent showers | 7 | Courtship commonly expected; close pair supervision |
| June | 28-31 C | 23-25 C | 36-40 C | 3-5 | 12.8 h | 10 h 48 m | 73-86 / 85-95% | Warm/wet; frequent rain with drying intervals | 7 | Courtship/mating; nest area prepared early |
| July | 28-31 C | 23-25 C | 36-40 C | 3-5 | 12.7 h | 10 h 42 m | 72-85 / 84-94% | Warm/wet; frequent showers, strong airflow | 7 | Courtship/mating; abundant browse and hydration |
| August | 28-31 C | 23-25 C | 36-40 C | 3-5 | 12.4 h | 10 h 24 m | 73-86 / 85-94% | Wet season; daily leaf wetting with drying intervals | 7 | Mating / early gravidity; nest zone available |
| September | 28-30 C | 23-24 C | 36-39 C | 3-5 | 12.1 h | 10 h 6 m | 72-85 / 84-93% | Wet; frequent rain pulses, never stagnant | 7 | Gravidity / nesting possible; watch female condition |
| October | 27-30 C | 22-24 C | 35-39 C | 3-5 | 11.7 h | 9 h 42 m | 70-83 / 82-92% | Wet season easing; daily drinking droplets | 7 | Late nesting possible / female recovery |
| November | 27-29 C | 21-23 C | 35-38 C | 3-5 | 11.4 h | 9 h 24 m | 68-81 / 80-90% | Cool/dry transition; mist most evenings | 6-7 | Recovery and maintenance; no brumation |
| December | 26-28 C | 20-22 C | 34-38 C | 3-5 | 11.1 h | 9 h 6 m | 66-79 / 78-89% | Cooler/drier; light daily or alternate-day mist | 6-7 | Cool-season maintenance; maintain body condition |
Keeper notes
Use measured gradients and animal behaviour, not single thermostat readings
T5 UVI measurement
Measure UVI at normal back height directly beneath the brightest accessible part of the optional T5 strip. Place the strip toward the middle/back with free access to and away from it; preserve a gradient into fully covered refuges near UVI 0. These numbers describe the exposure area, not the whole enclosure or a daily average.
UVI review
The retained range remains a provisional captive working target. No new species-specific result was found that clearly requires a numerical change. Retaining it is not certification of an experimentally established optimum.
Northern Hemisphere calendar
Monthly climate and management cues are shifted six months. Cooler/drier Nov-Apr, coolest Dec-Feb; increase warmth and rainfall during Mar-Apr; warm/wet May-Oct. These are keeper dates for the Netherlands, not Fiji wild dates. No brumation.
Taxonomy
B. bulabula is the central Fijian banded iguana. True Lau/Moala banded iguanas are B. fasciatus; Gau Island animals are B. gau.
Incubation evidence
A published clutch laid 5 Jul 2016 produced two fertile eggs that hatched 12 Jan 2017 at constant 27 C - about 191 days.
Moisture caution
The same incubation medium dried substantially, but the authors could not determine whether drying was beneficial or only tolerated. Do not deliberately desiccate eggs.
Clutch
Captive reports commonly describe about 3-6 eggs; the published 2016 clutch contained three eggs, two fertile.
Seasonality
Fiji wild climate: warm/wet Nov-Apr and cooler/drier May-Oct. Northern keeper equivalents: warm/wet May-Oct and cooler/drier Nov-Apr. Retain humid refuges and drinking droplets year-round.
Breeding timing
Species-specific wild timing is poorly resolved. Use the shifted wet-season rise as a cue. A documented captive female laid in July under 12-hour year-round light; that is an actual study date, not a prescribed keeper month.