New Owner With Question on Humidity

k9monkey

k9monkey

New Member
Sorry if this is covered in other threads (feel free to point me there if so). I just added a small 5" veiled chameleon to our family and have him in a 18" by 18" by 24" high glass habitat. I have the hood light with the UVB light in place and a red heat light on the side for a basking area. It is about 85-90 degrees in the habitat.

Question:
What is the appropriate humidity for the habitat? Mine is about 40 to 50 on the humidity meter. Is that good? I would like it to be higher, but I mist about every hour or so and it just doesn't get any higher. I have about 3 inches of the expandable plantation soil in the bottom of the habitat. I keep that very moist. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your advice.
K9Monkey
 
ditch the soil because your cham is going to want to
eat it and will get constipated and die

where do you live??

ditch the red heat light
not good for cham especially when sleeping

regular housebulb acceptable

basking should be 85F max for a young veiled

do you have any plants with the cham
 
k9monkey said:
Sorry if this is covered in other threads (feel free to point me there if so). I just added a small 5" veiled chameleon to our family and have him in a 18" by 18" by 24" high glass habitat. I have the hood light with the UVB light in place and a red heat light on the side for a basking area. It is about 85-90 degrees in the habitat.

Question:
What is the appropriate humidity for the habitat? Mine is about 40 to 50 on the humidity meter. Is that good? I would like it to be higher, but I mist about every hour or so and it just doesn't get any higher. I have about 3 inches of the expandable plantation soil in the bottom of the habitat. I keep that very moist. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your advice.
K9Monkey
Click to expand...

Hi there! Welcome to the forum!!! Can you post any pics of your set-up and we can help you from there..?? :):):)
 
oh to answer the other questions...

I live in Parker, Colorado. It is dry, dry, dry so I might set up a small drip system on the enclosure. I will ditch the red bulb and use a standard bulb for the heat source. Thanks for the advice.
 
What are you useing to measure your humidity?
If it's those strips they are always off.
A good digital one is best.
 
k9monkey said:
oh to answer the other questions...

I live in Parker, Colorado. It is dry, dry, dry so I might set up a small drip system on the enclosure. I will ditch the red bulb and use a standard bulb for the heat source. Thanks for the advice.
Click to expand...

I would try adding some real plants instead of fake ones. Real ones will help to keep in the moisture better. Try using a 50-60 wat standard bulb that should make the basking spot around 80-85 degrees for a baby. Also you want the dome light on top of the cage so it creates one small basking area. Having the light where it is now will just heat the whole enclosure making it too hot :)
 
Thank you both for the quick feedback. I have a light on the top with a Reptiglo 5.0 UVB bulb in it. He likes to hang from the mesh top under it to bask in the light. Red bulb is gone, no need for it.

I will take out the soil matter from the bottom and replace it with ______? Or does it not matter what I put down there since he will be in the trees all the time? I can just put down some weed barrier or the likes to cover the glass bottom.

As for live plants, any suggestions on good ones to use?
 
Is that water bowl at the bottom of the enclosure for drinking? If so, take it out as most chams wont recognize standing water as something drinkable and will only be a breeding ground for bacteria. They receive their water from misting and a dripper if necessary.
 
Your chameleon doesn't need substrate at all. Glass would be really easy to clean, right? However, if you want the "look" then don't take the soil out yet. Solicit some more opinions and read around. I know there are keepers here with a lot of experience who always have soil in their veiled enclosures. Some even suggest that eating soil is part of a veiled's normal process.

Your chameleon is going to get bigger and most will recommend a bigger enclosure. I don't know for a fact that it's required. That's, again, something you should keep an open mind about and get views from experienced keepers.

If you have not already read Brad Ramsey's "Raising Kitty" blog, I strongly recommend it.

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

Brad Ramsey is a moderator here and is an invaluable and generous resource to us all.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/members/brad-ramsey/
 
Thank you for the redirect to the blog. Very informative. I love the additional information. I can see I have a lot to get ready for in the near future with our new pet. I was just happy to see him eat 4-5 crickets today.

Thanks again.
 
Chameleons associate white light with basking heat. Aiming that red bulb at the side of the glass is creating a dangerously hot section of glass. Put a 40 watt bulb in the clamp lamp and put it on top aiming down. If you do want to use soil-get some Organic soil and sift out the larger chunks and then plant the cage with some Pothos-it does well in that type of environment. Otherwise you will create a soupy mess with the substrate you have or with unplanted organic soil. Make sure you have a digital thermometer to get accurate readings, as analog thermometers do not accurately read basking spot temps. Coiled UVB lights are still considered dangerous depending on what brand you have-linear flourescents are much safer. Misting 2-3X a day with the live plant would keep the humidity in a good zone. He will quickly out grow that cage-at 5-6 months of age they are usually ready for a 24X24X48" cage.
 
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