Temperature/Humidity

[ryandrumm2020]

I just got a 3 month old veiled boy. I live in Tampa, Fl I have a 2x4x2 screened enclosure. Running a 22 in T5 reptisun from 7am-8pm enclosure sits next to a window for lots of natural light which he seems to enjoy. has only been with me for 2 days but spends most of his time on window side of enclosure looking outside it seems. Not running any heat lamps as the enclosure shows temps of 78 at top and 74 on cool side. Have a mist king that goes 6 mins before and after light kicks on. My humidity is 50% at top 60% at bottom during the day. Night time it is like 50%. thinking to get a repti fogger to just run at night to try and raise overnight humidity. I am feeding him 12 small crickets twice a day. My questions are should i be dusting those crickets with calcium and or reptivite every day? Do i even need a heat lamp with those temps? shoukd i increase overnight humidity? I have enclosed photos for reference.

 

[Beman]

Hey there welcome to the forum. You will want to move the cage away from the window. baby is going towards the light from the window thinking it is getting what it needs instead of basking under the UVB lighting. It will run the risk of developing MBD if this continues. Also ambient temps increase when you are near a window especially if it gets direct sun. You do not want this as you need ambient temps closer to 70. I would not run a heat lamp if your temps are sitting high like they are. You want a max basking temp of 80 for a baby. As far as the fogger. No fogger unless you can get night time ambient temps below 67. The cooler the better with fogging. When you fog in warm conditions the risk of the cham developing a respiratory infection increases. I would not exceed daytime humidity of 50% for a veiled. As far as feeding 24 a day is the minimum for a 3 month old. If baby is eating them fast then up your amounts. Supplements would be phosphorus free calcium without D3 at all feedings on all insects lightly dusted. Then you can use reptivite with D3 two times a month on the 1st and the 15th again on all insects fed that day lightly dusted.

If the dirt in the bottom of the cage is not a true bio active set up then I would advise removing it. When these are not set up properly they grow bacteria. Also Veileds will target dirt and impaction is a risk. Bio active set up should have a good drainage layer then a separating mesh then dirt then leaf litter on top. You would want clean up insects as well for your clean up crew.

With your T5 if you are running a 5.0 bulb you want a distance of 8-9 inches to the branches running directly below it for the correct UVI exposure.

This is a great site to learn correct husbandry and then ask questions in the forum. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

 

[ryandrumm2020]

Hey there welcome to the forum. You will want to move the cage away from the window. baby is going towards the light from the window thinking it is getting what it needs instead of basking under the UVB lighting. It will run the risk of developing MBD if this continues. Also ambient temps increase when you are near a window especially if it gets direct sun. You do not want this as you need ambient temps closer to 70. I would not run a heat lamp if your temps are sitting high like they are. You want a max basking temp of 80 for a baby. As far as the fogger. No fogger unless you can get night time ambient temps below 67. The cooler the better with fogging. When you fog in warm conditions the risk of the cham developing a respiratory infection increases. I would not exceed daytime humidity of 50% for a veiled. As far as feeding 24 a day is the minimum for a 3 month old. If baby is eating them fast then up your amounts. Supplements would be phosphorus free calcium without D3 at all feedings on all insects lightly dusted. Then you can use reptivite with D3 two times a month on the 1st and the 15th again on all insects fed that day lightly dusted.

If the dirt in the bottom of the cage is not a true bio active set up then I would advise removing it. When these are not set up properly they grow bacteria. Also Veileds will target dirt and impaction is a risk. Bio active set up should have a good drainage layer then a separating mesh then dirt then leaf litter on top. You would want clean up insects as well for your clean up crew.

With your T5 if you are running a 5.0 bulb you want a distance of 8-9 inches to the branches running directly below it for the correct UVI exposure.

