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; T5 UVB 9 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 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 transition
Rock outcrops and wooded slopes - southeastern Australia
19-23 CDay ambient
11-14 CNight
32-35 CBasking
2-3T5 UVI*
11 hPhotoperiod
9 hT5 UVB duration
1 light local spray/week; water alwaysSpray / water
2-3 feeds; taperFeeding
Spray / water: weekly rates are provisional captive working targets. Provide clean drinking water year-round; keep dry refuges and let sprayed surfaces dry. During dormancy, use moisture checks rather than scheduled cage spraying.
Annual schedule
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| Month | Day ambient | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | Spray / water | Feeding | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10-13 C | 7-10 C | Off | Off | 9 h | Off (0 h) | Check refuge moisture weekly; no routine cage spray; water always | None | Core cooling - healthy adults |
| February | 12-16 C | 8-11 C | Off; 30-32 C late | Off; 1-2 late | 9 h 30 m | Off during rest; 7 h 30 m when active | While resting: moisture checks only; once active: 1 light spray/week; water always | None; restart late | Staged emergence late month |
| March | 18-22 C | 10-13 C | 32-35 C | 2-3 | 10 h 30 m | 8 h 30 m | 1-2 light local sprays/week; water always | 2-3 feeds weekly | Emergence / conditioning |
| April | 22-25 C | 12-15 C | 34-37 C | 3-4 | 11 h 30 m | 9 h 30 m | 1-2 light local sprays/week; water always | 3-4 feeds weekly | Courtship / mating |
| May | 24-27 C | 14-17 C | 36-38 C | 3-5 | 12 h 30 m | 10 h 30 m | 2 light local sprays/week; water always | 4-5 feeds weekly | Peak mating |
| June | 25-28 C | 16-18 C | 36-39 C | 4-5 | 13 h 30 m | 11 h 30 m | 2 light local sprays/week; water always | 4-5 feeds weekly | Gestation |
| July | 26-29 C | 17-19 C | 37-40 C | 4-5 | 14 h | 12 h | 2 light local sprays/week; water always | 4-5 feeds weekly | Births may begin |
| August | 25-28 C | 16-18 C | 37-39 C | 4-5 | 13 h 30 m | 11 h 30 m | 2 light local sprays/week; water always | 4-5 feeds weekly | Peak births / recovery |
| September | 23-26 C | 14-17 C | 35-38 C | 3-4 | 12 h 30 m | 10 h 30 m | 1-2 light local sprays/week; water always | 4 feeds weekly | Late births / recovery |
| October | 19-23 C | 11-14 C | 32-35 C | 2-3 | 11 h | 9 h | 1 light local spray/week; water always | 2-3 feeds; taper | Autumn transition |
| November | 14-18 C | 8-11 C | 28-32 C; then off | 1-2; then off | 10 h | 8 h when active; then Off | 1 light spray/week while active; moisture checks only once dormant; water always | Taper; stop after gut clears | Pre-cooling |
| December | 10-13 C | 7-10 C | Off | Off | 9 h | Off (0 h) | Check refuge moisture weekly; no routine cage spray; water always | None | Core cooling - monitor weekly |
Additional original settings
Preserved humidity and lamp-duration values. Use the main table’s T5 UVB duration for UVB timing.
- January
- Heat / UV: 0 h
- February
- Heat / UV: 0 to 3 h
- March
- Heat / UV: 6 h
- April
- Heat / UV: 8 h
- May
- Heat / UV: 9 h
- June
- Heat / UV: 10 h
- July
- Heat / UV: 10 h
- August
- Heat / UV: 9 h
- September
- Heat / UV: 8 h
- October
- Heat / UV: 6 h
- November
- Heat / UV: 3 h to 0
- December
- Heat / UV: 0 h
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.
Enclosure and social management
Use approximately 150 x 75 x 75 cm or larger for one adult or an established compatible pair, with 180 x 90 x 90 cm preferred. Wild family living does not guarantee captive compatibility; separate for persistent chasing, crevice exclusion, bite injuries, suppressed basking or weight loss.
Basking and UVB
During full activity provide a broad 35-40 C rock surface, warm air in the mid-20s and shaded retreats below the low-20s when seasonally appropriate. Target measured UVI 3-5 at the main basking position and below UVI 1 inside crevices.
Diet
Adults are strongly plant-dominant. Base the diet on varied leafy greens, safe weeds and flowers; use appropriately sized gut-loaded invertebrates more often for juveniles and only as a minor seasonal component for adults.
Winter cooling
Reduce food, heat and day length gradually over 4-6 weeks. For animals of unknown or mixed provenance, use a cautious stable core range around 8-12 C rather than deliberately targeting near-freezing nights. Cool only healthy adults with good reserves.
Breeding and neonates
On this Netherlands-shifted calendar, mating is expected mainly in April-May and the single annual litter mainly in July-August, sometimes into September. Provide quiet secure crevices for females and neonatal-width retreats after birth.
Keeper warning
Secure all heavy rockwork directly from the enclosure floor. Reverse cooling and review husbandry for sustained activity, dehydration, respiratory noise, marked weight loss or other illness; compromised animals require reptile-veterinary assessment.
Drinking water
Provide a stable shallow bowl of clean water in the cool area throughout the year; wash and refill daily and whenever soiled. Allow voluntary use while ensuring easy entry and exit. Do not force a cooled skink to soak. Water remains available during brumation.
How to spray and manage refuge moisture
A light local spray wets a limited cool-side rock or crevice entrance, not the entire cage. Keep warm basking surfaces and at least one refuge dry, with strong ventilation; wetted surfaces must dry before another application. Offer a sheltered slightly damp option when needed for shedding, without saturated bedding or standing water. Use fewer applications if drying is slow; check drinking, shedding and body condition.
Winter moisture checks
During the existing November-February cooling sequence, reduce disturbance and inspect accessible refuge conditions weekly. Add only enough local moisture to prevent an overly dry retreat; do not dampen the occupied sleeping crevice indiscriminately or leave a cold, wet enclosure. Resume the active spray target only after animals are warmed and active. Keep the existing UVB OFF settings during dormancy.
Seasonal evidence and limits
Cunningham’s skinks occur across southeastern Australia, including comparatively dry inland and wetter upland localities. Canberra and Katoomba weather records show rainfall through the year, so a Pilbara-style prolonged dry season is inappropriate as a general template. The listed weekly spray frequencies are provisional captive starting targets aligned with the existing Netherlands activity calendar, not measured species-specific biological requirements or a conversion of rainfall to mandatory sprays. Provenance is unknown: adapt to actual drying, refuge moisture and animal response rather than attempting to reproduce a station’s outdoor humidity.