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 30 m; T5 UVB 9 h 30 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 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 conditioning
Mediterranean rocky scrub, woodland edge, Holm-oak forest, river valleys, high plains and stone walls - Morocco and northwestern Algeria, from low elevations to about 2,700 m
21-25 CDay ambient
13-16 CNight
36-39 CBasking
2-3T5 UVI*
11 h 30 mPhotoperiod
9 h 30 mT5 UVB duration
45-60 / 60-75%RH day / night*
Light mist 1-2x/wkSpray / rain
2-3Food*
Annual schedule
Scroll sideways on smaller screens
| Month | Day ambient | Night | Basking | T5 UVI* | Photoperiod | T5 UVB duration | RH day / night* | Spray / rain | Food* | Seasonal management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8-12 C | 6-10 C | Off | Off | 10 h | Off (0 h) | 55-65 / 70-80% | Local moisture only | None | Winter rest |
| February | 10-14 C | 7-11 C | Off / 28-32 C late | Off / 1 | 10 h 45 m | Off during rest; 8 h 45 m when active | 55-65 / 70-80% | Local moisture; light mist | None then 1 | Rest; staged wake late |
| March | 18-22 C | 10-14 C | 35-39 C | 2-3 | 11 h 45 m | 9 h 45 m | 50-60 / 65-75% | Light mist 2x/wk | 2-3 | Warm-up / conditioning |
| April | 22-26 C | 12-16 C | 39-42 C | 3-4 | 13 h | 11 h | 45-60 / 60-75% | Light mist 1-2x/wk | 3-4 | Courtship / mating |
| May | 25-29 C | 14-18 C | 40-44 C | 4-5 | 14 h | 12 h | 40-55 / 55-70% | Mostly dry; moist nest | 4-5 | Mating / gravid females |
| June | 27-31 C | 16-20 C | 41-44 C | 4-5 | 14 h 30 m | 12 h 30 m | 35-50 / 50-65% | Dry surface; moist nest | 4-5 | Laying / possible next clutch |
| July | 29-33 C | 18-22 C | 42-45 C | 4-5 | 14 h 15 m | 12 h 15 m | 35-50 / 50-65% | Dry surface; moist retreat | 4-5 | Laying / incubation |
| August | 28-32 C | 18-22 C | 41-44 C | 4-5 | 13 h 30 m | 11 h 30 m | 35-50 / 50-65% | Dry surface; moist retreat | 4 | Incubation / recovery |
| September | 25-29 C | 16-19 C | 39-42 C | 3-4 | 12 h 30 m | 10 h 30 m | 40-55 / 55-70% | Light mist 1x/wk | 3-4 | Hatching / recovery |
| October | 21-25 C | 13-16 C | 36-39 C | 2-3 | 11 h 30 m | 9 h 30 m | 45-60 / 60-75% | Light mist 1-2x/wk | 2-3 | Autumn conditioning |
| November | 16-20 C | 9-12 C | 32-35 C limited | 1-2 | 10 h 30 m | 8 h 30 m | 50-65 / 65-80% | Local moisture | 1-2 then stop | Gut-clearance / cooling |
| December | 9-13 C | 6-10 C | Off | Off | 9 h 45 m | Off (0 h) | 55-65 / 70-80% | Local moisture only | None | Winter rest |
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.
Habitat and enclosure
Occurs in Mediterranean rocky scrub, woodland edge, Holm-oak forest, river valleys, high plains and stone walls. For one adult use about 180 x 80 x 80 cm or larger; adult pairs benefit from roughly 220-240 x 90-100 x 90-100 cm or more, with stable rocks, branches, deep substrate and multiple retreats.
Altitudinal range
The species spans an exceptional climate gradient, from low Mediterranean sites to about 2,700 m in the High Atlas. Locality is therefore critical: do not assume that every Timon tangitanus should receive exactly the same winter temperature or duration.
Winter rest
Hibernation is documented at middle and high elevations. For adults of unknown origin, about 6-12 C for roughly 8-12 weeks is a conservative captive default after complete gut clearance. High-altitude stock may use a colder or longer rest; lowland stock may require less. Never allow freezing.
Diet
Use varied gut-loaded invertebrates as the base: crickets, roaches, locusts, grasshoppers, suitable beetle larvae, worms where safe, and snails. Fruit can be offered occasionally, especially later in the season, but should not replace the invertebrate base.
Breeding and incubation
Copulation is reported mainly in April-May. Modern Moroccan accounts report 1-3 clutches of roughly 2-20 eggs with autumn hatching. Captive guidance commonly uses about 27-29 C for 10-12 weeks; 27-28 C in slightly moist medium is a conservative starting point unless your established line has proven parameters.
Keeper warning
Adult males are territorial and should not be housed together. Multiple clutches can deplete females, so monitor weight, calcium status and recovery feeding closely. Seasonal cooling is only for healthy, well-conditioned animals and must be tailored to known origin whenever possible.