Improving air flow.

[gabe-p]

Hi everyone, I am a new panther chameleon owner and am looking for some help…. We got our boy Rango around 8 months ago and have him set up in a wooden vivarium which was recommended by the reptile store. He has a bioactive environment with 6 real plants and the appropriate soil, draining etc. He has a basking light set around 33°c on during the day and due to our old house has a night heater that kicks in whenever the temp drops below 19°c overnight. Due to our custom viv being made up of two 3ft x 2ft vivs stacked on top of one another with the conjoining bottom and top cut out to make a whole one, it actually has 6 ventilation ports. However, a month back he started getting raspy a raspy breath every so often. We took him to an exotic vet who specifically specialises in chameleons and he doesn’t believe it is an infection but a husbandry issue, we have narrowed it down to humidity level due to after speaking with the vet who asked if we had a hygrometer (we didn’t as the reptile shop said we didn’t need to worry about one). However, we got one straight away and have been tweaking our sprays etc to try and get the humidity level right, however, no matter what we do we are unable to get the humidity level below 70 during the day which after reading I realised that is far too high. I am debating putting two new vents in the enclosure to help cross ventilation, but am worried that this will affect the temperature.

I am looking for any advice, I am fully aware that I am probably doing a few things wrong and are open to learning how to give my boy the best life I can. I have attached two recent photos of the enclosure and Rango!

Thank you.

 

[Lucas00-]

You can buy a pc fan and sit it on top of your enclosure in the back corner so it cycles new air through the bottom and out the top to create the chimney effect. I was dealing with something similar a while back and it’s helped out a a lot. They aren’t too loud and are easy to set up. They make reptile ones but they pretty much do the same thing.

 

[gabe-p]

I did think about doing that after I install these larger vents, but I was put off as the reptile place I got him from advised not too? But I think I will as there is no harm giving it a try.

Thank you!

 

[Carlton]

I did think about doing that after I install these larger vents, but I was put off as the reptile place I got him from advised not too? But I think I will as there is no harm giving it a try.

Thank you!

Based on some of the less than stellar advice that "reptile place" gave you (no hygrometer needed when keeping a humidity-sensitive herp?? A wooden viv?? Don't use a vent fan??), I would be skeptical about things they recommend. You wouldn't necessarily need to run a small vent fan 24/7. You could control it with a simple programmable timer that creates lower and higher humidity cycles and air exchange within a 24 hour period. This forum would provide a much more knowledgeable place to get a critique of your setup and husbandry. Run it by us!

 

[Lucas00-]

I did think about doing that after I install these larger vents, but I was put off as the reptile place I got him from advised not too? But I think I will as there is no harm giving it a try.

Thank you!

I’m definitely not a pro but I was given that information from some people on here, I don’t have air directly blowing into the cage disturbing him though. It’s more just promoting air flow and keeps the air from being stagnant.

 

[MistakenCritter]

Ok I live in the UK so my female is in a similar setup, I had the same issue as you, I have a pc fan connected to a bottom vent on the right and a usb fan pulling air out on the screen top, but my humidity was still too high during the day (between 60 and 70), I racked my brains trying to figure out a way to reduce the humidity, then I had an idea, I went to my local aquatic shop and purchased a aquaone jump guard, I made a mesh door the same size as one of the glass doors and that has completely solved my issue, humidity now sits between 40-50% through the day, and I mist with a Amazon WiFi mister for 1 min at 7.20pm (lights go of at 7pm) then fog at 15 mins intervals then 1 HR break then 15 mins fog eye. Etc from 11pm untill 5.30pm, using the mars hydro fogger and I control unit, here's a picture with the homemade screen door, I sent for the aqua one jump guard as the edging around the screen has a lip that sits perfectly into the runners where the glass sits so still functions as a sliding door too, all I had to do was swap the mesh that came with the jump guard to a mospuito net I had laying around, also ignore the fake plants, they were literally in there until my big mostera plant turned up, which Is now in and thriving, it does look a bit odd with the black surround around the mesh door but it's not horrendous I don't think personally

 

[gabe-p]

Based on some of the less than stellar advice that "reptile place" gave you (no hygrometer needed when keeping a humidity-sensitive herp?? A wooden viv?? Don't use a vent fan??), I would be skeptical about things they recommend. You wouldn't necessarily need to run a small vent fan 24/7. You could control it with a simple programmable timer that creates lower and higher humidity cycles and air exchange within a 24 hour period. This forum would provide a much more knowledgeable place to get a critique of your setup and husbandry. Run it by us!

Exactly my thinking! Since they keep contradicting the conditions of how to look after a chameleon I have been out off them. That’s when I found this forum and I’m glad I did.

I am installing two more vents today which are big enough to mount a fan in!

I will definitely keep using this forum, thank you very much!

