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 2directly 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
Semi-arid woodland, fallen timber and granite country - inland Western Australia
24-26 CDay ambient
16-18 CNight
35-37 CBasking
UVI 2T5 UVI*
12 hPhotoperiod
10 hT5 UVB duration
1 light local spray/month; water alwaysSpray / water
2-3 feeds weeklyFeeding
Spray / water: rates are provisional captive working targets for Egernia depressa, not experimentally established requirements. Fresh drinking water is available all year. Spray locally, preserve dry refuges and let wetted surfaces dry.
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day ambient | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | Spray / water | Feeding | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17-19 C | 11-13 C | 28-31 C | UVI 0.5-1 | 10 h | 8 h | 1 light local spray/month; water always | None or 1 small feed | Cool rest - healthy adults only |
| February | 19-21 C | 12-14 C | 30-33 C | UVI 1 | 10 h 30 m | 8 h 30 m | 1 light local spray/month; water always | 1-2 small feeds | Staged spring increase |
| March | 22-24 C | 14-16 C | 33-35 C | UVI 1-2 | 11 h 30 m | 9 h 30 m | 0-1 light local spray/month; water always | 2-3 feeds weekly | Emergence / conditioning |
| April | 25-27 C | 16-18 C | 35-38 C | UVI 2-3 | 12 h 30 m | 10 h 30 m | 0-1 light local spray/month; water always | 3 feeds weekly | Conditioning / courtship watch |
| May | 27-29 C | 18-20 C | 38-40 C | UVI 2-3 | 13 h 15 m | 11 h 15 m | 0-1 light local spray/month; water always | 3-4 feeds weekly | Primary courtship window |
| June | 28-30 C | 19-21 C | 39-41 C | UVI 2-3 | 14 h | 12 h | 1 light local spray/month; water always | 3-4 feeds weekly | Mating / gestation watch |
| July | 29-31 C | 20-22 C | 40-42 C | UVI 3 | 14 h | 12 h | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 4 feeds weekly | Peak activity / gestation |
| August | 29-31 C | 20-22 C | 40-42 C | UVI 3 | 13 h 30 m | 11 h 30 m | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 4 feeds weekly | Late gestation / births possible |
| September | 27-29 C | 18-20 C | 38-40 C | UVI 2-3 | 13 h | 11 h | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | 3 feeds weekly | Births possible / recovery |
| October | 24-26 C | 16-18 C | 35-37 C | UVI 2 | 12 h | 10 h | 1 light local spray/month; water always | 2-3 feeds weekly | Autumn transition |
| November | 21-23 C | 14-16 C | 32-34 C | UVI 1-2 | 11 h | 9 h | 1 light local spray/month; water always | 1-2 feeds weekly | Taper heat and feeding |
| December | 18-20 C | 11-13 C | 29-31 C | UVI 0.5-1 | 10 h | 8 h | 1-2 light local sprays/month; water always | None or 1 small feed | Cool rest - monitor body mass |
Additional original settings
Preserved humidity and lamp-duration values. Use the main table’s T5 UVB duration for UVB timing.
- January
- Heat / UV: 3 h
- February
- Heat / UV: 4 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: 9-10 h
- September
- Heat / UV: 9 h
- October
- Heat / UV: 7 h
- November
- Heat / UV: 5 h
- December
- Heat / UV: 3 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.
Refuges and enclosure
Provide several tight hollow-cork, fixed deadwood and anchored rock refuges spanning warm, intermediate and cool positions. A pair should have about 120 x 60 x 60 cm as a working minimum, with 150 x 75 x 60 cm or larger preferred.
Basking and UVB
During full activity use a 38-42 C broad basking surface, warm-side air around 28-31 C and a cooler retreat around 23-26 C. Target UVI 2-3 at the basking position with complete shade in refuges.
Diet
Use varied gut-loaded invertebrates as the active-season base. Offer safe leafy greens and flowers once or twice weekly, keep fruit rare, and let recorded consumption guide the plant proportion.
Winter management
Reduce heat, light and feeding gradually. Use an 11-13 C night range at the coolest point with a short daily basking opportunity. Do not equate outdoor weather minima with a requirement for three months at 5-7 C without heat.
Breeding and neonates
The species is live-bearing; published reviews report a mean litter of two and a range of two to three. Exact reproductive timing is poorly resolved, so record actual courtship, gestation and birth dates and revise the calendar.
Keeper warning
Group living must be demonstrated, not assumed. Weigh animals regularly and separate for persistent chasing, refuge or basking exclusion, bites, food suppression or declining body mass. Avoid cold combined with wet substrate.
Drinking water
Keep a stable shallow dish of clean fresh drinking water available all year, including cool maintenance and the drier spray phase. Wash and refill daily and whenever soiled. Monthly spray rates do not describe drinking-water availability.
Timber refuges and local spraying
Keep exposed substrate and most hollow-log retreats dry and well ventilated. A light local spray provides droplets on a small accessible cool-side surface near a refuge entrance; do not fill hollow logs, wet an occupied retreat directly, or soak the entire enclosure. Retain dry alternatives and let sprayed surfaces dry completely between applications. If shedding or hydration needs indicate it, offer a small sheltered moisture option rather than withholding water to match the calendar.
Seasonal evidence and limits
Egernia depressa in the modern 2011 species treatment is primarily a deadwood and log-refuge skink of Western Australian woodland, with some granite-outcrop use. Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport and the historical Mount Magnet station provide regional climate context for different parts of this broad range. Both show low, variable rainfall through much of the year, not the strongly concentrated Pilbara summer-wet pattern of epsisolus. The six-month Netherlands shift places the relatively drier spring phase in March-May. These monthly rates are provisional conservative captive starting targets, not experimentally established species-specific moisture requirements or direct rain-to-spray conversions. Adapt to documented provenance, enclosure drying and animal response.
Cool maintenance and dormancy
The existing December-February schedule retains short daily basking and very low feeding. Preserve that cautious cool-maintenance regime and avoid cold saturated substrate or wet hollow logs. If a separately managed full-dormancy protocol is used, UVB must be OFF during actual dormancy and scheduled sprays should be replaced by careful refuge-moisture checks. Drinking water remains available.