im having a difficult time maintaining my humidity for my chameleon?

Question

I just recently got a baby panther chameleon and i am having some problems. My temperatures stay in the range of 72-80 degrees no problems, however i am having a difficult problem keeping the humidity up above 50% my average humidity is usually 40% and after misting it goes up to 50% but it drops back down to 40% after about 5-10 minutes. I have his whole baby cage set up and i use everything as follows.

Screened Chameleon Enclosure 24"L x 12"W x 24"H
24" Black Fluorescent Hood with a ReptiSun 5.0 Bulb
5-1/2" Black Clamp Lamp with a ReptiSun Basking Spot Lamp
Zoo-Med Precision Analog Thermometer
Zoo-Med Humidity Gage
Zoo-Med's Little Dripper
A Ficus plant free of pesticides

I have the basking light and the little dripper positioned together in the middle of the tank with the ficus underneath. Then the flouresant light is in the back. The dripper is set to let one drop per second. Also i have branches and fake leaves all about the enclosure. Is there anything i can do to raise the humidity. I didnt have the ficus at the start and i got it because i was told it would raise the humidity but it hasnt made any improvement.

Answer 1

Howdy,



Looks like you are heading in the right direction with your chameleon's setup. A 40% humidity level is not a big problem so long as he is staying hydrated (drinks once in a while.) A range of 40-60% is considered reasonable. Avoid floor substrates if possible (impaction issues etc.) and keep a clean surface on the enclosure's bottom.



Many keepers find that using a flood rather than a spot basking light provides a better environmental temp gradient. You might try something in the range of 60W or less in a Philips Halogena brand flood from places like Home Depot etc. Just be sure to place it at a distance that leaves the back of your hand just feeling no more than warm and you should be safe. Don't put a lot of faith in analog or even digital temp meters. Low-cost infrared "temp guns" (~$20-$50 ones are fine) work well for actually measuring the chameleon's skin temp to determine proper basking light setup.



For more info check out http://www.chameleonforums.com.



See Ya, Dave Weldon

Co-founder of the South Bay Chameleon Keepers group (Los Angeles area)

Answer 2

Well as soon as sure. It used to be unsightly Buk. U-G-L-Y!! There used to be cereal ... cereal all over the place. It gave the look of a Captain Crunch awareness camp! I used to be rightfully requested to go away the shop ... after the three hours it took me to brush up that mess. Now I stick basically Single-Hop Flying Kick-Sharts in broad open parking tons and fields. Peace ... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Answer 3

If you have a floor suitable, then basically soak your substrate in water. Or if you can't do that then get a couple sponges to put in the bottom. this does wonders