enclosure getting too wet/ effective ways to dry out during the dayChameleon Info: Your Chameleon - Ambaja Panther Chameleon -male- in my care for jus

[Beppo]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Ambaja Panther Chameleon -male- in my care for just over 2 weeks.
• Handling - Have not except to place in home
• Feeding - I am cup feeding my chameleon placing the cup in his enclosure before i leave for work. About 15- 20 bugs hes eating a little over half most days but is shedding so loss of appetite. I am feeding him silk worms, bsfl, dubia, and super worms. I use sweet potatoes, carrots, oranges and apples to gut load.
• Supplements - Supplements are calcium by rep cal without d3 every feeding and reptivite with d3 twice a month
• Watering - I have a mistking misting system and it goes off at 1:30 am (i decreased this from 3 min to 1 due to spores in plants appearing) and again at 6:30 am I also place a dripper on top during the day. I observed him drinking when he first came home but now no.
• Fecal Description - large puffy oval dark brown when ive found them not super wet but not dry either bright white urates
• History - He is brand new

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - 24 by 24 by 48 Dragon Strand PVC hybrid
• Lighting - Arcadia 6% linear t5 ubv, 36 inch jungle dawn plant light, arcadia halogen flood light 75 watt on dimmer. Plant and ubv come on at 7 am and basking light comes on at 730 am all go off at 7pm
• Temperature -80 at basking spot 70’s below , measure with laser temp gun stays about 65-70 at night
• Humidity - my humidity is ranging from 45 to 65 percent during the day and up to 95 at night using a govee sensors with phone app and also honeywell humidity sensor
• Plants - pothos, lipstick plant, mass cane, philodenron
• Placement - my living room, the room is divided in half by one step down and this portion of the room on the step down has bay windows which he is not facing near a bathroom that is generally only used by my son. His house is placed well above eye level on a industrial shop rack shelf
• Location - PNW

Current Problem - a little bit of everything. But at the moment i found spores in his plants and am wondering about effective ways to dry out during the day. For now i have decreased his misting and now worrying that may be too little water dropplets for him

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I would like to post pictures as well but will have to do so tomorrow evening when i get home from work as i have changed things since the last photos and dont want to turn on lights to take new ones

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. I was just reading your other post. Give me a little bit and I’ll go thru your husbandry.

 

[MissSkittles]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Ambaja Panther Chameleon -male- in my care for just over 2 weeks. How old is he?
• Handling - Have not except to place in home You’ll want to start working on building trust. Here’s a great blog on that. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/
• Feeding - I am cup feeding my chameleon placing the cup in his enclosure before i leave for work. About 15- 20 bugs hes eating a little over half most days but is shedding so loss of appetite. That’s a lot of food unless he’s a young one. I am feeding him silk worms, bsfl, dubia, and super worms. Nice variety! I use sweet potatoes, carrots, oranges and apples to gut load. Not bad, but we can always improve. Add some more veggies and low oxalates greens and less fruit.
• Supplements - Supplements are calcium by rep cal without d3 every feeding and reptivite with d3 twice a month Perfect!
• Watering - I have a mistking misting system and it goes off at 1:30 am (i decreased this from 3 min to 1 due to spores in plants appearing) and again at 6:30 am I also place a dripper on top during the day. I observed him drinking when he first came home but now no. What kind of spores? Like mushrooms or mold? Mushrooms are ok - mold is not. Just curious why you don’t run the mist king in the evening before lights out.
• Fecal Description - large puffy oval dark brown when ive found them not super wet but not dry either bright white urates Always is a good idea to have a fecal parasite check done.
• History - He is brand new
• 
  
  
• Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - 24 by 24 by 48 Dragon Strand PVC hybrid Great!
  • Lighting - Arcadia 6% linear t5 ubv, 36 inch jungle dawn plant light, arcadia halogen flood light 75 watt on dimmer. Plant and ubv come on at 7 am and basking light comes on at 730 am all go off at 7pm Perfect!
  • Temperature -80 at basking spot 70’s below , measure with laser temp gun stays about 65-70 at night Unless he’s a young one (like under 4-5 months), you can increase basking temp up to 85.
  • Humidity - my humidity is ranging from 45 to 65 percent during the day and up to 95 at night using a govee sensors with phone app and also honeywell humidity sensor Very good!
  • Plants - pothos, lipstick plant, mass cane, philodenron Very nice!
  • Placement - my living room, the room is divided in half by one step down and this portion of the room on the step down has bay windows which he is not facing near a bathroom that is generally only used by my son. His house is placed well above eye level on an industrial shop rack shelf Perfect!
  • Location - PNW
• 
  
