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 10 m; T5 UVB 9 h 10 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 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
Autumn taper
Zagros oak scrub, rocky valley slopes and dry mountain woodland - southeastern Turkiye, northern Iraq and western Iran
20-24 CDay ambient
12-15 CNight
35-38 CBasking
2-3T5 UVI*
11 h 10 mPhotoperiod
9 h 10 mT5 UVB duration
45-60 / 60-75%RH day / night*
Light mist 1-2x/wkSpray / rain
2-3Food*
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day ambient | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | RH day / night* | Spray / rain | Food* | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7-10 C | 5-8 C | Off | Off | 9 h 45 m | Off (0 h) | 55-65 / 70-80% | Local moisture only | None | Brumation |
| February | 7-10 C | 5-8 C | Off | Off | 10 h 30 m | Off (0 h) | 55-65 / 70-80% | Local moisture only | None | Brumation; staged wake late |
| March | 18-22 C | 10-14 C | 34-37 C | 2-3 | 11 h 40 m | 9 h 40 m | 50-60 / 65-75% | Light mist 2x/wk | 2-3 | Warm-up / conditioning |
| April | 21-25 C | 12-16 C | 37-40 C | 3-4 | 12 h 50 m | 10 h 50 m | 45-60 / 60-75% | Light mist 1-2x/wk | 3-4 | Courtship |
| May | 23-27 C | 14-18 C | 39-42 C | 3-4 | 13 h 45 m | 11 h 45 m | 40-55 / 55-70% | Light mist; moist nest | 4-5 | Mating / follicles |
| June | 25-29 C | 16-20 C | 40-43 C | 4 | 14 h 20 m | 12 h 20 m | 35-50 / 50-65% | Mostly dry; moist nest | 4-5 | Main laying window |
| July | 27-31 C | 18-22 C | 40-44 C | 4 | 14 h 10 m | 12 h 10 m | 35-50 / 50-65% | Dry surface; moist retreat | 4-5 | Incubation / recovery |
| August | 27-31 C | 18-22 C | 40-43 C | 4 | 13 h 25 m | 11 h 25 m | 35-50 / 50-65% | Dry surface; moist retreat | 4 | Summer activity |
| September | 24-28 C | 16-19 C | 38-41 C | 3-4 | 12 h 20 m | 10 h 20 m | 40-55 / 55-70% | Light mist 1x/wk | 3-4 | Recovery |
| October | 20-24 C | 12-15 C | 35-38 C | 2-3 | 11 h 10 m | 9 h 10 m | 45-60 / 60-75% | Light mist 1-2x/wk | 2-3 | Autumn taper |
| November | 14-18 C | 8-11 C | 30-34 C limited | 1-2 | 10 h 15 m | 8 h 15 m | 50-65 / 65-80% | Local moisture | 1-2 then stop | Gut-clearance / cooling |
| December | 7-10 C | 5-8 C | Off | Off | 9 h 40 m | Off (0 h) | 55-65 / 70-80% | Local moisture only | None | 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.
Habitat and enclosure
Historical field studies place this lizard in shrubby oak forest on valley slopes, where it often uses the oak shrubs rather than exposed rock. For one adult use about 120 x 60 x 60 cm or larger; pairs benefit from about 160 x 80 x 70 cm or more. Provide stable rocks, cork, low branches, dense cover and deep diggable substrate.
Winter brumation
Marked autumn inactivity was documented even when basking lamps remained available. The classic husbandry account considered 3-5 months of winter sleep natural because frost and snow occur in the native range. Use a controlled 7-10 C winter rest for healthy adults, never freezing conditions.
Diet
Use varied gut-loaded invertebrates as the core diet: crickets, locusts, roaches, grasshoppers, snails and similar prey. Early captive animals also accepted soft fruit, but fruit is optional enrichment rather than a dietary staple.
Humidity and summer dryness
The regional climate is winter-wet and summer-dry. Keep exposed substrate fairly dry in summer while preserving a slightly moist deep refuge and drinking water. Increase localized moisture in spring and autumn, but maintain strong ventilation.
Breeding and incubation
Use April-May for courtship and May-June for mating, with June-July as the main working laying window. Direct incubation data are poor; 26-27.5 C in slightly moist medium is a cautious starting point. Record every clutch so the protocol can be refined.
Keeper warning
Adult males are documented as aggressive toward one another and should be housed separately. A male-female pair may be compatible, but separate immediately for persistent pursuit, bites, basking exclusion, food exclusion or weight loss.