Need Help on Humidity

[Cali Reaper]

Hello i am a new owner of a beautiful 2 months an half Panther Chameleom and i got him today his cage is 18x18x30 wire all around, i have been striggljng to raise his humidity, i mist it for 15 minutes and it nerly gets to 61 % and then i bought a fogger but it doesnt raise it all am i doing something wrong, his basking temperature is 84-90 and other side is 80-84 bottome is 75-79 i have live planta like a croton and real branches, he is active but i worry because i am new and dont want to lose him, he is our family now. please advise. Thank you

 

[kplatvoet]

What are you using to test your humidity ? If your misting for 15 min and it only goes up to 61% I think your problem is what your using to check on it. Before you stress yourself out try a different method to test it - (I learned this when the cheap stick on I had was off by a bunch on both temp & humidity)
What you want is spikes not a constant - and your cage needs to dry out between mistings or you'll have a bacteria growing ground.
Have you read "Poop 101" ? Lack of humidity will show in his poop and activity level- He's also new so he needs some time to adjust and so do you (it sounds like) Sounds like you did your research before you got him - Keep to the care sheets and you'll do fine.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/panther/

 

[Cali Reaper]

I am using a degital humity o bought at home depo and ill check his poop but as of now i have not seen poop yet but ill check when i get back from work. I just bought a Mist King so in afew days he will be covered. Thanks yeah I did everyday reaserch on caring for a chameleon its fascinating how they live and take care of. I will report if i see my chameleon is poop is bad.

 

[kplatvoet]

You can cover 3 sides with plastic wrap or bubble - but I think with live plants and a fogger it's the gadge not the cage. I liked using a dripper when my guy was small especially as he was quite shy at first. (if you try it you use something catch the water make sure he can't fall in it) Some chameleons are shy drinking in front of people- (I've only seen my flapneck drink once and I've had her for almost a year) Hopefully you'll see yours drinking and his activity level will continue to be good.

 

[Cali Reaper]

I checked his stool and its brown thats good right? And i think so too because i have a temp gun and keeps telling a different temperature than the gage is telling me, here are the pictures of, i hope they load up.

 

[SipeCsus]

Live plants will solve ur problem.. Do u have live plants in ur enclosue?

 

[kplatvoet]

There should be a part at the begining that is white - if he's dehydrated it will be more orange - they tend to get a bit of an orange tint the less freshly made it is- and if he was shipped to you he may have gotten a bit dehydrated in shipping so don't panic if you don't see the white or if it's sightly tinged with orange.
There are some really gross pictures here - but it's one of the best way to judge health -
https://www.chameleonforums.com/poop-101-a-120171/

 

[Cali Reaper]

Sipescus yea i have nothing but live plants in the cage i have a croton pot and two small devil vines.

He left alot of brown looking stool it might of left an orange but it didn't look like it, yes it was shipped and and now i have observed that he want to bight on the marbles in the plants, i left them there because i didnt want him to eat the soil but he really tries to bite on the and the edge of the pot, what kind of behavior is that? Sorry i couldnt load any pictures because im on my mobile devices.

 

[kplatvoet]

I'm wondering if he thinks the marbles are wet ? I use pond stones - but it might just be he's getting used to his new home- that a new one for me-

 

[Cali Reaper]

these my cage set up and the last picture is the most recent temp, i just bought that petco humidity temp to see if the gauge is off, so what do you guys think? that exactly what i thought he was doing drinking water but he is so aggressive with those marbles.

 

[Cali Reaper]

sorry the pictures came out sideways

 

[Cali Reaper]

he is spending the night at the bottom with the lights on but when i turn it off he goes back up.am i being paranoid?

 

[kplatvoet]

He looks good - he has a determined look on his face not a I don't feel good and his eyes are bright - It may be too hot for him at the top - try having his basking more in one corner (I cant see it in the picture so that might be where you have it) or go with a bit lower wattage (you can use a daylight bulb) In the smaller cages it's harder to get a cooler spot -
When your saying on the bottom he's still on the plant right? Just near the bottom of the cage? Mine always found a tree branch nearer to the bottom well hidden when he knew it was bed time -
The temps for a juvenile are a little lower than for a bigger guy/
Baby/juvenile (<9 months): ambient 72-80F (22-26C), basking 82F (28C)
More plant coverage and branches will give him more chances to feel safe and secure-

 

[Cali Reaper]

He looks good - he has a determined look on his face not a I don't feel good and his eyes are bright - It may be too hot for him at the top - try having his basking more in one corner (I cant see it in the picture so that might be where you have it) or go with a bit lower wattage (you can use a daylight bulb) In the smaller cages it's harder to get a cooler spot -
When your saying on the bottom he's still on the plant right? Just near the bottom of the cage? Mine always found a tree branch nearer to the bottom well hidden when he knew it was bed time -
The temps for a juvenile are a little lower than for a bigger guy/
Baby/juvenile (<9 months): ambient 72-80F (22-26C), basking 82F (28C)
More plant coverage and branches will give him more chances to feel safe and secure-

Kplatvpet, thank you i was feeling so insecure with these behavior since im new for caring to a chameleon, so at least i know i am noy doing too bad i will do some little adjustments.

 

[Sanababit]

The only advice i can give you is to stop chasing humidity, i have 2 phanters in mesh cages, humidity troughout the day is between 30-80%, sometimes even lower, i mist 5 times a day for 1 minute with my mistking system, i have live ficcus inside both cages, and drippers too, FWIW, as long as they have some humidity going they will be fine, good luck, and this paranoia will soon subside once you get to know your little buddy better, oh forgot to add that they are outside still, come november they are moving inside the house

Sana

 

[Blakemacdonson]

i use a warm mist humidifier from rite aid. i keep the door to his room slightly cracked and the humidity stays around 70, at night i use a cool mist humidifier and the humidity drops to around 55. Both the humidifiers are on the floor of the room he's in. Thats the best i can do considering i live in a very dry place. Ive used a reptile fogger in the past and they don't provide that much additional humidity, especially in a screen cage, and they break easily. Misting the cage helps but only for as long as the cage is wet and the cage should dry out in-between mistings to prevent bacteria growth. Also, from my experience having plants in and around the cage helps but only slightly. So for me the only way i can keep his humidity levels consistent is by using two humidifiers, warm mist during the day and cool mist at night. The warm humidifier helps raise his temp during the day and the cool humidifier helps lower the temp at night. So if you live in a dry place like me, learn from my mistakes, the only way to keep the humidity levels high and consistent is with humidifiers. I hope this helps.

 

[Surfergrom2]

There are some things you can buy and you put them on the side to help with humidity

 

[reptilesxxx]

My panther chameleons humidity is around 61 and it seems to be fine as long as you keep misting it a lot like you are so you shouldn't have to worry about it. Also use a dripper to drip water from the top of the cage if you aren't already. Other than that you are doing good.

 

[Cali Reaper]

Thanks guys for so much advise but i found out its the digital thermostat that was off, i got the cheap petco humidity and temperature and it matched my temp gun temprature so i know it works and my chameleon seems to been active and happy, he is also found his basking area, i couldn't tell him, lol.. You guys are awesome.

 

[Cali Reaper]

okay now i am concern with humidity, it has dropped from 60% to 40 and now 30 what can i do, j have lots of plants and i have a plastic around the open cage? is there something wrong here? i have installed a mist king and i had it the mist very 2 house noon time tip 4pm and now i pushed from 7am tip 5pm very 2 hours and it seems like its nearly makes a difference on humidity. here are my pics