?Do Chameleons really need a wet environment/is there a better way to raise humidity?

[KrinsCham]

My Chameleon does not seem to like to get wet. Which got me thinking about misting systems/regiments. I mist frequently and each time the cage is wet. The misting system I just hooked up wets the cage multiple times a day. This thought process led me to a few questions.
Has there been thought into having a humid but not wet environment?
Isn't to warm and wet of an environment good for bacteria, viruses ect., which may be harmful?
Would a chameleon in its natural humid environment seek the dryer areas within it?
Could we be adding unnecessary stress by having to moist of environment?
Is there keepers out there that support other methods of maintaining humidity?

As for now I am following what seems to be standard protocol which seems to be working well, but as with anything I feel a need to explore and question. I am interested to here your thoughts on the subject. Cheers

 

[MissLissa]

Chameleons need a certain amount of water droplets to drink from: they will not take to bowls of water, and should not be forced to. The water that condenses on leaves and branches from misting their environment is their main source of hydration. Some chams need the misting to trigger them to drink, even if they have a dripper going as well. I would not recommend reducing the amount of water available for them to drink, when getting more water into chams is often the problem. Their habitats aren't crazy humid: only 60% or so for veilds and panthers, spiking upwards a few times a day. I work with several reptile species that require 90% humidty or more constantly: now those are wet environments! The humidity of chameleons is fairly reasonable, in comparison. The idea with wet environments is to keep the air flow high, as that will help prevent the growth of mold. You should be cleaning the cage daily: removing feces, shed skin, dead feeders etc so that there is minimal amount of debris for bacteria and mold to grow on. This is also why I don't use substrate with my cham (besides the risk of them eating it): it gets waterlogged too quickly and molds. As long as you have good air flow and a reliable drainage system, minimal debris and are not relying on a substrate to soak up the excess, a misting schedule will only encourage your cham to drink more- which is a goal of cham owners everywhere.

 

[The Learned Lizard]

Hi can you let us know the basking temp and the temp towards the bottom please. What size cage do you have.What cham are we talking about too please.

 

[KrinsCham]

@TLL. I have a Panther Chameleon, he is a rescue I have no idea what his age is, he appears to be a younger adult, he has only been with me for two weeks. Cage is Temp of cage has been averaging 77 18" from the bottom and 83 12" from the top during the day. Spot light sits 10" from perch, but to be honest I haven't measured the temp at that exact point. I assume it would be at least 5-10 degrees hotter than the average temp, but I should check. He has only sat in the spot for a short period of time but is usually on another perch, doesn't seem cold. Living dimensions 35 1/2x 27" 58"@highest mid point 48" average height, furnished with a Hibiscus and a Gardena plants.
@Miss Lisa, Thanks for the advice. I do recognize the need for hydration and that some chameleons need the misting to stimulate them to drink. Still wondering if perhaps there may be another to create the humidity spikes and hydration without routinely wetting the entire environment.

 

[MissLissa]

@Miss Lisa, Thanks for the advice. I do recognize the need for hydration and that some chameleons need the misting to stimulate them to drink. Still wondering if perhaps there may be another to create the humidity spikes and hydration without routinely wetting the entire environment.

There might be, but I would not recommend it. Regular misting, either by hand or by an automatic mister, should absolutely happen at least twice a day- and that only if you also have a dripper running the rest of the time. A humidifier can be used to maintain humidity and a dripper running for a few hours may stimulate some chams to drink, but honestly I don't think I've ever heard of someone successfully maintaining a chameleon without regular misting. The whole cage does not have to be soaked: you can aim the mist to a certain part of the cage, for example, but enough leaves need to be wetted to encourage the cham to drink, and to maintain the humidity required. Misting encourages them to clean their turrets, too, which is very important, and will also help with shedding, etc.

I'm not even sure why you'd want to reduce the mistings- as long as the rest of your husbandry is spot-on, there really is not a lot of risk for mold or bacterial growth. The methods and equipment you would need to replace it would be a lot more complicated and prone to misuse, I would think. Misting is simple and effective, does not have to be expensive, with many benefits for your cham, and all the draw backs can be accommodated for.

Did you have something else in mind?