Need help getting temp down and humidity up

[Reyrots8]

I need help getting my veileds humidity up. I already use acrylic sheets over his cage at night, I have a humidifier and I mist, (whenever I see the levels too low for my liking.) I have live plants as well. I put a fan next to his cage but it’s in front of the acrylic on rotate. so it doesn’t dry him out, it’s also at a distance. Any other advice to get them up it’s more or less just be being anxious. I’m a first time owner of a chameleon. He seems fine he’s getting enough moisture though doesn’t ever drink from water drops. which supposedly is a good sign from what I’ve read.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome! What are your temps and humidity levels at during the day and at night? Can you post some pics of your enclosure?

 

[Reyrots8]

Hi and welcome! What are your temps and humidity levels at during the day and at night? Can you post some pics of your enclosure?

Yeah the levels during the day are temp wise 80 and humidity wise 49% to 50% those are good just at night the temps are around 76 and the humidity is in the 60’s I can get it up for brief periods of time but it never sticks.

 

[MissSkittles]

Yeah the levels during the day are temp wise 80 and humidity wise 49% to 50% those are good just at night the temps are around 76 and the humidity is in the 60’s I can get it up for brief periods of time but it never sticks.

Day time is good, but at night since your temps aren’t below at least 68F, you don’t want to boost your humidity. While it is ideal to do so at night, not all of us can achieve low enough temps to do so without risking causing respiratory infection. I’m in Florida and it just isn’t possible for me and my chameleons are ok.
I would like to offer some help to improve your chameleon’s enclosure. I do really like that you’ve got all live plants instead of fake ones. You do need to add many more branches and vines to give your cham some little roads to travel. If you can get some plants up higher to provide some leaf cover, that would be even better.
It is a challenge to hang things when the walls are made of screen. One solution is Dragon Ledges. https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ These are fantastic and almost worth their weight in gold. Another solution, and one which I’ve used on my last few enclosure builds is garden trellis. I’ll post pics below. While maybe not quite as sturdy as Dragon Ledges, it is close and will hold the weight of many branches and some plants too. A third solution is to create a scaffolding type frame using the metal frame of the enclosure to attach sturdy relatively straight branches to vertically and then attach horizontal branches to those in an ‘H’ type of shape. Then you can attach more climbing branches to this scaffolding that you made. These are all easiest to do with either a helper or with the enclosure taken apart.
Once you have a way to attach, fill it up with branches of various sizes to help exercise those little mitten feet muscles. You can use natural branches collected outside. Just avoid pines, eucalyptus and others with heavy saps and odors. Give a wash with some dish soap, rinse very well and let dry in the sun. No need to bake, bleach, remove bark or any of that. I even leave the lichen on mine if it doesn’t wash off. Black zip ties are perfect for attaching the branches together. If you have a sturdy enough support for some plants, the double pot method is great. Making sure to have several points of support, zip ties and empty pot where you’d like it. Then you can insert a planted pot of the same inside the empty. If needed/wanted, it’s super easy to remove and replace the plant. Don’t forget drain holes. You want to try to replicate a forest edge. Adding several pics below to give you an idea of a goal. I have additional words to offer, but will post them separately.

Just started attaching some support branches to the trellis.


This was for a baby, so I used the scaffolding method to attach branches. These were just the main supports.


This was using Dragon Ledges and set up for a panther. I had some tropical plants, so added a planted pot light on top.


Using trellis, this is a double sized that I set up for a panther. If you are wondering about the bottom, it is fully bioactive.

 

[Reyrots8]

Thanks for the ideas on the plants I’ve been trying to figure out ways to hang more. I’m also in Florida I think sacrificing the humidity is probably the best solution. Thanks for all the help I really appreciate it.

 

[MissSkittles]

Thanks for the ideas on the plants I’ve been trying to figure out ways to hang more. I’m also in Florida I think sacrificing the humidity is probably the best solution. Thanks for all the help I really appreciate it.

Sure, anytime. I am assuming that your uvb is a T5 with either a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. If so, then you want your basking branch to be about 8-9” below your lights. Do be careful about having your enclosure in front of the window. The heat can come in and get him super hot.

 

[Reyrots8]

Sure, anytime. I am assuming that your uvb is a T5 with either a ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia 6%. If so, then you want your basking branch to be about 8-9” below your lights. Do be careful about having your enclosure in front of the window. The heat can come in and get him super hot.

I check it every once and awhile it doesn’t get too bad since there’s a bush and a house kinda blocking the sun. Though he does prefer the natural light.