Keeping humidity in

[crystal9534]

we have a large zoo-med open air enclosure and we have a waterfall with a fogger on the bottom of the cage. we're using press n seal to keep the moisture in on the bottom. what other ways can we keep the moisture in up top without blocking all the air flow? and without making it look tacky?

 

[Leilaskeeper]

Esthetics shouldn`t be a first concern. Your chameleons health should be. I suggest you toss the waterfall as it harbours bacteria and could cause your chameleon health problems. Instead, I would recommend using real plants like a pothos or a schefflera to make your chams enclosure look nice, it also assists with humidity and some chams do eat the plants as well. If you still have humidity issues, mist 2-3 times a day, use a shower curtain to cover some of the walls of the enclosure, use a humidifier ... these are all things I do and work well. It can be challenging but well worth it!

I`m not sure if a fogger is necessary for a chameleon ... but today, I was reading about it while I was working (I work at a exotic reptile store) and it says it is okay for chameleons but I`m sure ppl will tell you otherwise. I have no experience with it so I cannot say.

Cheers!

 

[pssh]

Foggers don't usually work as well as humidifiers. Ditch the waterfall, chams poop in them, bugs drown in them, then the Cham drinks the poopy-dead bug water. Gross, and not good.

Shower curtains help. What species do you have?

 

[crystal9534]

we have a veiled. the fogger has been doin pretty good about keeping it humid on the bottom. we're just hoping they'll take them back since we've been using it for 3 days. would a humidifier coming from the top of the cage be ok? we're new to chams, so any info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Leilaskeeper]

Foggers don't usually work as well as humidifiers. Ditch the waterfall, chams poop in them, bugs drown in them, then the Cham drinks the poopy-dead bug water. Gross, and not good.

Shower curtains help. What species do you have?

You know I got that shower curtain advice from you and it works great, I must say. Poopy-dead bug water sounds so appetizing, doesn't it? lol

 

[Leilaskeeper]

Can u tell us more about your husbandry ... what are the temps/humidity levels? Where do you keep the enclosure? Is it close to a window?

 

[Cainschams]

I hope you do not get offended by what I say, Crystal. It could just be the small pic but the veiled in your avatar looks fat Lots of times pet shops and even online sources will give incorrect info on keeping chameleons. Even the easier more commonly kept species such as veileds and panthers. I will post a link for you. Maybe you could fill it out and repost it here. There are many people here willing to help create the best environment and husbandry for your animal

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[pssh]

A humidifier would work, if you do a search I believe there are tutorials on how to attach PVC pipe to direct it to the cage.

If you like, you can post all your husbandry info and we can help you out with what is working and what could use a little help. There is a form in the health clinic section in the thread titled 'how to ask for help' that you would fill out and post here if you wanted to do that.

 

[crystal9534]

yea i think she looks fat too lol. the guy at the store said to get a waterfall and a fogger so we did. is the zoo med repti fogger good? *going to fill out thingie*

 

[Elizadolots]

Is it possible to put the waterfall/fogger on a shelf near the cage? That might help with your overall humidity, keep it out of the poop zone and at least get some use out of it if the store won't take it back.

 

[Leilaskeeper]

yea i think she looks fat too lol. the guy at the store said to get a waterfall and a fogger so we did. is the zoo med repti fogger good? *going to fill out thingie*

Personally, I think most of the products on the market aimed at reptiles are overpriced. You might be able to find a humidifier for a lot cheaper. Try craigslist too .. people give these things away for cheap! If you think your veiled is fat, you might want to consider reducing her food intake.

I have a female veiled - I give her 2, maybe 3 of either/or crix/butterworms/superworms/silkworms a day. Some suggest giving a few every other day. Whatever you prefer .. but just make sure she doesn't eat much. If anything, feed her some collards, shredded carrot or something nutritional. Look for sandrachameleon's blog link (you can find the link under one of her posts) .. she has very useful information regarding nutritional content in each veggie/fruit.

