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 11.9 h; T5 UVB 9 h 54 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 0.5-1.0directly 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 breeding / juvenile growth
Lowland wet forest and seasonal-rainfall forest; arboreal adults, leaf-laid eggs, aquatic tadpoles
24-27 CDay air
21-23 CNight
26-28 CWarm perch
0.5-1.0T5 UVI*
11.9 hPhotoperiod
9 h 54 mT5 UVB duration
65-80 / 85-95%RH day / night*
Wet phase; rain gradually easingRain / misting
3Adult food
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day air | Night | Warm perch | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | RH day / night* | Rain / misting | Adult food | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24-27 C | 20-22 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 11.8 h | 9 h 48 m | 55-70 / 75-88% | Dry phase; light PM mist 3x/wk | 2-3 | Adult maintenance / recovery |
| February | 24-27 C | 20-22 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 11.9 h | 9 h 54 m | 55-70 / 75-88% | Dry phase; light PM mist 3x/wk | 2-3 | Adult maintenance |
| March | 24-27 C | 20-22 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 12.0 h | 10 h | 55-70 / 75-88% | Dry phase; light PM mist 3x/wk | 2-3 | Condition breeders |
| April | 24-27 C | 20-22 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 12.1 h | 10 h 6 m | 50-65 / 72-85% | 4-5 wk relative dry cue; never dehydrate | 2-3 | Pre-breeding conditioning |
| May | 24-27 C | 21-23 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 12.2 h | 10 h 12 m | 65-80 / 85-95% | Abrupt heavy evening rain / rain chamber | 3-4 | Breeding starts after first strong rains |
| June | 24-27 C | 21-23 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 12.2 h | 10 h 12 m | 65-80 / 85-95% | Wet phase; nightly rain pulses | 3-4 | Courtship / spawning / eggs |
| July | 24-27 C | 21-23 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 12.2 h | 10 h 12 m | 65-82 / 85-95% | Wet phase; nightly rain pulses | 3-4 | Peak breeding / tadpoles |
| August | 24-27 C | 21-23 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 12.1 h | 10 h 6 m | 65-82 / 85-95% | Wet phase; frequent evening rain | 3-4 | Breeding / tadpole growth |
| September | 24-27 C | 21-23 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 12.0 h | 10 h | 65-82 / 85-95% | Wet phase; frequent evening rain | 3-4 | Breeding / metamorphs |
| October | 24-27 C | 21-23 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 11.9 h | 9 h 54 m | 65-80 / 85-95% | Wet phase; rain gradually easing | 3 | Late breeding / juvenile growth |
| November | 24-27 C | 20-22 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 11.8 h | 9 h 48 m | 60-75 / 80-92% | Rain taper; retain nightly humidity | 2-3 | Breeding winds down |
| December | 24-27 C | 20-22 C | 26-28 C | 0.5-1.0 | 11.8 h | 9 h 48 m | 55-70 / 75-88% | Drier phase begins | 2-3 | Recovery / maintenance |
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.
Taxonomy and range
Current Agalychnis callidryas excludes A. taylori; accepted range runs from northeastern Honduras/eastern Nicaragua through Costa Rica and Panama into northwestern Colombia.
Housing
Use a vertical, densely planted enclosure with broad leaves, secure branches, visual barriers and strong cross-ventilation. A single adult can start around 45 x 45 x 60 cm; pairs and groups deserve 60 x 45 x 90 cm or larger.
Heat and UVB
Maintain about 24-27 C daytime air, 20-23 C nights and an upper warm perch around 26-28 C. Low-level UVI about 0.5-1.0 at the most exposed perch is a conservative operational target, with abundant zero-UV shade.
Humidity
Use roughly 55-80% RH by day depending on season and 75-95% overnight. Mist mainly toward evening and allow partial daytime drying. Constant stagnant saturation is inappropriate.
Breeding
Healthy adults may be conditioned with 4-5 weeks of relatively reduced rain, followed by an abrupt increase in evening rain. Natural breeding commonly extends through the rainy season from about May-November.
Eggs
Females lay gelatinous clutches on leaves over water. Keep clutches humid, ventilated and suspended above clean water. Typical undisturbed hatching is about 5-8 days; environmental threats can cause earlier hatching.
Tadpoles
Use clean dechlorinated water, gentle filtration or regular partial changes and easy metamorph exits. Around 24-26 C is a practical starting range. Development often completes in under about 55 days but can vary widely.
Handling / biosecurity
Handle only when necessary using wet, powder-free gloves and safe water. Quarantine new frogs and never share water or wet tools between groups because chytrid fungi and ranaviruses are major amphibian risks.