My Ambiole Panther looks dry

[jadeaudio]

OK, 1st off he is very healthy and eats and is fully hydrated. But he looks dry on the top of his head. This started when I started filling the misting bucket with hot water from the tap. Because it is very cold now as I am in Michigan. I have a mistking and I bought an aquarium submersible heater, but it doesn't get the water as hot as I would like. Plus if I put cold water in it would take a long time to heat it all the way up and I go through the entire 5 gallon bucket everyday as it runs 4 cages. Does hot water from the tap cause dryness of the skin more than typical cold water from the tap?

When I use cold water the chams hate it and it cools the temps of the cage too much and I like to run the mister for 5 minute sessions. My Panther loves heat. When it got cold he didn't want to eat, so I added a 2nd lamp besides his basking 75 watt lamp on the other side of the cage with a standard 60 watt bulb and his appetite and activity came back. When lights are off ambient is 70. When lights are on ambient jumps to 75 to 77 while his basking spot is around 85. When dry the cage only reads 42% humidity and after mistings it goes to about 77% humidity. I even followed the DIY humidifier for the cage where I ran PVC piping to the top of the cage and I run that often, but I do not notice the humidity going up at all on the gauge. Any suggestions or thoughts?

 

[summoner12]

Hot water tends to have more minerals in the water... maybe he is getting some build up? Keep an eye on you nozzles... they will clog faster with hot water.

He also might be coming up on a shed...

what kind of gauge?

that is a low basking temp BTW. are you using a spot or flood lamp? or just a household lamp?

 

[jadeaudio]

what kind of gauge?

that is a low basking temp BTW. are you using a spot or flood lamp? or just a household lamp?

The gauge I use is the digital exo terra that reads both temp and humidity. I use that just to measure the ambient and then I have a on gun style temp reader where I point to any spot and it reads the temps. I bought it from LLL.

I am using the Zoo Med 75 watt basking bulb for his basking spot. I have the vine about 8 inches from the top of the cage, so he cannot be that close to the light to prevent him from getting burned. His actual body is around 4 inches from the top of the screen. So 85 is not hot enough for his basking spot?

 

[summoner12]

The gauge I use is the digital exo terra that reads both temp and humidity. I use that just to measure the ambient and then I have a on gun style temp reader where I point to any spot and it reads the temps. I bought it from LLL.

I am using the Zoo Med 75 watt basking bulb for his basking spot. I have the vine about 8 inches from the top of the cage, so he cannot be that close to the light to prevent him from getting burned. His actual body is around 4 inches from the top of the screen. So 85 is not hot enough for his basking spot?

I use 50w zoo med spot lamps and the vine is about 6-8" from the lamp and my chams go to it and then leave. the ambient lately has been in the low to mid 70s for the first half of the day and they don't seem to have issues keeping warm. If you have the laser temp gun from LLL you'll need to read the temp up close to him. the beam ratio is like 1/1 on those. so at one inch away from him the laser sees a one inch circle on him. At five inches away it is a five inch circle.... so if your too far it reads funny. 85 isn't tooooo cold... I just think it should be warmer with a 75w lamp. I had a 75w lamp and my veiled burned himself the first day he had it.

Here you see he has no more little spikes

 

[jadeaudio]

I use 50w zoo med spot lamps and the vine is about 6-8" from the lamp and my chams go to it and then leave. the ambient lately has been in the low to mid 70s for the first half of the day and they don't seem to have issues keeping warm. If you have the laser temp gun from LLL you'll need to read the temp up close to him. the beam ratio is like 1/1 on those. so at one inch away from him the laser sees a one inch circle on him. At five inches away it is a five inch circle.... so if your too far it reads funny. 85 isn't tooooo cold... I just think it should be warmer with a 75w lamp. I had a 75w lamp and my veiled burned himself the first day he had it.

Here you see he has no more little spikes

Well of course he burned himself. He has a gigantic head! LOL!

Anyways right below the screen where the basking light is reads 105 degrees if the laser is right under it, but where I mark the distance of where he can sit it's only about 85 degrees. I think your right though he might be ready to shed. That might be why. I'm still gonna leave the humidifer running into the cage even though I cannot tell if it is helping or not. The fog looks cool, but the humidity gauge does not seem to go up.

 

[Chameleonboy]

Time for a shed maybe. I have herd alot of bad things about using warm water for misting. ALOT of bad things about bacteria forming. Thats why I don't use a heater. You may want to take it out. Just a suggestion. A hubmidefire would be better im guessing, ditch the fogger lol. Is it 105 where he is basking?

-Clemonde

 

[jadeaudio]

Time for a shed maybe. I have herd alot of bad things about using warm water for misting. ALOT of bad things about bacteria forming. Thats why I don't use a heater. You may want to take it out. Just a suggestion. A hubmidefire would be better im guessing, ditch the fogger lol. Is it 105 where he is basking?

-Clemonde

It's only 85 degrees on where he basks. I was saying right under the light right below the mesh it reads 105, but where he can actually reach it's only 85 degrees. I do use a humidifer, but I have PVC piping hooked up to it to shoot it right into the cage and I cannot tell if that is helping or not.

How can the hot water have more bacteria than the cold water? I run it as hot as it gets. It's not warm. It is hot, but when it comes out of the mister it still not that warm. I am gonna have to try doing the coffee machine inline heater that I saw on the forum. That'll save me on the electric bill also since it only comes on when the mister comes on compared to the heater that stays on 24 hours a day.

 

[Chameleonboy]

It's only 85 degrees on where he basks. I was saying right under the light right below the mesh it reads 105, but where he can actually reach it's only 85 degrees. I do use a humidifer, but I have PVC piping hooked up to it to shoot it right into the cage and I cannot tell if that is helping or not.

How can the hot water have more bacteria than the cold water? I run it as hot as it gets. It's not warm. It is hot, but when it comes out of the mister it still not that warm. I am gonna have to try doing the coffee machine inline heater that I saw on the forum. That'll save me on the electric bill also since it only comes on when the mister comes on compared to the heater that stays on 24 hours a day.

This is what I found. I also did see something about an inline heater that goes on with a timer check that out as well.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/hydor-inline-heater-vs-22109/


-Clemonde

 

[mrodriguez186]

That is a sign or a burn you chameleon is too close to the heat light bring it down couple of inches more like 5-6 more if your room tempeture drops below fifty you need a heat at night other than that hill do fine