Getting first cham tomorrow, help!

M

mwiesner22392

New Member
I live in NY and am getting my first cham tomorrow. With this cold weather and heat blasting I have had much trouble getting my humidity up to the proper amount. I can't seem to get above 40. I have read that a good method would be to put plastic on the sides of the cage but am wondering why I purchased a screen cage for ventilation to only cover it with plastic? I have a mistking and plenty of plants, can anyone provide any light on this topic? I know it is a rather common topic, but can't find the answer to this question.
 
Experiencing similar problem with my cage.
Humidifier may work for you.
If you do cover the cage I would only do a few sides so there is still ventilation.
 
Hey, where is the humidity gauge positioned ? If it's right at the top near his basking spot then the humidity reading will be different to if it's in the middle or the bottom of the enclosure.

I generally tend to go with the reading in the middle.

In terms of keeping the humidity in a screened cage you seem to have everything covered. Lots of natural plants, and a mistking. I also have a humidifier that pumps fog into the cage at certain intervals. Aim the fog to go through the plants. I manage an average of about 55%, this goes up to around 75% straight after misting.

I have tried covering two sides with plastic but it didn't seem to make too much of a difference in my setup.

I did notice once the humidity in the room went up when my girlfriend dried wet towels on the radiator. LOL i'm not suggesting this as a solution, but maybe something to explore.

Good luck tomorrow and post some pic's of your little dude when you get him.
 
Thanks guys I have two humidity gauges in the tank and both are giving low readings. I have just put much more money into this cage then had had budgeted. Guess I will have to spring for the humidifier, I don't want every thing I have done so far to be for nothing.
 
also i have coconut fiber for the bottom of the encloser and i put paper towels below the coconut fiber and mist the fiber i hope this helps you it works for me!:)
 
mwiesner22392 said:
I live in NY and am getting my first cham tomorrow. With this cold weather and heat blasting I have had much trouble getting my humidity up to the proper amount. I can't seem to get above 40. I have read that a good method would be to put plastic on the sides of the cage but am wondering why I purchased a screen cage for ventilation to only cover it with plastic? I have a mistking and plenty of plants, can anyone provide any light on this topic? I know it is a rather common topic, but can't find the answer to this question.
Click to expand...

Many of us deal with this every winter. I have kept chams at 9000 ft elevation in the Rockies with a normal house humidity level of about 10% so know exactly what you are facing. You just have to do what the situation dictates at the time. The plastic on the screen sides may end up being a temporary thing during cold winters. By hanging the plastic from the cage frame its going to be "leaky" which will still provide some air exchange, especially with a Mist King going off in cycles. This will push the air around quite a bit (compared to a very stable glass tank-aquarium light hood type setup). But, when you need to cycle the Mist King more and more frequently you have to handle all the extra water it will produce. That's why a room humidifier can help a lot. It will provide more air humidity without a flood and is great for "filling the gaps" between Mist King cycles. They are not expensive and well worth it.
 
Jesse brooks said:
also i have coconut fiber for the bottom of the encloser and i put paper towels below the coconut fiber and mist the fiber i hope this helps you it works for me!:)
Click to expand...

No need for substrate. I also doubt that the cage drys out in between mistings if the substrate is damp. Could be a breeding ground for bateria.
 
I'm not much of a humidity chaser. As long as you have dense foilage to trap humidity as long as possible, you should be fine. I mist every 2.5-3 hours 3-4 times a day until water is dripping, and then I let the dripper run for a couple of hours after each misting session. My cham will spend approx 1.5 hours with humidity in the 30-40% range until I mist again. It's not a big deal as long as he's getting access to water from the dripper. I live in Delaware by there way, so we are basically in the same region.
 
What kind of chameleon are you getting? :D

I struggle with humidity all year long. I put plastic on the sides of my cage and it's not a huge deal, but it's kind of ugly and it's something I'd like to move past. So, I've decided to save up for a Dragon Strand breeders cage.

http://dragonstrand.com/product/large-breeder-cage/
http://dragonstrand.com/screen-cages-vs-solid-side-cages-chameleons/

I'm not planning on breeding my veiled, but the solid walls look like it will be able to keep moisture in better, and well as limit the splash from mistings.
You're probably not anxious about buying a new cage already, but if you're getting a young chameleon you may want a bigger cage in the future.

I've also heard of people putting plastic on part of the door of the cage as well as the sides, so that's an option.
 
Yes he made it. Opened the poor guy up and he looked so frightened! After placed in the cage he looked happy and was drinking just fine. I placed two separate feeder cups in the cage with 4 small crickets a piece in them and he has yet to touch them. I tried directing him towards one of the cups but no luck. I sure hope he eats tomorrow I am very concerned.
 
mwiesner22392 said:
Yes he made it. Opened the poor guy up and he looked so frightened! After placed in the cage he looked happy and was drinking just fine. I placed two separate feeder cups in the cage with 4 small crickets a piece in them and he has yet to touch them. I tried directing him towards one of the cups but no luck. I sure hope he eats tomorrow I am very concerned.
Click to expand...

Don't worry overmuch right now. He's going to settle in and may not eat for a couple of days. Just keep him hydrated. Assuming he was healthy when he started his trip he can go several days without eating.
 
I really wouldn't stress the humidity levels. I live in Utah and have found that trying to raise the humidity does more harm than good. Just make sure he has access to dripping water and he will be just fine.
I second the not stressing about him not eating for the first few days. Also, some panthers (and chameleons in general) refuse to eat from a cup, so I would give him some free-range food. If this is not possible in your set up, I have found that all of my guys will eat from a set of tongs.
 
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