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 10 h; T5 UVB 8 h 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. During brumation, keep UVB off as specified in the annual schedule; the timer rule applies during active care.
UVI beneath the optional T5 tube
Working exposure targetOctober target at normal back height
UVI 3-4directly 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
Autumn
Rocky glades, open scrub and grassland - central and southwestern North America
25 CDay ambient
15 CNight
40 CBasking
7 hLamp
10 hPhotoperiod
8 hT5 UVB duration
UVI 3-4T5 UVI*
35%Day RH
40%Night RH
ModerateFeeding
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day ambient | Night | Basking | Lamp | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | T5 UVI* | Day RH | Night RH | Feeding | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8 C | 6 C | Off | 0 h | 8 h | Off (0 h) | Off | 30% | 35% | None | Brumation |
| February | 8 C | 6 C | Off | 0 h | 8 h | Off (0 h) | Off | 30% | 35% | None | Brumation |
| March | 24 C | 14 C | 38 C | 7 h | 10 h | 8 h | UVI 3 | 35% | 40% | Light | Emergence |
| April | 28 C | 17 C | 42 C | 8 h | 11 h | 9 h | UVI 4 | 35% | 40% | Moderate | Courtship |
| May | 30 C | 19 C | 45 C | 9 h | 12 h | 10 h | UVI 5 | 40% | 45% | High | Mating / gravid colour |
| June | 31 C | 21 C | 47 C | 10 h | 13 h | 11 h | UVI 5-6 | 40% | 45% | High | Egg laying |
| July | 32 C | 22 C | 48 C | 10 h | 13 h | 11 h | UVI 6 | 40% | 45% | High | Incubation period |
| August | 31 C | 21 C | 47 C | 10 h | 13 h | 11 h | UVI 5-6 | 40% | 45% | High | Hatchlings |
| September | 29 C | 19 C | 44 C | 9 h | 12 h | 10 h | UVI 5 | 35% | 40% | Moderate | Late summer |
| October | 25 C | 15 C | 40 C | 7 h | 10 h | 8 h | UVI 3-4 | 35% | 40% | Moderate | Autumn |
| November | 15 C | 9 C | 30 C | 4 h | 9 h | 7 h | UVI 1-2 | 30% | 35% | Light / taper | Pre-brumation taper |
| December | 8 C | 6 C | Off | 0 h | 8 h | Off (0 h) | Off | 30% | 35% | None | Brumation |
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.
Basking and UVB
Target a 40-48 C basking surface from April through September, against a seasonal cool-zone gradient of approximately 25-32 C by day and 20-26 C at night. Provide strong desert UVB with UVI 4-6 at the seasonal basking position.
Feeding
Offer varied insects in the morning: grasshoppers, crickets, roaches, beetles and mealworms or superworms. Reduce feeding one month before cooling, stop completely two weeks before cooling, and allow 7-10 days for the gut to clear before temperatures fall.
Winter brumation
December through February requires a genuinely cold ambient range of approximately 5-12 C, normally in a separate dim, unheated chamber. Brumate only healthy, well-conditioned, non-gravid adults and check them regularly.
Breeding and incubation
Courtship and mating follow spring emergence. Gravid females may develop vivid red-orange flank bars, with eggs following roughly 21-28 days later. Typical clutch size is 1-8 eggs; incubation is approximately 40-65 days depending on temperature.
Enclosure and water
For one adult, use at least 91 x 46 x 46 cm and preferably larger. Provide about 10 cm of sand or a 60/40 topsoil-sand mix, secure flat basking rocks and open running space. Keep shallow fresh water available.
Keeper warning
Males are strongly territorial and animals may be cannibalistic. House singly or keep only one male with multiple females. Never keep multiple adult males together, and separate any animal showing aggression, exclusion or injury.