Their ability and motivation to mate are primarily independent of day-length (photoperiod) and instead rely on cues from short-term changes in local conditions like rainfall, food abundance and temperature.
Another factor is the presence of suitable breeding sites, which may only form with heavy rain or other environmental changes.
An example is the golden spiny mouse where changes in dietary salt in its desert habitat due to rainfall appear to cue reproductive function.
[6] Increased levels of salinity in drying vegetation cause females to experience a reproductive hiatus.
While reproduction is generally independent of photoperiod, animals can still experience reduced fertility with changes in day-length.