Keeper timer setting
T5 UVB: one hour later on, one hour earlier off
During active care — ON: 1 hour after daylight starts.
OFF: 1 hour before daylight ends.
During hibernation / full brumation: T5 UVB OFF (0 hours). In transition months, keep UVB off while dormant and use the active timer only once the animal is warmed and active.
October: daylight 11 h 30 m; T5 UVB 9 h 30 m.
The active T5 duration is the photoperiod minus two hours. Example: daylight 08:00–20:00 means UVB 09:00–19:00. Follow the monthly UVI strength measured beneath the tube and provide access to shade. This timing rule does not introduce hibernation for species whose schedule has only a mild or active winter rest. If an older combined heat / UV column is present, the new T5 UVB duration column governs UVB timing; existing heat settings are preserved.
UVI beneath the optional T5 tube
Working exposure targetOctober target at normal back height
UVI 2-3directly 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 · Muryn, Baines and Dishman (2026), Reptile Lighting Guide V10
October management
Selected automatically using the Netherlands date
Principal birth / recovery period
Coastal heath, jarrah forest, rocky slopes and islands - south-western Western Australia
22-25 CDay ambient
14-17 CNight
36-40 CBasking
2-3T5 UVI*
11 h 30 mPhotoperiod
9 h 30 mT5 UVB duration
1 light local spray/week; water alwaysSpray / water
3-4 feeds weeklyFeeding
Spray / water: rates are provisional captive working targets for the King Skink, not experimentally established requirements. Fresh drinking water is available all year. Spray locally, preserve dry refuges and let wetted surfaces dry.
Annual schedule
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| Month | Day ambient | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | Spray / water | Feeding | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16-19 C | 10-13 C | 30-34 C | 1-2 | 9 h 30 m | 7 h 30 m | 2 light local sprays/week; water always | 1-2 small feeds | Cool wet season; active choice retained |
| February | 17-20 C | 10-13 C | 32-35 C | 1-2 | 10 h | 8 h | 1-2 light local sprays/week; water always | 2 small feeds | Late winter; begin staged increase |
| March | 20-23 C | 12-15 C | 34-37 C | 2-3 | 11 h | 9 h | 1 light local spray/week; water always | 3 feeds weekly | Spring emergence / conditioning |
| April | 23-26 C | 14-17 C | 36-39 C | 3-4 | 12 h | 10 h | 1 light local spray every 10-14 days; water always | 4-5 feeds weekly | Courtship and mating watch |
| May | 25-28 C | 16-18 C | 38-42 C | 3-4 | 13 h | 11 h | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 5-6 feeds weekly | Mating; ovulation expected late |
| June | 26-29 C | 17-20 C | 39-43 C | 3-5 | 14 h | 12 h | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 5-6 feeds weekly | Early gestation |
| July | 27-30 C | 18-21 C | 40-44 C | 4-5 | 14 h | 12 h | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 5-6 feeds weekly | Gestation |
| August | 27-30 C | 18-21 C | 40-44 C | 4-5 | 13 h 30 m | 11 h 30 m | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 5-6 feeds weekly | Gestation |
| September | 25-28 C | 16-19 C | 38-42 C | 3-4 | 12 h 30 m | 10 h 30 m | 1 light local spray every 10-14 days; water always | 4-5 feeds weekly | Late gestation / birth watch |
| October | 22-25 C | 14-17 C | 36-40 C | 2-3 | 11 h 30 m | 9 h 30 m | 1 light local spray/week; water always | 3-4 feeds weekly | Principal birth / recovery period |
| November | 19-22 C | 12-15 C | 34-37 C | 1-2 | 10 h 30 m | 8 h 30 m | 1-2 light local sprays/week; water always | 2-3 feeds weekly | Post-birth recovery; taper |
| December | 16-19 C | 10-13 C | 30-34 C | 1-2 | 9 h 30 m | 7 h 30 m | 2 light local sprays/week; water always | 1-2 small feeds | Cool wet season; monitor condition |
Additional original settings
Preserved humidity and lamp-duration values. Use the main table’s T5 UVB duration for UVB timing.
