Heating/humidity juvenile panther

[Norbert]

Hi all, with weather changing all my heating and humidity is out of wack since one day it’s warm (70-80) and rainy outside making it humid and the next day it’s in the 40s and sunny. The heating and humidity that I had perfectly balanced in the winter when my baby arrived is now fluctuating with the outside weather even though I keep him indoors. I switched my 75 watt heat bulb to a 60 watt because it was getting up to 86F+ in the basking area. Also got a dehumidifier since my 60%-70% range now gets up to 88% daytime humidity without dehumidifier. I have my dyson purifier blow a cool breeze at the bottom of the cage also to keep some soft air flow and I took the shower curtains off the sides. I was wondering if my new changes sound good or if I should switch anything up?

Heating: I noticed Norbert avoiding the basking area and gaping when basking which prompted my change. I was expecting this to be an issue with our weather trends so I had lower watt bulbs on hand to switch to. Now with AC on in the house and lower bulb the basking is at 75 degrees. Is this too low or is this fine? He seems more comfortable and will climb in branches in that area again and doesn’t avoid the back top area where the bulb is like he was starting to do. He also stopped screen climbing which I think is a good sign my changes helped. I also have the plant light and UVB come on at 8:30am (30 minutes after I mist) and don’t have the basking come on until 9:00am (an hour after the 8am mist) to help some of the water dry before adding heat.

Humidity: at night the humidity is up to 80-90%. I keep the shower curtains on while he sleeps. I turn heat lamp off at 7:30pm, mist for 2 min at 8:00, and have UVB and plant light go off last at 8:30pm. I fog starting around midnight-1am for 30 minute intervals every hour until 8am. It’s hard to get my humidity down in the morning before lights come on so I’m considering stopping the fogger sooner? For now I just blow the dyson in the cage while I’m hand misting at 8am to get some humidity out and air moving and turn the dehumidifier on. But humidity still stays around 80% for the first 1-2 hours he’s awake is this bad or will it do until ? He will be less active until I get the humidity down to around 70%. Once the dyson and dehumidifier are going the humidity is about 56-68% and he will perk up and start eating and exploring.

If anyone has any tips or suggesting a to make things smoother as weather changes I’d be happy to hear! It also takes up a lot of time in the morning because I watch him until humidity is down to at least 70%. Please let me know if I’m doing anything wrong that needs to be fixed! I want my boy to be as comfortable and happy as possible.

 

[Norbert]

Hi all, with weather changing all my heating and humidity is out of wack since one day it’s warm (70-80) and rainy outside making it humid and the next day it’s in the 40s and sunny. The heating and humidity that I had perfectly balanced in the winter when my baby arrived is now fluctuating with the outside weather even though I keep him indoors. I switched my 75 watt heat bulb to a 60 watt because it was getting up to 86F+ in the basking area. Also got a dehumidifier since my 60%-70% range now gets up to 88% daytime humidity without dehumidifier. I have my dyson purifier blow a cool breeze at the bottom of the cage also to keep some soft air flow and I took the shower curtains off the sides. I was wondering if my new changes sound good or if I should switch anything up?

Heating: I noticed Norbert avoiding the basking area and gaping when basking which prompted my change. I was expecting this to be an issue with our weather trends so I had lower watt bulbs on hand to switch to. Now with AC on in the house and lower bulb the basking is at 75 degrees. Is this too low or is this fine? He seems more comfortable and will climb in branches in that area again and doesn’t avoid the back top area where the bulb is like he was starting to do. He also stopped screen climbing which I think is a good sign my changes helped. I also have the plant light and UVB come on at 8:30am (30 minutes after I mist) and don’t have the basking come on until 9:00am (an hour after the 8am mist) to help some of the water dry before adding heat.

Humidity: at night the humidity is up to 80-90%. I keep the shower curtains on while he sleeps. I turn heat lamp off at 7:30pm, mist for 2 min at 8:00, and have UVB and plant light go off last at 8:30pm. I fog starting around midnight-1am for 30 minute intervals every hour until 8am. It’s hard to get my humidity down in the morning before lights come on so I’m considering stopping the fogger sooner? For now I just blow the dyson in the cage while I’m hand misting at 8am to get some humidity out and air moving and turn the dehumidifier on. But humidity still stays around 80% for the first 1-2 hours he’s awake is this bad or will it do until ? He will be less active until I get the humidity down to around 70%. Once the dyson and dehumidifier are going the humidity is about 56-68% and he will perk up and start eating and exploring.

If anyone has any tips or suggesting a to make things smoother as weather changes I’d be happy to hear! It also takes up a lot of time in the morning because I watch him until humidity is down to at least 70%. Please let me know if I’m doing anything wrong that needs to be fixed! I want my boy to be as comfortable and happy as possible.

