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
Autumn transition
Open forest, woodland and low shrubland - Brigalow Belt and Mulga Lands, Queensland
24-27 CDay ambient
15-18 CNight
36-39 CBasking
2-3T5 UVI*
11 h 30 mPhotoperiod
9 h 30 mT5 UVB duration
1 light local spray every 10-14 days; water alwaysSpray / water
3-4 feeds weeklyFeeding
Spray / water: rates are provisional captive working targets for the Yakka skink, not experimentally established requirements. Fresh drinking water is available all year. Spray locally, preserve dry refuges and let wetted surfaces dry.
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day ambient | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | Spray / water | Feeding | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16-19 C | 10-13 C | 28-32 C | 1 | 9 h 30 m | 7 h 30 m | 1 light local spray every 14 days; water always | 1 light feed if active | Cool maintenance - healthy adults |
| February | 18-21 C | 11-14 C | 30-34 C | 1-2 | 10 h | 8 h | 1 light local spray every 10-14 days; water always | 1-2 small feeds | Staged warm-up |
| March | 22-25 C | 13-16 C | 34-37 C | 2-3 | 11 h | 9 h | 1 light local spray/week; water always | 3 feeds weekly | Emergence / courtship watch |
| April | 25-28 C | 15-18 C | 36-40 C | 3-4 | 12 h | 10 h | 1 light local spray/week; water always | 4-5 feeds weekly | Likely mating window |
| May | 27-30 C | 17-20 C | 38-42 C | 3-5 | 13 h | 11 h | 1-2 light local sprays/week; water always | 5-6 feeds weekly | Mating / early gestation |
| June | 28-31 C | 19-21 C | 40-43 C | 4-5 | 14 h | 12 h | 1-2 light local sprays/week; water always | 5-6 feeds weekly | Gestation |
| July | 29-32 C | 20-22 C | 40-44 C | 4-5 | 14 h | 12 h | 1-2 light local sprays/week; water always | 5-6 feeds weekly | Births may begin |
| August | 29-32 C | 20-22 C | 40-44 C | 4-5 | 13 h 30 m | 11 h 30 m | 1-2 light local sprays/week; water always | 5-6 feeds weekly | Peak births / recovery |
| September | 27-30 C | 18-20 C | 38-42 C | 3-4 | 12 h 30 m | 10 h 30 m | 1 light local spray/week; water always | 4-5 feeds weekly | Late births / recovery |
| October | 24-27 C | 15-18 C | 36-39 C | 2-3 | 11 h 30 m | 9 h 30 m | 1 light local spray every 10-14 days; water always | 3-4 feeds weekly | Autumn transition |
| November | 20-23 C | 12-15 C | 32-36 C | 1-2 | 10 h 30 m | 8 h 30 m | 1 light local spray every 14 days; water always | 2 feeds weekly | Taper heat and feeding |
| December | 16-19 C | 10-13 C | 28-32 C | 1 | 9 h 30 m | 7 h 30 m | 1 light local spray every 14 days; water always | 1 light feed if active | Cool maintenance - monitor weekly |
Additional original settings
Preserved humidity and lamp-duration values. Use the main table’s T5 UVB duration for UVB timing.
- January
- Heat / UV: 4 h
- February
- Heat / UV: 5 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: 5 h
- December
- Heat / UV: 4 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 multiple burrow hubs, basking sites and feeding stations. Field aggregations do not prove that unrelated captive adults are compatible.
Burrows and substrate
Provide 20-30 cm of compactable soil-sand-clay substrate with accessible burrow chambers beneath anchored logs, stumps, slabs or artificial covers. Every heavy object must rest on the enclosure floor or an independent support so excavation cannot cause collapse.
Basking and UVB
During full activity provide a broad 38-44 C surface, warm-side air around 27-32 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
Adults are omnivorous with increasing use of plant material as they age. Use varied leafy greens, safe weeds, flowers and seasonal vegetables as the regular adult base, with gut-loaded invertebrates once or twice weekly; juveniles can receive smaller invertebrate feeds more often. Keep exposed surfaces mostly dry while maintaining a slightly humid deep refuge.
Breeding and longevity
Species-specific field work found January-February births, mean litter size 2.4, mean neonatal SVL 84.5 mm, maturity at least five years and life expectancy over 12 years. Shifted six months, births are expected mainly in July-August. The March-May mating window remains a working hypothesis.
Keeper warning
Monitor each animal's mass and access to heat, food and burrows. Separate for persistent chasing, burrow exclusion, bite wounds, suppressed basking, reduced feeding or declining mass. Use only legally sourced animals and comply with all transfer and conservation requirements.
Drinking water
Keep clean shallow drinking water available year-round. Wash and refill the dish daily and whenever soiled. Lower cool-season spray frequency does not mean restricting drinking water.
Burrow moisture and local spraying
Retain predominantly dry exposed surfaces and a sheltered slightly damp refuge option within the existing burrow setup. Spray a limited cool-side surface or accessible refuge entrance, not directly down an occupied burrow. Inspect accessible refuge moisture weekly; add a little local moisture if it has dried excessively, while retaining dry alternatives. Avoid soaked deep substrate, standing water, mould or burrow collapse. Let sprayed surfaces dry between applications and reduce frequency if drying is slow.
Seasonal evidence and limits
Queensland field guidance documents burrow colonies in the Brigalow Belt and Mulga Lands, with increased activity in the first sunny days after rain. Roma Airport is used as one regional summer-rain climate proxy, shifted six months for the existing Netherlands schedule; it does not represent the full species range or humidity inside occupied burrows. The weekly and fortnightly rates are provisional captive starting targets, not experimentally established Yakka-skink water requirements. Adapt to provenance, drying, drinking, shedding and body condition.
Cool maintenance and dormancy
The existing rugosa schedule retains limited basking and low feeding during cool maintenance, rather than prescribing deep brumation. Preserve those settings. If a separate full-dormancy protocol is used, UVB must be OFF during actual dormancy; replace scheduled spraying with careful refuge-moisture checks and keep animals out of cold saturated refuges.