  Current Problem - a little bit of everything. But at the moment i found spores in his plants and am wondering about effective ways to dry out during the day. For now i have decreased his misting and now worrying that may be too little water dropplets for him
  
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  I would like to post pictures as well but will have to do so tomorrow evening when i get home from work as i have changed things since the last photos and dont want to turn on lights to take new ones

Sounds more like you need to improve ventilation/air circulation. What some do is increase air circulation by adding a small muffin type fan on the top of the enclosure to draw out air (not blow in). Often humidity alone is not the problem, but it is the air is too still or stagnant. If your general location or home does tend to be quite humid, you may want to switch out the pvc door for a screen one. I’m sure if you contact Dragon Strand, you may be able to buy one.
From your other post, yes, keeping chameleons does provoke some anxiety. I think many of us are always wondering if we are sure we have everything just right, everything is working as it’s supposed to and are our chameleons healthy and happy. That just may be one of the things that makes for a good keeper - we are always on our toes and in tune with small changes.

 

[Beppo]

Thank you so much for your kind words and info! I feel like everyday I’m trying to talk myself down from a ledge of worry I think I will start by trying a fan on top as you described. The only thing stopping me from misting while the lights are on is my husband to be honest he thinks it will cause an electrical fire, I explained many people do it. But if you think that would be best for me to try I will try harder to convince him. I also am wondering about his shed… it’s been more than a few days and it is still stuck to one of this eyes and hands… see attached pic…. Sorry it’s not better I can get more later, he hasn’t moved up to his basking branch yet this morning. Thanks again I’m gonna look for a fan after work!

 

[jcarlsen]

I'll second the small fan addition. I purchased this little PC fan with a knob to adjust speed and find it's quite good at drawing out the air: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VYGQPCZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Also I am a big fan of these little wifi socket guys that you can schedule through your phone. I've got my mister, lights, fogger, and this fan on it running on a set schedule: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LXGHR5X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Beppo]

Thank you so much. I also wanted to add the spores I saw were long white and the to seemed to be black and gooey like a mushroom that was eating itself maybe? Not sure I had never seen them before and panicked because I just thought of his little delicate respiratory.

 

[snitz427]

without getting into the husbandry side, I've got a few suggestions. I, too, use Dragonstrand clearside enclosures, which offer great ventilation and humidity balance. Mine have a screen on the top and the right side.

My technique for various species is to mist for about a minute just after lights on. My guys like to drink while the mist is falling, and they can't do that while they are asleep, so I like to mist AFTER they wake up to give them the option to drink the mist plus what collects on the leaves. For the same reason, I reserve my heavier misting until around 6pm, and I let it run as long as possible. For me, the magic number is 5 minutes in the evening. That's when my chams are most likely to move into the mist and really hydrate themselves. This longer mist session also means the substrate gets really wet, and the plants thoroughly watered. Many plants, especially Philodendron, will transpire moisture through their leaves. This is basically how they expel some of the excess moisture they absorb through their roots. The transpiration increases ambient humidity and also creates dew on the tips of leaves.

If your substrate is still staying too soggy during the day, try creating a chunkier potting mix by using (large) chunks of charcoal, coco husk chunks, and large bark. You can add 2" of eco earth (shredded coco fiber) to the top so that the chameleons cant see the chunky stuff, but ideally they are too large to be consumed, anyway.

Last option if you're still too wet, is to add a small circulation fan on the outside of the screeen enclosure (never inside). There are lots of options for humid environments - check out some of the recommendations in the frog groups if you are looking for a specific brand. There are some old posts around here, too, that talk about adding a circulation fan. Airflow will cut down on fungus, dry things out faster, etc. Too much will zap humidity, though, so you don't need a huge fan. Just PC sized on a low or medium speed is plenty.

 

[snitz427]

also - what does the fungus look like on your leaves? if it is black spots, its probably black sooty mold, which is a side effect of plant pests. Usually the typical fungus blooms happen at the soil level, not on the leaves - although if the air is too stagnant, you can certainly get fungal issues on the leaves, too, which would require treatment. You don't want to do that with a plant the cham will be on as it requires repeated chemical treatments, and can be a pain in the butt to beat. Curious if you can snap a picture.

 

[Beppo]

without getting into the husbandry side, I've got a few suggestions. I, too, use Dragonstrand clearside enclosures, which offer great ventilation and humidity balance. Mine have a screen on the top and the right side.