- January
- Heat / UV: 5 h
- February
- Heat / UV: 5-6 h
- March
- Heat / UV: 7 h
- April
- Heat / UV: 9 h
- May
- Heat / UV: 10 h
- June
- Heat / UV: 11 h
- July
- Heat / UV: 11 h
- August
- Heat / UV: 10-11 h
- September
- Heat / UV: 9 h
- October
- Heat / UV: 7 h
- November
- Heat / UV: 6 h
- December
- Heat / UV: 5 h
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.
Enclosure and social management
Use approximately 180 x 90 x 90 cm or larger for one adult. An established compatible pair or family unit needs at least 240 x 120 x 100 cm, preferably larger, with duplicate basking sites, feeding stations and shelters. One observed wild family does not prove that unrelated adults are compatible.
Shelters and substrate
Provide deep, well-drained soil-sand-leaf-litter substrate and several tight ground-level retreats beneath securely supported logs, cork, stone slabs or artificial caves. Include dense cover and more shelter entrances than animals; never allow digging to undermine heavy structures.
Basking and UVB
During full activity provide a broad 38-44 C surface, warm-side air around 25-30 C and cooler shaded retreats. Target measured UVI 3-5 at the principal basking position with complete shade below UVI 1. These are cautious facility starting points because no species-specific thermal-preference or UV experiment was located.
Diet and moisture
Field animals ate mainly soft plant material, supplemented by insects and seabird eggs. Use leafy greens, safe weeds, flowers, herbs and seasonal vegetables as the adult base, with gut-loaded invertebrates once or twice weekly. Use ventilated seasonal humidity, a lightly moist retreat and fresh water; routine egg or vertebrate feeding is unnecessary.
Breeding
Penguin Island females ovulated in late November and gave birth in mid-late April after 20-22 weeks. Most litters contained 4-6 young, range 2-8, averaging 7 g and 60-80 mm SVL. Shifted six months, late-May ovulation and October birth are the principal Netherlands targets.
Keeper warning
Family groups require individual monitoring. Separate for persistent pursuit, refuge or basking exclusion, bite injuries, suppressed feeding or declining mass. Juveniles rely more heavily on tail autotomy than adults, so never restrain by the tail and minimise handling.
Drinking water
Provide a stable shallow dish of clean drinking water throughout the year, as recommended in the Western Australian King Skink care leaflet. Wash and refill daily and whenever soiled; ensure easy access and exit. Drier summer spraying targets do not mean restricting drinking water.
Sheltered moisture and spraying
Retain a lightly moist sheltered retreat and a well-drained lower substrate option while keeping exposed basking surfaces and alternative refuges dry. A light local spray moistens a limited cool-side surface, leaf litter or refuge entrance; do not drench the whole enclosure or fill an occupied burrow. Check refuge moisture weekly and correct excessive drying independently of the calendar, especially during shedding. Let exposed wetted surfaces dry between applications and reduce sprays if drying is slow.
Seasonal evidence and locality limits
Perth Airport and Albany long-term records show a strong southwestern winter-rain pattern, although the south coast is wetter and less sharply dry in summer. Shifted six months to the Netherlands schedule, moisture pulses increase in November-February and become lighter in May-August. These stations are regional proxies, not the known origin of your animals or measurements of humidity inside their refuges. Weekly and monthly spray rates are provisional captive starting targets, not experimentally demonstrated species-specific requirements. Documented locality, refuge conditions, drinking, shedding and body condition take priority.
Winter active choice
This existing King Skink schedule keeps a short basking opportunity and low feeding during the cool wet season; it does not prescribe compulsory deep brumation. Preserve those settings and the existing active-choice UVB duration. If a separate full-dormancy regime is implemented, UVB is OFF during actual dormancy and scheduled spraying gives way to careful refuge-moisture checks. Avoid cold saturated refuges.