One big reason why reducing a female veileds food intake is important is because it directly effects how many eggs she can produce. Too many eggs = egg binding = possible death. Reducing her food intake will help with this a lot!

 

[Leilaskeeper]

Is it possible to put the waterfall/fogger on a shelf near the cage? That might help with your overall humidity, keep it out of the poop zone and at least get some use out of it if the store won't take it back.

The fogger has a tube that shoots into the enclosure. I don't believe it's directly inside ... but without the waterfall in the enclosure, it's kinda pointless. It's just esthetic really. Pet stores sell this crap to people who don't know any better. I hate hearing all the stories about commercial pet stores doing this to people. Do they even get commission? If they cared about animals, they would be concerned with giving proper advice and care on pet ownership and proper ways to take care of them.

 

[Cainschams]

Please fill out the "thingie" as detailed as possible.

Some main points I would ask are. How long have you had her, food intake, supplements, and do you have a laying bin in for her? All of the other questions on the form are just as important but at the moment it seems she may be gravid (pregnant), overfed or both. Again could be the small pic. More clearer and larger shots of her would help tremendously.

 

[crystal9534]

the fogger we have now sits inside the waterfall.
she doesn't eat too much actually. maybe 3 crickets and 2 or so mealworms a day. we've had her since tuesday so the store's to blame for fattening her up. i guess she's already had problems with egg impaction

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[Cainschams]

the fogger we have now sits inside the waterfall.
she doesn't eat too much actually. maybe 3 crickets and 2 or so mealworms a day. we've had her since tuesday so the store's to blame for fattening her up. i guess she's already had problems with egg impaction

Already problems with laying is not good. Yes, obviously the petstore is to blame if you have only had her for a few days. They will try to sell you anything and everything they can with the animal. Waterfall needs to go. Just not easy enough to keep clean. Live plants and a humidifier are the best ways to keep humidity up. Veileds are hardy and do not need outrageous humidity to stay healthy. I think the first thing to be taken care of is to construct a laying bin for her.

Has she been roaming a lot or staying at the bottom? Scratching in any potted plants, if you have them? Have you researched how to provide a laying bin? Chameleons can produce and need to lay eggs even if never mated.

Edit: Could be she is just way over fed. I just think something looks off in the small picture, could be wrong. If you could provide larger pics of her it would help.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Humidity is the least of your worries.
Please post a bigger picture of her ... as Jared suggested, she needs a place to lay eggs and may need it sooner rather than later.

-Brad

 

[crystal9534]

no, she's been up in her tree, getting used to her larger enclosure. they said not to worry about a laying bin until she comes down to the bottom but i wanted to get one sooner. they said get a kitty litter box and use some sort of special sand.

 

[Leilaskeeper]

About that picture .. I have no experience with MBD .. but I've seen similar pics with chams and ligaments that bend like the way this cham does .. just a thought? Her body looks nothing compared to my girl ... the limbs are much more defined and not curved at the joints. A little concerning ..?

Does this cham have spurs at the back of its hind legs by any chance???

Kitty litter? I'm so glad you found these forums. You need a bin that you can easily fit her in so she can move around, that is at least 6-8" deep so she can dig and use moist organic soil. Make sure it is well covered with foliage for privacy.

 

[DGray]

... the fogger we have now sits inside the waterfall.
...

I concur; get the waterfall and the submerged fogger out of the environment. If you want a direct way to increase humidity, I would look at the tutorials on connecting a ultrasonic humidifier to the cage via pipes. Works great for my montane T. quadricornis.

Oh Yeah:
Poopy dead-bug-water. I know this substance well. Can we now officially designate this PDBW? I think its time for this meme.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

You need to stop listening to "them"

Here is some information you should read:

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Meal worms are terrible for her and have been known to cause impaction and prolapse problems.
Feeding her everyday is a bad idea even if it's only one or two feeders (in my opinion).
She also appears to have a bit of edema which may indicate that she is cycling eggs .. it could also be the result of over or under supplementation, not enough water or a genetic predetermination.
You need to fill out the how to ask for help questions.


-Brad