This is a great site to learn correct husbandry and then ask questions in the forum. https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

I get what you are saying about him trying to get light from the window compared to under the uv lighting. Even him sitting thereat the window I think he is still getting the uv light as he is underneath it about 10 inches below. Do you still beleive i should move it away from window? It being there the whole enclosure seems to get alot of light during the day from the sun and his uv lighting. as far as his temps unless I have some kind of cooling system i would never be able to get it below 74 anywhere in the house as its summertime here in florida. The dirt in bottom is coconut soil on top of mesh screen on top of drainage rock with a hole in bottom and 5 gallon bucket underneath to collect any drainage water. I did put springtails and isopods in there to hooefully act as a clean up crew. My light is a T5 HO 5.0 and his basking areas are 8-10 in below that.

 

[ryandrumm2020]

I get what you are saying about him trying to get light from the window compared to under the uv lighting. Even him sitting thereat the window I think he is still getting the uv light as he is underneath it about 10 inches below. Do you still beleive i should move it away from window? It being there the whole enclosure seems to get alot of light during the day from the sun and his uv lighting. as far as his temps unless I have some kind of cooling system i would never be able to get it below 74 anywhere in the house as its summertime here in florida. The dirt in bottom is coconut soil on top of mesh screen on top of drainage rock with a hole in bottom and 5 gallon bucket underneath to collect any drainage water. I did put springtails and isopods in there to hooefully act as a clean up crew. My light is a T5 HO 5.0 and his basking areas are 8-10 in below that.

 

[ryandrumm2020]

in this last photo you can see him by the window but still underneath lighting of enclosure

 

[LizardLurkin]

I wonder, if you installed blinds over the window, if that'd encourage him to depend more on the UVB/basking area. Maybe being able to see outside makes him yearn for it. I'm just theorizing here!
I do have my enclosure beside a window, but it is turned facing forward the same direction as the window. The outdoors is totally invisible from his angle, plus I have fake foliage on the outside of the screen which obscures the view further I imagine.

Beman's advice and resources are great, so do take it to mind.

 

[Beman]

I get what you are saying about him trying to get light from the window compared to under the uv lighting. Even him sitting thereat the window I think he is still getting the uv light as he is underneath it about 10 inches below. Do you still beleive i should move it away from window? It being there the whole enclosure seems to get alot of light during the day from the sun and his uv lighting. as far as his temps unless I have some kind of cooling system i would never be able to get it below 74 anywhere in the house as its summertime here in florida. The dirt in bottom is coconut soil on top of mesh screen on top of drainage rock with a hole in bottom and 5 gallon bucket underneath to collect any drainage water. I did put springtails and isopods in there to hooefully act as a clean up crew. My light is a T5 HO 5.0 and his basking areas are 8-10 in below that.

I have seen where chams suffer long term due to the behavior baby is exhibiting by being next to a window. With the reptisun you really want a branch running paralel to the fixture 8-9 measured inches down directly below the fixture to put the cham in the correct UVI level. Moving out in any direction from the bulb your UVI drops off. Even though you see light your not getting the same UVI levels from the bulb even a few inches out instead of below the bulb.

Gonna need a thick layer of leaf litter if you are wanting to keep the drainage layer. And I would recommend a feeder run to put your insects in or you will have them breeding in the dirt at the bottom.

Most people in FL and southern hot state will run a window unit air conditioner in the room that they have their chams. This is the only way to really get temps where they need them to be especially at night.

@MissSkittles is in FL and runs bioactive set ups for her chams. I have tagged her here so she can help with info specific to your area and how you can achieve what you will need.

 

[ryandrumm2020]

I have seen where chams suffer long term due to the behavior baby is exhibiting by being next to a window. With the reptisun you really want a branch running paralel to the fixture 8-9 measured inches down directly below the fixture to put the cham in the correct UVI level. Moving out in any direction from the bulb your UVI drops off. Even though you see light your not getting the same UVI levels from the bulb even a few inches out instead of below the bulb.

Gonna need a thick layer of leaf litter if you are wanting to keep the drainage layer. And I would recommend a feeder run to put your insects in or you will have them breeding in the dirt at the bottom.

