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 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
Late wet season
Tropical dry forest and thorn scrub - Pacific slope of southern Mexico and western Guatemala
27 CDay ambient
20 CNight
34-38 CBasking
8 hLamp
11 hPhotoperiod
9 hT5 UVB duration
2-3T5 UVI*
55-65%Day RH
60-70%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 | 24 C | 18 C | 29 C | 4 h | 8 h | 6 h | 1 | 40-50% | 45-55% | Very low | Semi-active brumation |
| February | 24 C | 18 C | 29 C | 4 h | 8 h | 6 h | 1 | 40-50% | 45-55% | Very low | Semi-active brumation |
| March | 26 C | 18 C | 32 C | 6 h | 10 h | 8 h | 2 | 45-55% | 50-60% | Low-moderate | Staged emergence |
| April | 28 C | 19 C | 35 C | 8 h | 11 h | 9 h | 3 | 50-60% | 55-65% | High | Conditioning |
| May | 28 C | 20 C | 36-40 C | 9 h | 12 h | 10 h | 3-4 | 60-70% | 65-75% | High | Rain onset / courtship |
| June | 29 C | 21 C | 37-42 C | 10 h | 12 h | 10 h | 3-4 | 60-70% | 65-75% | High | Courtship / mating |
| July | 29 C | 22 C | 37-42 C | 10 h | 12 h | 10 h | 3-4 | 65-75% | 70-80% | High | Mating / gravid females |
| August | 29 C | 22 C | 37-42 C | 10 h | 12 h | 10 h | 3-4 | 65-75% | 70-80% | High | Egg laying |
| September | 28 C | 21 C | 36-40 C | 9 h | 12 h | 10 h | 3 | 60-70% | 65-75% | High | Incubation / recovery |
| October | 27 C | 20 C | 34-38 C | 8 h | 11 h | 9 h | 2-3 | 55-65% | 60-70% | Moderate | Late wet season |
| November | 26 C | 19 C | 32-35 C | 6 h | 10 h | 8 h | 2 | 45-55% | 50-60% | Low | Dry-season taper |
| December | 24 C | 18 C | 29 C | 4 h | 8 h | 6 h | 1 | 40-50% | 45-55% | Very low | Semi-active 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.
Enclosure and substrate
Use 160 x 60 x 50 cm or larger for one adult and substantially more floor space for a pair or group. Provide 10-25 cm of roughly 80% sand and 20% soil, with open basking sightlines, flat stones, sparse grass and shallow-burial areas.
Basking and UVB
During full activity maintain 28-30 C warm-side air and a broad 35-42 C basking surface; a local area approaching 45 C is acceptable only with immediate escape. Target UVI 3-4 at the basking position.
Diet and hydration
Offer varied small prey daily when fully active: termites, suitable ants, small gut-loaded crickets and roaches. Provide a shallow water dish and use light head or body misting to stimulate drinking without keeping the surface waterlogged.
Winter cycle
Use a gradual semi-active winter phase around 24 C by day and 18 C at night, retaining a short daily hotspot near 29 C. Offer only occasional food when animals are visibly active and basking; keep water available and monitor mass.
Breeding and incubation
Courtship and mating are reported mainly May-July. Published clutch data average 16.9 eggs, with 19-20 eggs in the Los Angeles Zoo colony. At 26.5 C eggs hatched in 100-112 days; at 28 C they hatched in 85-92 days.
Keeper warning
This species is CITES Appendix II. Record individual food intake and mass, use only demonstrably safe ant species, remove uneaten ants, minimise restraint and seek reptile-veterinary input for persistent anorexia, weight loss, eye injury or poor condition.