I should add he is 4 months now also.

 

[Flick boy]

Hi I only run my fogger for 3 hours at night when temps are below 65f. Is your humidity 80/ 90 %without fogging if so you could def imo cut this way back , as its already at a good level. Is 75f your temperature at a fixed probe ? Or how are you measuring your basking temp

 

[Norbert]

Hi I only run my fogger for 3 hours at night when temps are below 65f. Is your humidity 80/ 90 %without fogging if so you could def imo cut this way back , as its already at a good level. Is 75f your temperature at a fixed probe ? Or how are you measuring your basking temp

At night the humidity is only 60-65% without the fogger, but might change as it gets warmer here. I’m going to try a shorter time tonight. The temperature is measured with a small digital thermometer/hygrometer that I mounted at the basking branch, I have 2 others that I keep at the bottom as well. Bottom of the cage is the humidity I was measuring in the previous post, the basking humidity is usually 10% less than bottom. And the bottom temp is usually 71-73F daytime and 67-71F night time.

 

[DaveF]

Hi all, with weather changing all my heating and humidity is out of wack since one day it’s warm (70-80) and rainy outside making it humid and the next day it’s in the 40s and sunny. The heating and humidity that I had perfectly balanced in the winter when my baby arrived is now fluctuating with the outside weather even though I keep him indoors. I switched my 75 watt heat bulb to a 60 watt because it was getting up to 86F+ in the basking area. Also got a dehumidifier since my 60%-70% range now gets up to 88% daytime humidity without dehumidifier. I have my dyson purifier blow a cool breeze at the bottom of the cage also to keep some soft air flow and I took the shower curtains off the sides. I was wondering if my new changes sound good or if I should switch anything up?

Heating: I noticed Norbert avoiding the basking area and gaping when basking which prompted my change. I was expecting this to be an issue with our weather trends so I had lower watt bulbs on hand to switch to. Now with AC on in the house and lower bulb the basking is at 75 degrees. Is this too low or is this fine? He seems more comfortable and will climb in branches in that area again and doesn’t avoid the back top area where the bulb is like he was starting to do. He also stopped screen climbing which I think is a good sign my changes helped. I also have the plant light and UVB come on at 8:30am (30 minutes after I mist) and don’t have the basking come on until 9:00am (an hour after the 8am mist) to help some of the water dry before adding heat.

Humidity: at night the humidity is up to 80-90%. I keep the shower curtains on while he sleeps. I turn heat lamp off at 7:30pm, mist for 2 min at 8:00, and have UVB and plant light go off last at 8:30pm. I fog starting around midnight-1am for 30 minute intervals every hour until 8am. It’s hard to get my humidity down in the morning before lights come on so I’m considering stopping the fogger sooner? For now I just blow the dyson in the cage while I’m hand misting at 8am to get some humidity out and air moving and turn the dehumidifier on. But humidity still stays around 80% for the first 1-2 hours he’s awake is this bad or will it do until ? He will be less active until I get the humidity down to around 70%. Once the dyson and dehumidifier are going the humidity is about 56-68% and he will perk up and start eating and exploring.

If anyone has any tips or suggesting a to make things smoother as weather changes I’d be happy to hear! It also takes up a lot of time in the morning because I watch him until humidity is down to at least 70%. Please let me know if I’m doing anything wrong that needs to be fixed! I want my boy to be as comfortable and happy as possible.

I've been having that problem with mt 4 mo old panther mouth wide open on basking branch and its only 26 centigrade I thought maybe it's because of where I got him from they maybe used lower temps so he is not used to it yet other than that my cham is fine its not always he opens his mouth just every now and again

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Something we sometimes get hung up on is the difference between weather and climate.

These temperatures & RHs we strive for are intended to be averages. Think of it as a bell curve; there will likely be outlying days (or series of days) either way, and these should be of lesser concern than the long-term averages.

There are also seasonal changes where our scaly friends are native to (albeit less pronounced than those in the temperate zones we humans live in). Both Yemen and Madagascar are not on the equator (In fact, they appear to be approx. the same distance from the equator in opposite directions!) so they do have seasonal changes. I expect chameleons may go through seasonal adaptations much like mammals change the length & consistency of their coats, or reptiles slow their metabolisms.

For each reptile I currently have, or have researched, I've found it very useful to study their native climates. It's made me more comfortable with the ranges of temperature & humidity that they can be accustomed to.

 

[Flick boy]

At night the humidity is only 60-65% without the fogger, but might change as it gets warmer here. I’m going to try a shorter time tonight. The temperature is measured with a small digital thermometer/hygrometer that I mounted at the basking branch, I have 2 others that I keep at the bottom as well. Bottom of the cage is the humidity I was measuring in the previous post, the basking humidity is usually 10% less than bottom. And the bottom temp is usually 71-73F daytime and 67-71F night time.

