Substrate help

Hello all. I just got a veiled chameleon. In my cage, I initially installed some reptile carpet. I like that the carpet is safe with no risk of ingestion, but it really didn't do anything to help keep the humidity level up. So I switched to ReptiBark. This really helps the humidity stay high in between mistings, but now I have read that it can be accidentally ingested. When my chameleon eats sometimes it gets a piece of the bark stuck to its tongue, but so far has always spit it back out. Should I keep the bark? If not, what is another substrate I can use that will help increase humidity without being dangerous? I would rather not leave the bottom bare or use paper towels.

You shouldn't have anything in the bottom of the cage. You just need to be misting more and maybe setup a dripper. If the bark is ingested it can cause serious problems. There really isn't any substrate that is safe that can keep humidity up.

Unfortunately this seems to be the case. It just seems that no matter how much I mist, every hour even, that the actual humidity doesn't increase. Water droplets form and my chameleon drinks, but it all evaporates so quickly. The bark has been the only thing to keep the humidity up, even with constant misting.

You can use organic potting soil and mix in clean play sand from a craft store. The sand will help with drainage. Then you can buy mesh screen and cut it to size and put it on top of the soil so the Cham is not ingesting it and it will make for an easier clean up. Make sure you have a proper drain system to support this before diving In head first. With a healthy full umbrella plant you really shouldn't be having issues with humidity. You can also add a plastic shower curtain around 2 sides.
Can I see a picture of your set up?

Look into getting an automatic mister such as a Mist King or a Monsoon. They are really worth it..

I just have a basic ExoTerra glass enclosure with some artificial vines and beaches. It's simple but it does the job and he seems happy. That sounds like great advice but a little too advanced for me right now. And my automatic mister is on it's way in the mail, but simply to keep up with the hourly mistings I have been doing when school starts next week.

A screen cage would offer more stable humidity

Remember chameleons do not need constant high humidity. They need a couple of peaks of high humidity throughout the day to stay healthy.

Which bulb do you use ?
The all in one UVB will dry the enclosure out faster. If you have a basking bulb and liner UVB plus a thick LIVE plant like I previously mentioned you should be on the right track. You have to keep in mind that the only thing artifical in your enclosure should be vines. They need the living plants to thrive. A glass enclosure is also unecessary for a veiled, they do not require higher humidity like a Jackson's does.