Most people in FL and southern hot state will run a window unit air conditioner in the room that they have their chams. This is the only way to really get temps where they need them to be especially at night.

@MissSkittles is in FL and runs bioactive set ups for her chams. I have tagged her here so she can help with info specific to your area and how you can achieve what you will need.

I really appreciate it. A couple adjustments and I think he will be good now

 

[MissSkittles]

@MissSkittles is in FL and runs bioactive set ups for her chams. I have tagged her here so she can help with info specific to your area and how you can achieve what you will need.

Op had private messaged me and we did talk a bit about temps, humidity and the substrate/going true bioactive. I didn’t know the enclosure was in front of a window though.
@ryandrumm2020 you definitely need to either move the enclosure away from the window (best option) or take measures so the heat won’t be coming in and cooking your little cutie. I have my bearded dragons tanks directly in front of windows (they enjoy the view), but I have tinted my windows to help keep the heat out.
I have struggled at times with the heat and even though I have central ac, I had to add a room ac to where I had all of my reptiles. Even then it was a struggle to keep it cool enough. I keep the house around 74 and it would be crazy expensive and probably burn out my ac unit if I tried to keep the temps below 70. Even though it’s ideal to boost humidity all the way at night to simulate natural hydration cycles of the wild, I just can’t since it’s too warm. I use Mist King and do have a brief 15 second misting during the night for a slight humidity boost. However, this might not work for you. We’re on opposite sides/coasts of the state.
In our conversation, I gave you the bioactive link. It’s not at all difficult to set up. Honestly, the worst is buying everything needed. This is a fantastic way to contain all of the substrate in an all screen enclosure. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Root-Po...ge_rr-_-n/a-_-0-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a-_-n/a It’s like a heavy duty felt fabric and it holds up amazingly well. I like that it ‘breathes’ which helps prevent the soil from growing molds and helps dry the excess drainage too. I have my enclosures on heavy duty garage shelving, which unfortunately has wood composite shelves. Besides covering the shelves with plastic tarp, I have substrate trays in each enclosure as added insurance against leakage. https://www.lllreptile.com/products/32456-zoo-med-reptibreeze-substrate-tray-xlarge This is the best price for these that I’ve found. Lava rock is a good alternative if you can’t find the clay balls for the drainage layer. I use a thicker landscape fabric on top of the drainage layer to keep it separate. It’s usually wider which is perfect to keep as much substrate out of the drainage layer. Then I start tossing in stuff - organic garden soil (check that it doesn’t have roaches living in it - yes, that happened to me), a bit of play sand, some coco coir, chopped up sphagnum moss, orchid bark, and if you by chance have any insect frass (frass is poop) or worm castings, mix some in. Some will add a layer of charcoal between the soil and drainage layer. I just mix it in with the soils. You can use horticultural charcoal or get lump hardwood charcoal (not briquettes). Put your cleaned plants in where you want them and cover with a thick layer of leaf litter. We can use chopped up palm fronds too. I add some cork rounds of a decent size for the isopods to hide beneath. There are some gorgeous isopods available, but really just get some basic and hardy ones, like giant canyon. You’ll rarely see them and your chameleon will eventually realize he has snacks in his house. Add some springtails and then finish setting up your enclosure with lots of natural branches and safe live plants. If you aren’t yet ready to do the full set up, move your clean up crew to a big bin (add ventilation to the lid) with some leaf litter and toss them some veggie scraps and mist the soil every so often and they’ll multiply. Keep the floor bare until you’re ready. I waited until I was confident in my basic husbandry and felt I had a decent understanding of bioactive before taking the plunge.
I hope this has helped. I do tend to talk a lot…sorry.

 

[ryandrumm2020]

put some sticks 8 inches under his light and he went straight to it

 

[ryandrumm2020]

picked up this feeder and he has been loving it

 

[LizardLurkin]

put some sticks 8 inches under his light and he went straight to it

Clever boy! Really cute too ^^