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 12 h; T5 UVB 10 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 crevices and stony spinifex country - Western Pilbara, Western Australia
26-28 CDay ambient
18-20 CNight
36-38 CBasking
2-3T5 UVI*
12 hPhotoperiod
10 hT5 UVB duration
1-2 light local sprays/month; water alwaysSpray / water
3 feeds weeklyFeeding
Spray / water: frequencies below are provisional monthly working targets. Fresh drinking water is provided throughout the year; keep dry refuges and allow sprayed surfaces to dry between applications.
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day ambient | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | Spray / water | Feeding | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20-22 C | 12-14 C | 30-32 C | 1-2 | 10 h | 8 h | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 1-2 light feeds | Cool maintenance - adults only |
| February | 22-24 C | 14-16 C | 32-34 C | 2 | 11 h | 9 h | 0-1 light local spray/month; water always | 2-3 feeds weekly | Staged spring increase |
| March | 24-26 C | 16-18 C | 34-36 C | 2-3 | 12 h | 10 h | No scheduled spraying; water always | 3 feeds weekly | Conditioning / possible courtship |
| April | 26-28 C | 18-20 C | 36-38 C | 2-3 | 13 h | 11 h | No scheduled spraying; water always | 3-4 feeds weekly | Primary courtship / mating window |
| May | 27-29 C | 20-22 C | 38-40 C | 2-3 | 13 h 30 m | 11 h 30 m | 0-1 light local spray/month; water always | 3-4 feeds weekly | Possible mating / early gestation |
| June | 28-30 C | 21-23 C | 40-42 C | 3 | 14 h | 12 h | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 4 feeds weekly | Gestation - monitor females |
| July | 29-31 C | 22-24 C | 40-42 C | 3 | 14 h | 12 h | 2-4 light local sprays/month; water always | 4 feeds weekly | Births possible / peak activity |
| August | 29-31 C | 22-24 C | 40-42 C | 3 | 13 h 30 m | 11 h 30 m | 2-4 light local sprays/month; water always | 4 feeds weekly | Births possible / recovery |
| September | 29-31 C | 20-23 C | 38-42 C | 2-3 | 13 h | 11 h | 2-3 light local sprays/month; water always | 3-4 feeds weekly | Late births / recovery |
| October | 26-28 C | 18-20 C | 36-38 C | 2-3 | 12 h | 10 h | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 3 feeds weekly | Autumn transition |
| November | 23-25 C | 15-17 C | 32-35 C | 1-2 | 11 h | 9 h | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 2 feeds weekly | Taper heat and feeding |
| December | 20-22 C | 12-14 C | 30-32 C | 1 | 10 h | 8 h | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 1-2 light feeds | Cool maintenance - 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: 4-5 h
- February
- Heat / UV: 6 h
- March
- Heat / UV: 7 h
- April
- Heat / UV: 8 h
- May
- Heat / UV: 9 h
- June
- Heat / UV: 9-10 h
- July
- Heat / UV: 10 h
- August
- Heat / UV: 9-10 h
- September
- Heat / UV: 9 h
- October
- Heat / UV: 7-8 h
- November
- Heat / UV: 5-6 h
- December
- Heat / UV: 4 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 pair management
Use approximately 120 x 60 x 60 cm as a working minimum for an established pair, with 150 x 75 x 60 cm or larger preferred. Manage each pair individually and separate for persistent chasing, refuge exclusion, bite wounds, food suppression or declining body mass.
Rockwork and thermal gradient
Secure all heavy rockwork directly to the enclosure floor. During full activity provide a broad 38-42 C rock surface, warm-side air near 28-31 C and a cooler retreat around 24-27 C. Several tight crevices must span the gradient.
Diet
Use varied gut-loaded invertebrates as the active-season base. Offer safe leafy greens and flowers once or twice weekly and keep sweet fruit rare. Avoid relying on mealworms or other fatty larvae as staples.
Winter management
Reduce light, heat and feeding gradually. Use a conservative 12-14 C night minimum with short daily basking rather than assuming a deep brumation requirement. Feed small meals only while animals remain active and digest normally.
Breeding and neonates
Direct breeding data are scarce. Treat March-May courtship and June-September births as a working hypothesis. Related E. depressa commonly produces 2-3 young, but do not present that as a guaranteed E. cygnitos litter size.
Keeper warning
Species-specific thermal and reproductive data are limited. Measure every enclosure independently, record each pair's behaviour and body mass, and revise this schedule from your own verified breeding and health observations.
Water and hydration
Provide a stable, shallow dish of clean drinking water throughout the year. Clean and refresh daily and whenever soiled. Spray frequencies do not describe drinking-water availability; fresh water remains available in every month.
How to apply the monthly spray targets
A light local spray means droplets on a limited cool-side rock or accessible crevice entrance, not drenching the whole enclosure or flooding occupied refuges. Let wetted surfaces dry before another application and retain dry retreats. Use the lower end if drying is slow or the room is humid. In the wetter phase, spread applications across the month rather than spraying daily.
Seasonal spray schedule: evidence and limits
The listed monthly frequencies are provisional captive starting targets, based on the relative timing of regional rainfall and rain days at Mardie and Pannawonica, shifted six months for the Netherlands. They are not experimentally established Egernia cygnitos water requirements and were not calculated as a mandatory one-spray-per-rain-day rule. Rainfall is irregular and locality-dependent; adjust from drying, drinking, shedding and body condition. No scheduled spray in the dry phase does not mean water deprivation: offer droplets or a small sheltered moisture option if an individual needs them.