My technique for various species is to mist for about a minute just after lights on. My guys like to drink while the mist is falling, and they can't do that while they are asleep, so I like to mist AFTER they wake up to give them the option to drink the mist plus what collects on the leaves. For the same reason, I reserve my heavier misting until around 6pm, and I let it run as long as possible. For me, the magic number is 5 minutes in the evening. That's when my chams are most likely to move into the mist and really hydrate themselves. This longer mist session also means the substrate gets really wet, and the plants thoroughly watered. Many plants, especially Philodendron, will transpire moisture through their leaves. This is basically how they expel some of the excess moisture they absorb through their roots. The transpiration increases ambient humidity and also creates dew on the tips of leaves.

If your substrate is still staying too soggy during the day, try creating a chunkier potting mix by using (large) chunks of charcoal, coco husk chunks, and large bark. You can add 2" of eco earth (shredded coco fiber) to the top so that the chameleons cant see the chunky stuff, but ideally they are too large to be consumed, anyway.

Last option if you're still too wet, is to add a small circulation fan on the outside of the screeen enclosure (never inside). There are lots of options for humid environments - check out some of the recommendations in the frog groups if you are looking for a specific brand. There are some old posts around here, too, that talk about adding a circulation fan. Airflow will cut down on fungus, dry things out faster, etc. Too much will zap humidity, though, so you don't need a huge fan. Just PC sized on a low or medium speed is plenty.

Thank you!! I have a dragon strand as well, and i will definitely give this a try. I think the poor guys shed isnt happening very fast because of this too? I am hoping some way in the next few weeks ill be able to coax him out some how if i do need to repot the plants with more drainage as i suspect the soil is retaining to much moisture. Thank you for all your advice. all of you, i defintely feel like i have some starting points to try now and i went ahead and ordered a pc fan incase i need that as well. really appreciate you taking the time to help

 

[Beppo]

also - what does the fungus look like on your leaves? if it is black spots, its probably black sooty mold, which is a side effect of plant pests. Usually the typical fungus blooms happen at the soil level, not on the leaves - although if the air is too stagnant, you can certainly get fungal issues on the leaves, too, which would require treatment. You don't want to do that with a plant the cham will be on as it requires repeated chemical treatments, and can be a pain in the butt to beat. Curious if you can snap a picture

 

[Beppo]

please i am happy for any help! you all are awesome

 

[snitz427]

That’s interesting… never saw that before. That sprouted from the soil, or a leaf?

 

[Beppo]

That’s interesting… never saw that before. That sprouted from the soil, or a leaf?

The soil. The thing on the top was black and gooey.

 

[snitz427]

The soil. The thing on the top was black and gooey.

Ah, Ok! For some reason I thought you said fungus was on the leaves, and I was a little concerned after seeing the photo - but perfectly normal to have fungus sprout from the soil. Im happy to find mushrooms sprouting up as it shows my soil is going through natural cycles.

 

[elizaann2]

Hello! I’m not sure if this will be helpful but I happened to just listen to a podcast from the Chameleon Academy that talks more about hybrid and glass enclosures. There might be some helpful information there for you.

 

[Beppo]

Ah, Ok! For some reason I thought you said fungus was on the leaves, and I was a little concerned after seeing the photo - but perfectly normal to have fungus sprout from the soil. Im happy to find mushrooms sprouting up as it shows my soil is going through natural cycles.

Hello! I’m not sure if this will be helpful but I happened to just listen to a podcast from the Chameleon Academy that talks more about hybrid and glass enclosures. There might be some helpful information there for you.

Thank you!!!

 

[Beppo]

I'll second the small fan addition. I purchased this little PC fan with a knob to adjust speed and find it's quite good at drawing out the air: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VYGQPCZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Also I am a big fan of these little wifi socket guys that you can schedule through your phone. I've got my mister, lights, fogger, and this fan on it running on a set schedule: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LXGHR5X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I got the pc fan today as well as following some other recommendations. I was wondering when you run yours and if you have it shut of with everything else at night? should it be running when the mister is going off?

 

[jcarlsen]

I got the pc fan today as well as following some other recommendations. I was wondering when you run yours and if you have it shut of with everything else at night? should it be running when the mister is going off?

I have my fan set to run from 8-10 in the morning after the lights have come on and a bit after the mister's gone off to help the cage start the drying process for the rest of the day. Then it comes back on in the evening and just helps in tandem with my mist/fog cycle overnight. At least this is how I'm rolling during the cooler/dryer months. I think during the summertime when it gets warmer and naturally more humid I'll just have it running constantly to keep good airflow.
I don't run mine when the mister or fogger is actually on though, so even in the summertime I'll have it turn off even for just a half hour or so before coming back on. Again, just gotta plug those wifi sockets because I can easily switch up the schedule from my phone haha.

 

[Beppo]

Thank you! Yes I love those smart sockets as well! All my stuff is hooked up to them. I appreciate your response and help