Keeper timer setting
T5 UVB: one hour later on, one hour earlier off
ON: 1 hour after the daylight lights come on.
OFF: 1 hour before the daylight lights go off.
October: daylight 11.9 h; T5 UVB 9 h 54 m per day.
The T5 runs for two hours less than the total photoperiod. Example: daylight 08:00-20:00 means UVB 09:00-19:00. Keep the monthly UVI strength as listed beneath the tube. Existing care values are preserved.
UVI beneath the optional T5 tube
Working exposure targetOctober target at normal back height
UVI 3-5directly 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 ยท Muryn, Baines and Dishman (2026), Reptile Lighting Guide V10
October management
Selected automatically using the Netherlands date
Late nesting / female recovery; dry-season incubation
Western / northwestern Fiji; tropical dry forest, especially Yadua Taba
26-29 CDay air
22-24 CNight
35-39 CBasking
3-5T5 UVI*
11.9 hPhotoperiod
9 h 54 mT5 UVB duration
70-83 / 83-93%RH day / night*
Late wet; rain gradually declinesRain / mist
7Food days/week
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day air | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | RH day / night* | Rain / mist | Food days/week | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25-27 C | 19-22 C | 34-38 C | 3-5 | 11.2 h | 9 h 12 m | 58-72 / 74-87% | Coolest/driest phase; restrained misting | 6 | Deep dry season; no brumation, avoid chronic chilling |
| February | 25-28 C | 19-22 C | 34-38 C | 3-5 | 11.4 h | 9 h 24 m | 58-72 / 74-88% | Dry; hydration via foliage and drinking droplets | 6 | Dry-season maintenance; monitor weight and hydration |
| March | 26-28 C | 20-23 C | 35-38 C | 3-5 | 11.8 h | 9 h 48 m | 60-74 / 76-89% | Mid-late dry; few rain pulses | 6-7 | Conditioning; slowly increase food diversity |
| April | 26-29 C | 21-23 C | 35-39 C | 3-5 | 12.2 h | 10 h 12 m | 63-78 / 79-91% | Dry-to-wet transition; rain increases late month | 7 | Pre-breeding; gradual hydration and feeding increase |
| May | 27-30 C | 22-24 C | 36-39 C | 3-5 | 12.6 h | 10 h 36 m | 68-82 / 82-93% | Wet season begins; frequent showers | 7 | Reproductive conditioning; courtship may begin |
| June | 27-30 C | 23-25 C | 36-40 C | 3-5 | 12.9 h | 10 h 54 m | 72-85 / 85-95% | Early wet; frequent rain with drying intervals | 7 | Courtship / mating; hatch watch; nest zone ready |
| July | 27-30 C | 23-25 C | 36-40 C | 3-5 | 12.8 h | 10 h 48 m | 72-85 / 85-95% | Wet season; frequent showers with airflow | 7 | Courtship / mating; abundant browse and hydration |
| August | 27-30 C | 23-25 C | 36-40 C | 3-5 | 12.5 h | 10 h 30 m | 73-86 / 86-95% | Mid-wet; frequent rain pulses | 7 | Mating / early nesting; nest area fully prepared |
| September | 27-30 C | 23-25 C | 36-39 C | 3-5 | 12.2 h | 10 h 12 m | 72-85 / 85-94% | Wet easing; regular rain and leaf wetting | 7 | Peak nesting; monitor females closely |
| October | 26-29 C | 22-24 C | 35-39 C | 3-5 | 11.9 h | 9 h 54 m | 70-83 / 83-93% | Late wet; rain gradually declines | 7 | Late nesting / female recovery; dry-season incubation |
| November | 26-28 C | 21-23 C | 35-38 C | 3-5 | 11.6 h | 9 h 36 m | 65-78 / 78-90% | Dry-season transition; lighter misting | 6-7 | Recovery; reduce rain, not drinking access |
| December | 25-28 C | 20-22 C | 34-38 C | 3-5 | 11.3 h | 9 h 18 m | 60-74 / 75-88% | Dry; light evening mist 3-5x/week | 6 | Dry-season maintenance; maintain leafy refuges |
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.
Northern Hemisphere calendar
For the Netherlands facility: wet May-Oct, dry Nov-Apr; mating broadly Jun-Sep, gravid females Jul-Oct and main laying Aug-Oct. Prepare nests before July. Wet-season hatch watch starts around June after the long incubation. These are shifted keeper windows, not Fiji wild dates.
Wild incubation
Yadua Taba nests averaged only 24.5 C and 256 days incubation (range 225-285 days).
Important warning
Do not automatically copy the 27-29 C incubation used for banded Brachylophus. B. vitiensis has a much cooler, longer natural incubation.
Clutch
Small clutches of large eggs: usually about 2-4; nesting-study mean 2.9 eggs and mean egg mass 17.9 g.
Breeding frequency
Only about 52% of adult females reproduced in a given year in the Yadua Taba study; a largely biennial strategy is plausible.
Diet
Wild scat work found 26 plant species; leaves were eaten from 21 species, fruits from 14 and flowers from 6.
Climate
Yadua Taba wild cycle: wet Nov-Apr, dry May-Oct. Northern keeper cycle: wet May-Oct, dry Nov-Apr. Wild air extremes of about 16-31 C are background data, not forced captive targets.