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 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
Autumn taper
High-altitude granite outcrops, wet meadows and mountain grassland - Pampa de Achala and Cerro Champaqui, Argentina
13-17 CDay ambient
5-8 CNight
30-32 C limitedBasking
1-2T5 UVI*
10.5 hPhotoperiod
8 h 30 mT5 UVB duration
40-55 / 55-70%RH day / night*
Light spray weeklySpray / rain
1-2Food offers*
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day ambient | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | RH day / night* | Spray / rain | Food offers* | Status / breeding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8-12 C | 2-5 C | Off | Off | 8.5 h | Off (0 h) | 35-50 / 45-60% | None | None | Winter hibernation |
| February | 8-12 C | 2-5 C | Off | Off | 9 h | Off (0 h) | 35-50 / 45-60% | None | None | Winter hibernation |
| March | 12-16 C | 4-7 C | 30-32 C limited | 1-2 | 10 h | 8 h | 40-55 / 55-70% | Localized light spray every 10-14 d | 1-2 late | Staged emergence |
| April | 15-18 C | 6-9 C | 32-34 C | 2-3 | 11 h | 9 h | 45-60 / 60-75% | 2 light sprays/wk | 2-3 | Breeding season begins |
| May | 17-20 C | 8-11 C | 33-35 C | 3 | 12.5 h | 10 h 30 m | 45-60 / 60-75% | 2-3 sprays/wk | 3-4 | Peak mating / territoriality |
| June | 18-21 C | 9-12 C | 33-35 C | 3 | 14 h | 12 h | 50-65 / 65-80% | 2-3 sprays/wk | 3-4 | Gravid females expected |
| July | 19-22 C | 10-13 C | 33-35 C | 3-4 | 14.5 h | 12 h 30 m | 50-65 / 65-80% | 2-3 sprays/wk + moist nest | 3-4 | Probable nesting window |
| August | 18-21 C | 9-12 C | 32-34 C | 3 | 13.5 h | 11 h 30 m | 50-65 / 65-80% | 2-3 sprays/wk | 3-4 | Late nesting / recovery |
| September | 16-19 C | 7-10 C | 31-33 C | 2-3 | 12 h | 10 h | 45-60 / 60-75% | 2 light sprays/wk | 2-3 | Late active period |
| October | 13-17 C | 5-8 C | 30-32 C limited | 1-2 | 10.5 h | 8 h 30 m | 40-55 / 55-70% | Light spray weekly | 1-2 | Autumn taper |
| November | 9-13 C | 3-6 C | Off | Off | 9 h | Off (0 h) | 35-50 / 45-60% | None | Stop after gut clears | Cooling / hibernation |
| December | 8-12 C | 2-5 C | Off | Off | 8.5 h | Off (0 h) | 35-50 / 45-60% | None | None | Winter hibernation |
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 habitat
Pristidactylus achalensis is endemic to the high Sierras Grandes of central Argentina, especially Pampa de Achala and Cerro Champaqui. It is strongly saxicolous, basking on exposed rocks and retreating into deep fractures and belowground refuges.
Thermal biology
Direct thermoregulation work reported mean active body temperature about 25.7 C, substrate about 24.0 C and air about 18.2 C, with a broad preferred range extending into the low-mid 30s. Use cool air and local rock basking rather than desert-style room heat.
Humidity and rain
Pampa de Achala has a rainy warm season and a cold dry winter. Park monitoring reported mean midday RH about 53.6%, with brief extremes from very dry to near saturation during fog/rain. The monthly RH and spray values are captive working targets translated from this seasonality.
Diet
Primarily insectivorous, with minor plant material reported. Offer varied gut-loaded invertebrates and small amounts of safe leafy/flower material. Cannibalism has been documented in the wild, so do not mix small juveniles with large adults.
Reproduction
Oviparous. Sperm availability and copulation peak in native spring, especially October-November; pregnant females are present by December. National Parks sources report large eggs over 20 mm long, apparently about three per clutch. Exact laying and incubation parameters remain incompletely documented.
Social warning
This species is territorial and aggressive, especially during the short reproductive season. Individual housing is safest. Separate for biting, repeated pursuit, refuge exclusion, suppressed feeding or weight loss.
Winter warning
Provide a genuine cold-dry winter rest only to healthy animals after the gut is empty. Avoid freezing captive refuges and avoid cold saturated substrate. Monitor body mass and hydration through hibernation.