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 10.5 h; T5 UVB 8 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 2directly 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 taper
Cold arid volcanic outcrops - Ojo de Agua, Rio Negro, Argentina
15-18 CDay ambient
6-9 CNight
37-39 CBasking
2T5 UVI*
10.5 hPhotoperiod
8 h 30 mT5 UVB duration
Minimal local sprayMoisture
1-2Food offers*
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day ambient | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | Moisture | Food offers* | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8-12 C | 2-5 C | Off | Off | 8 h | Off (0 h) | Water check; no spray | None | Dormant; monitor mass |
| February | 10-14 C | 3-6 C | Off; 36-38 C late | Off / 1 | 9 h | Off during rest; 7 h when active | Water check; no spray | None / restart late | Staged warm-up late |
| March | 14-18 C | 5-8 C | 38-40 C | 2-3 | 10 h | 8 h | Light spray every 10-14 d | 1-2 | Warm-up; courtship may begin |
| April | 18-21 C | 7-10 C | 40-42 C | 3-4 | 11.5 h | 9 h 30 m | Light spray every 10-14 d | 3-4 | Primary mating observation |
| May | 20-23 C | 8-12 C | 41-43 C | 3-4 | 13 h | 11 h | Occasional local spray | 4-5 | Early gravidity watch |
| June | 21-24 C | 10-13 C | 41-43 C | 3-4 | 14 h | 12 h | Occasional local spray | 4-5 | Gravidity watch |
| July | 22-25 C | 11-14 C | 41-43 C | 3-4 | 14.5 h | 12 h 30 m | Occasional local spray | 4-5 | Late gestation watch |
| August | 21-24 C | 10-13 C | 40-42 C | 3-4 | 13.5 h | 11 h 30 m | Light spray every 10-14 d | 4-5 | Births may begin |
| September | 18-22 C | 8-12 C | 39-41 C | 2-3 | 12 h | 10 h | Light spray every 10-14 d | 3-4 | Main birth / recovery window |
| October | 15-18 C | 6-9 C | 37-39 C | 2 | 10.5 h | 8 h 30 m | Minimal local spray | 1-2 | Autumn taper |
| November | 10-14 C | 4-7 C | Off late | Off / 1 | 9 h | 7 h when active; then Off | Water check; no spray | Stop after gut clears | Cooling down |
| December | 8-12 C | 2-5 C | Off | Off | 8 h | Off (0 h) | Water check; no spray | None | Inactive / 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.
Identity and taxonomy
Phymaturus excelsus was described from volcanic outcrops 1 km northwest of Ojo de Agua at 1141 m. Integrative genetic, morphological and breeding research later synonymized it, P. agilis and P. spectabilis under P. spurcus; the familiar excelsus name is retained here for keeper continuity.
Habitat and climate
The Ojo de Agua population occupies moderately steep, rock-dominated volcanic outcrops in open Patagonian shrub-grass steppe. Nearby Ingeniero Jacobacci is dry, windy and strongly seasonal, with typical monthly mean highs/lows from about 25/9 C in January to 7/-2 C in July. Crevices buffer those air extremes.
Thermal management
No Ojo de Agua-specific preferred-temperature experiment was located. Related P. spectabilis modelling used a 20 C activity threshold and 33.7 C mean preferred body temperature, with the latter cited as unpublished. Use 39-43 C only as a local basking-surface starting point with cool air and immediate crevice access.
Diet and structure
The form is described as herbivorous and genus-level work documents flowers and fruits. Feed varied fibrous greens, safe weeds, browse and flowers; fruit remains a small supplement. Provide stable volcanic-style rockwork with many narrow, shaded body-contact crevices.
Breeding evidence
At Ojo de Agua, two females with the spurcus phenotype produced respectively two and one live young of the excelsus morph from late February to mid-March. This becomes late August to mid-September after the six-month shift, but the full form-specific reproductive sequence remains incompletely known.
Evidence limits
UVI 3-4, enclosure dimensions, food frequency, basking-surface settings and the wider breeding schedule are conservative facility starting points. Confirm them through measured gradients, individual behaviour, body condition and veterinary imaging rather than treating them as experimentally established species requirements.
Keeper warning
Cool only healthy, conditioned adults after feeding has stopped and the gut is clear. Keep fresh water available, record starting mass, make planned checks, reweigh every 2-4 weeks, and reverse cooling for weight loss, dehydration, respiratory signs or persistent activity without digestion.