 

[gabe-p]

Ok I live in the UK so my female is in a similar setup, I had the same issue as you, I have a pc fan connected to a bottom vent on the right and a usb fan pulling air out on the screen top, but my humidity was still too high during the day (between 60 and 70), I racked my brains trying to figure out a way to reduce the humidity, then I had an idea, I went to my local aquatic shop and purchased a aquaone jump guard, I made a mesh door the same size as one of the glass doors and that has completely solved my issue, humidity now sits between 40-50% through the day, and I mist with a Amazon WiFi mister for 1 min at 7.20pm (lights go of at 7pm) then fog at 15 mins intervals then 1 HR break then 15 mins fog eye. Etc from 11pm untill 5.30pm, using the mars hydro fogger and I control unit, here's a picture with the homemade screen door, I sent for the aqua one jump guard as the edging around the screen has a lip that sits perfectly into the runners where the glass sits so still functions as a sliding door too, all I had to do was swap the mesh that came with the jump guard to a mospuito net I had laying around, also ignore the fake plants, they were literally in there until my big mostera plant turned up, which Is now in and thriving, it does look a bit odd with the black surround around the mesh door but it's not horrendous I don't think personally

That is a really good idea, my only skepticism is that we live in an old single brick house and it doesn’t hold heat whatsoever. I’m not saying that won’t work for me but I’m worried it would allow too much heat to escape? I don’t know tho. I will definitely keep it in mind, thankyou for the suggestion!

 

[Sticktongue]

That is a really good idea, my only skepticism is that we live in an old single brick house and it doesn’t hold heat whatsoever. I’m not saying that won’t work for me but I’m worried it would allow too much heat to escape? I don’t know tho. I will definitely keep it in mind, thankyou for the suggestion!

You shouldn’t need to worry about that unless your temps are getting below like 55 at night. Nighttime drops are actually a major benefit, and often times a must with certain species. Looks like your heater kicks on at 19 Celsius, so 66 F. You’re just fine! I often get mine down to the mid 50s… different species but you get my point.

I run PC fans on a timer. I have them blow into the cage for a couple hours mid morning, then a couple hours in the afternoon. I can’t hardly hear them and it drys it out perfectly for me to 40-50% during the day. You’re going to need to do some experimenting, but fans are your answer for sure.

 

[gabe-p]

You shouldn’t need to worry about that unless your temps are getting below like 55 at night. Nighttime drops are actually a major benefit, and often times a must with certain species. Looks like your heater kicks on at 19 Celsius, so 66 F. You’re just fine! I often get mine down to the mid 50s… different species but you get my point.

I run PC fans on a timer. I have them blow into the cage for a couple hours mid morning, then a couple hours in the afternoon. I can’t hardly hear them and it drys it out perfectly for me to 40-50% during the day. You’re going to need to do some experimenting, but fans are your answer for sure.

Okay well that makes me feel better in regards to the heat. I will invest in some PC fans, but in the meantimes I have just installed two more vents to try cross ventilate and hopefully until the fans arrive that will work.

Have also installed a dripper as I have started to spray less and wanted to ensure he had access to water.

Thankyou very much!

 

[jmerrick27]

Hi everyone, I am a new panther chameleon owner and am looking for some help…. We got our boy Rango around 8 months ago and have him set up in a wooden vivarium which was recommended by the reptile store. He has a bioactive environment with 6 real plants and the appropriate soil, draining etc. He has a basking light set around 33°c on during the day and due to our old house has a night heater that kicks in whenever the temp drops below 19°c overnight. Due to our custom viv being made up of two 3ft x 2ft vivs stacked on top of one another with the conjoining bottom and top cut out to make a whole one, it actually has 6 ventilation ports. However, a month back he started getting raspy a raspy breath every so often. We took him to an exotic vet who specifically specialises in chameleons and he doesn’t believe it is an infection but a husbandry issue, we have narrowed it down to humidity level due to after speaking with the vet who asked if we had a hygrometer (we didn’t as the reptile shop said we didn’t need to worry about one). However, we got one straight away and have been tweaking our sprays etc to try and get the humidity level right, however, no matter what we do we are unable to get the humidity level below 70 during the day which after reading I realised that is far too high. I am debating putting two new vents in the enclosure to help cross ventilation, but am worried that this will affect the temperature.

I am looking for any advice, I am fully aware that I am probably doing a few things wrong and are open to learning how to give my boy the best life I can. I have attached two recent photos of the enclosure and Rango!

Thank you.

So I have two fans one is a regular 4" desktop fan that's on daily to circulate the air and a PC fan that automatically switches on if humidity gets to high during the day which it hasn't raised above 50% during the day and during the nighttime the humidity sits between 85-90% from the fogger and at that time the fan will not kick on because they benefit from high humidity at night time, my day time temps sit at 27-29°C and drops about 5-6°C overnight, I mist for 2 minutes before lights come on and 2.5 minutes before lights go off, although I recently started shutting off her basking light an 1 before lights out to bring down the overall enclosure temps for the nighttime benefit, this is what I found out that works and she's hella happy with it so whatever I'm doing she's responding positively