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; T5 UVB 9 h.
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 1-2directly under the tube when it is on
Retain the peak UVI 2-3. The UV-Tool places Australian water dragons in Ferguson Zone 2, supporting a moderate optional exposure patch; do not substitute the guidance for the Chinese water dragon.
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: Published UV-Tool exposure assignment. 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 taper
Riparian forests, creeks, rivers, rocky banks and wooded waterways of eastern Australia from tropical Queensland to temperate Victoria
19-23 CDay ambient
13-16 CNight
32-36 CBasking
1-2T5 UVI*
11 hPhotoperiod
9 hT5 UVB duration
55-70 / 65-80%RH day / night*
Mist 2x/wk; pool alwaysSpray / water
2-3Food*
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day ambient | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | RH day / night* | Spray / water | Food* | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12-15 C | 10-12 C | Off | Off | 8 h 30 m | Off (0 h) | 60-75 / 70-85% | Light mist 1-2x/wk; water always | None | Winter rest |
| February | 14-18 C | 11-14 C | 28-32 C late | Off / 1 late | 9 h 30 m | Off during rest; 7 h 30 m when active | 60-75 / 70-85% | Mist 2x/wk; water always | 0-1 late | Rest; staged wake late |
| March | 20-24 C | 14-17 C | 33-36 C | 2 | 11 h | 9 h | 55-70 / 65-80% | Mist 2-3x/wk; pool always | 3 | Warm-up / courtship |
| April | 22-26 C | 16-19 C | 35-38 C | 2-3 | 12 h 30 m | 10 h 30 m | 50-70 / 65-80% | Mist 3x/wk; moist nest | 4 | Courtship / mating |
| May | 24-28 C | 18-20 C | 36-40 C | 2-3 | 14 h | 12 h | 50-70 / 65-80% | Mist 3-4x/wk; moist nest | 4-5 | Mating / follicles |
| June | 25-29 C | 19-21 C | 36-40 C | 2-3 | 15 h | 13 h | 50-70 / 65-80% | Mist 3-4x/wk; moist nest | 4-5 | Main laying period |
| July | 25-29 C | 19-21 C | 36-40 C | 2-3 | 15 h | 13 h | 50-70 / 65-80% | Mist 3-4x/wk; moist nest | 4-5 | Incubation / possible 2nd clutch |
| August | 24-28 C | 18-20 C | 35-39 C | 2-3 | 14 h | 12 h | 50-70 / 65-80% | Mist 3x/wk; pool always | 4 | Incubation / hatching |
| September | 22-26 C | 16-19 C | 34-38 C | 2-3 | 12 h 30 m | 10 h 30 m | 55-70 / 65-80% | Mist 2-3x/wk; pool always | 3-4 | Recovery / conditioning |
| October | 19-23 C | 13-16 C | 32-36 C | 1-2 | 11 h | 9 h | 55-70 / 65-80% | Mist 2x/wk; pool always | 2-3 | Autumn taper |
| November | 16-20 C | 11-14 C | 30-34 C brief | 1 | 9 h 30 m | 7 h 30 m | 60-75 / 70-85% | Light mist 1-2x/wk | 1 then stop | Gut clearance / cooling |
| December | 12-15 C | 10-12 C | Off | Off | 8 h 30 m | Off (0 h) | 60-75 / 70-85% | Light mist 1-2x/wk; water always | None | Winter rest |
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
Retain the peak UVI 2-3. The UV-Tool places Australian water dragons in Ferguson Zone 2, supporting a moderate optional exposure patch; do not substitute the guidance for the Chinese water dragon.
Habitat and enclosure
Large semi-aquatic riparian dragon. For one adult use about 200 x 100 x 180 cm or larger; serious pair breeding should use about 300 x 150-200 x 200 cm or more. Provide heavy branches, rock platforms, visual barriers and a permanent pool. Never house adult males together.
Swimming water
The pool must allow full submersion, turning and short swimming, with broad easy exits. Adults benefit from roughly 30-45 cm usable depth. Filter strongly, remove faeces immediately and change water regularly. The pool must not be the only escape from heat.
Heat and UVB
Active-season air around 22-29 C with a local 35-40 C basking surface is appropriate. Preferred body temperature is only about 30.1 C, so preserve large cooler zones. Use measured linear UVB; UVI about 2-3 at the main basking site is a conservative operational target.
Seasonal rest
Temperate populations undergo a real winter slowdown/brumation, but the species ranges from tropical Queensland to Victoria. For unknown stock use a conservative 8-10 week adult rest around 10-15 C after gut clearance; the monthly table uses 12-15 C as the default. Juveniles remain warm.
Diet
Omnivorous. Rotate gut-loaded insects and other invertebrates as a major component, including roaches, crickets, locusts, earthworms and occasional snails. Adults can also take leafy vegetation, edible flowers and modest fruit. Avoid routine fatty mammal prey and processed meat.
Breeding and nesting
Females usually lay 1-2 clutches. Australian Museum records give 6-18 eggs; Canberra field nests averaged 8.5 eggs. Provide at least 25-30 cm of warm moist diggable soil/sand; natural nests averaged about 13 cm deep and were often placed in open sunny ground.
Incubation and TSD
Temperature determines both developmental speed and offspring sex. In one experiment, 27 C produced 83% males, 27.5 C 77% males, and 28 C about 1:1; cooler and warmer extremes increasingly produced females. Start around 27.5-28 C for mixed-sex breeding and avoid sustained temperatures near 31 C because survival dropped sharply.