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 h; T5 UVB 8 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
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
Births may continue; taper
Cold semiarid high-Andean rock outcrops - Aconcagua, Mendoza, Argentina
14-18 CDay ambient
6-9 CNight
34-36 C limitedBasking
1-2T5 UVI*
10 hPhotoperiod
8 hT5 UVB duration
Minimal local sprayMoisture
1-2 then stopFood 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 | 7-10 C | 4-8 C | Off | Off | 0-8 h | Off (0 h) | Water check; no spray | None | Deep brumation |
| February | 7-10 C | 4-8 C | Off | Off | 0-8 h | Off (0 h) | Water check; no spray | None | Deep brumation |
| March | 10-14 C | 5-8 C | Off; 34-36 C late | Off / 1 | 8-9 h | Off during rest; 6 h to 7 h when active | Water check; no spray | None / restart late | Staged emergence |
| April | 15-20 C | 7-10 C | 36-38 C | 2-3 | 10.5 h | 8 h 30 m | Light local spray every 10-14 d | 2-3 | Emergence; mating |
| May | 20-23 C | 8-12 C | 37-40 C | 3-4 | 12 h | 10 h | Occasional local spray | 5-6 | Full activity |
| June | 22-25 C | 10-13 C | 37-40 C | 3-4 | 14 h | 12 h | Occasional local spray | 6-7 | Peak activity / gravidity |
| July | 22-25 C | 10-13 C | 37-40 C | 3-4 | 14.5 h | 12 h 30 m | Occasional local spray | 6-7 | Gestation |
| August | 20-24 C | 9-12 C | 37-39 C | 3-4 | 13.5 h | 11 h 30 m | Light local spray every 10-14 d | 5-6 | Late gestation; births may begin |
| September | 18-22 C | 8-11 C | 36-38 C | 2-3 | 12 h | 10 h | Light local spray every 10-14 d | 4-5 | Main births / recovery |
| October | 14-18 C | 6-9 C | 34-36 C limited | 1-2 | 10 h | 8 h | Minimal local spray | 1-2 then stop | Births may continue; taper |
| November | 8-12 C | 4-8 C | Off | Off | 8 h | Off (0 h) | Water check; no spray | None | Brumation |
| December | 7-10 C | 4-8 C | Off | Off | 0-8 h | Off (0 h) | Water check; no spray | None | Deep 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 evidence
Modern field values used here come from confirmed Phymaturus palluma at Punta de Vacas, Aconcagua Provincial Park, Mendoza, at about 2500 m. Older husbandry and reproductive reports often use P. cf. palluma because the historic name once covered several now-separated taxa; those comparative data are labelled accordingly.
Climate translation
Punta de Vacas is cold semiarid, with about 150 mm annual precipitation and reported air limits around -4 to 28 C. Wild activity is mainly mid-October to mid-March locally; this schedule shifts that season by six months for northern-hemisphere operation. Wild extremes are context only because deep crevices buffer the animals.
Thermal management
Published preferred body temperature spans 34.24-36.11 C (mean about 35.15 C), and critical maximum averaged 41.18 C. Use 37-40 C only as a local basking-surface starting point with immediate access to cooler crevices. Animals increasingly seek shelter when exposed rocks exceed about 40 C.
Structure and social management
Provide large stable basking rocks beside deep, long crevices and abundant forage. Field groups can include one adult male with one or more females and juveniles, but captive compatibility is never guaranteed. House one adult male only, duplicate resources and retain immediate separation capacity.
Diet
Feed a varied plant-based diet of fibrous leafy greens, safe weeds, browse and flowers. Successful P. cf. palluma husbandry used dandelion, plantain, greens and herbs. Some keepers offered animal food occasionally, but it is not a routine requirement and should remain rare, if used at all.
Breeding
P. cf. palluma work found a biennial female cycle with one or two offspring and about 0.75 offspring per female per year; other long-term captive females produced one or three young. Southern-hemisphere births were mainly February-April, translated here to an August-October northern window.
Keeper warning
Cool only healthy, conditioned adults after feeding has stopped and the gut is clear. Use a controlled 4-8 C refuge rather than outdoor freezing exposure. 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.