To test for proper dampness of the vermiculite substrate in the incubation bins...take a handful of the moist vermiculite. If you can't squeeze out more than a drop or two of water the vermiculite is moist enough. If the containers have beads of moisture on the insides of them they are humid enough. This is the way I've done it for many many years. Lots of people weigh the bins and measure the water and vermiculite...I'll leave it up to them to tell you about that.
When I started keeping chameleons over years ago there were no guidelines. We just figured it out as we went along.
BTW I've never hatched carpet chameleons...but I have hatched panthers, veileds, deremensis, Comoros island chmeleons, common chameleons, lots of gecko species, water dragons, tortoises, cone heads, etc.
so before this I was being told to follow Frank Payne his recommendations are to bring the temperatures in the 90's. However once she was in the 90's for a basking spot she was extremely dark and it was very concerning; which is why I did all this digging. Now that I have lowered her into the low eightys for a basking spot and set her basking on a 1 hour timer in the morning and a 1 hour timer in the evening for her heat lamp. She is absolutely stunning just after a 12 hours adjustment period. She is no longer turning black when I come near, now she is just protecting her babies. I even seen the first bits of bright orange today. I have never seen those colors in her. Again these are just my observations and where I recieved my information. Thanks for hanging in there with me guys.
