Her name is adorable
Explains your username!
Yeah I hear ya on the enclosure. Dry climates are usually the only environments where glass enclosures are used. Once I saw you were in Colorado, I went "Ohhhhhhh". Your humidity levels seem fine as is, so I *think* you're okay. But it would be great to hear from keeper's in Colorado to know what they do.
No you shouldn't be misting that often. You want to give the enclosure a chance to dry out between misiting sessions. If it is constantly damp/moist, then bacteria will start to grow and that can cause an upper respiratory infection. You are correct in that they only drink from moving water. But two longer sessions a day should be fine. The way to tell if a chameleon is hydrated/getting enough water, is by their urates, or the white part of their poop. If they look white/cream she is okay. If they start to look bright orange, then she may not be getting enough water and you can make adjustments. You just have to be SUPER careful if you're using glass to give it time to dry out. Totally fine to go without misting at night.
Ah okay. Yes turn off all lights at night. Go for 12 hours on, and 12 hours off. You can pick up an outlet timer from Walmart, Target, Amazon for $3 to automate this for you. You only need to worry if it gets colder than 60F in the room she is in. And even then don't turn lights on, use a ceramic heater or portable room heater.
YAY for getting the new UVB bulb
Make sure it is a T5 NOT a T8.
The more kinds of bugs you can feed her, the better. It'd be like feeding a human PB&Js all day every day. Some good bugs to feed are dubia roaches, black solider fly larvae, super worms, hornworms, silk worms, occasional wax worms, and flying bugs. You can buy all of these online if you can't find them locally.
Broccoli is on the bad list for gutload. Apples are on the only-okay list for gutload. There are better things you could be using.
Good ingredients to use for gutloading: mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, watercress and alfalfa
Sort of good things to use for gutloading: sweet potato, carrots, oranges, mango, butternut squash, kale, apples, beet greens, blackberries, bok choy and green beans
Dry ingredients to use: bee pollen, organic non-salted sunflower seeds, spirulina, dried seaweed, flax seed and organic non-salted almonds
Bad things to use for gutloading: potatoes, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, corn, grains, beans, oats, bread, cereal, meat, eggs, dog food, cat food, fish food, canned or dead insects, and vertebrates
Foods to boost immune health: Bee pollen, Cantaloupe, Carrots, Green Peppers, Kale, Mangoes, Turnip Greens, Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, Oranges, Nectarines, Tangerines, Peaches, Pink Grapefruit, Pumpkin, Squash, Sweet Potato, Berries, Apples, Nuts, and Watermelon
Foods to aid with nerve and eye health: whole grains, dark leafy greens, flax seed, almonds, and Brazil nuts
Yes, I'd attribute her colors to the issues with husbandry. I don't see any reason to take her to the vet at this point. Once the changes are made she should be feeling MUCH better. She could also be getting close to shedding. Chams will turn paler and duller in color as they get ready to shed.
. I do plan on getting he a larger cage as she grows bigger though. I guess I can return this cage for the repti breeze but I feel like it's going to stess her out emptying this cage and putting her in a new one all over again .