Hi can you download with that govee?

 

[Flick boy]

@Kylde o scope makes a very good point. In the wild our chams would not experience the exact same conditions all year every year and hey they have only been around for up to 100 million years. Its good that your guy is feeling more comfortable with his basking temp and imo if he is getting hydrated well I wouldn't panic much about his night Time humidity levels they are still decent ( don't get me wrong we all worry)

 

[Norbert]

I've been having that problem with mt 4 mo old panther mouth wide open on basking branch and its only 26 centigrade I thought maybe it's because of where I got him from they maybe used lower temps so he is not used to it yet other than that my cham is fine its not always he opens his mouth just every now and again

Yes mine isn’t always gaping but noticed it happening more often on warmer days. The breeder I got him from said they keep theirs much warmer than I do though.

 

[Norbert]

Hi can you download with that govee?

The Govee has an app and it’s Bluetooth so I can only see it only my phone when I’m in the house. But the daily data will download once I get back in range so I can see what it was when I’m away.

 

[Flick boy]

Good same here . Different model this would give you a good idea when the best / coolest time to run your fogger

 

[Norbert]

Something we sometimes get hung up on is the difference between weather and climate.

These temperatures & RHs we strive for are intended to be averages. Think of it as a bell curve; there will likely be outlying days (or series of days) either way, and these should be of lesser concern than the long-term averages.

There are also seasonal changes where our scaly friends are native to (albeit less pronounced than those in the temperate zones we humans live in). Both Yemen and Madagascar are not on the equator (In fact, they appear to be approx. the same distance from the equator in opposite directions!) so they do have seasonal changes. I expect chameleons may go through seasonal adaptations much like mammals change the length & consistency of their coats, or reptiles slow their metabolisms.

For each reptile I currently have, or have researched, I've found it very useful to study their native climates. It's made me more comfortable with the ranges of temperature & humidity that they can be accustomed to.

Thank you I have been meaning to look at their native average climates I found some data on chameleons.info for the daily weather. The thing I’m worried about is causing an RI with the high humidity and heat so I wanted to get the humidity lower, but the gaping also had me worried while basking. While the weather changes would it be safer to keep him cooler or let it get warmer til the weather evens out?

 

[Norbert]

Good same here . Different model this would give you a good idea when the best / coolest time to run your fogger

I haven’t put the fogger on a timer yet I have the lights on timers though. The fogger I just turn on when I go to sleep which is pretty late and turn off in the morning manually but I’m gonna set it up with a timer this weekend for better hours

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

While the weather changes would it be safer to keep him cooler or let it get warmer til the weather evens out?

I would try to keep him within ranges as best you can, avoiding spikes beyond what his native climate would be. I'd be less concerned with an off day or two of humidity than temperature.
JMO.

 

[Norbert]

Thank you, I’ve been looking at his native climate which helped with perspective a lot! Today was more back to normal just going to have to deal with random off days. I’m sure he’s much more durable than I give him credit for

 

[Norbert]

I would try to keep him within ranges as best you can, avoiding spikes beyond what his native climate would be. I'd be less concerned with an off day or two of humidity than temperature.
JMO.

Hey @Klyde O'Scope from the last time we spoke my chameleon has still been gaping with the high morning humidity. I have got it more stable and it’s less humid during the day but he’s still gaping and I noticed some white crusty bits in his nostrils today should I take him to the vet? Starting to get worried. I added a photo, if you zoom in you can kinda see a white dot in his nostril. Had to take it while he was basking so that’s why he’s dark. But he was hanging upside down from the top of the cage when I noticed it. :/

 

[Norbert]

Hey @Klyde O'Scope from the last time we spoke my chameleon has still been gaping with the high morning humidity. I have got it more stable and it’s less humid during the day but he’s still gaping and I noticed some white crusty bits in his nostrils today should I take him to the vet? Starting to get worried. I added a photo, if you zoom in you can kinda see a white dot in his nostril. Had to take it while he was basking so that’s why he’s dark. But he was hanging upside down from the top of the cage when I noticed it. :/

Just read that the white bits are excess salts but I’m taking him for a wellness visit anyway since I just got him and want to just make sure he’s healthy in general and also to ease my overthinking as a new owner lol sorry!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Just read that the white bits are excess salts but I’m taking him for a wellness visit anyway since I just got him and want to just make sure he’s healthy in general and also to ease my overthinking as a new owner lol sorry!

I think a vet check is a good idea. It probably is salts, but best to rule out a RI, and get the right meds if it is. Any wheezing/popping noises when he breathes?

 

[Norbert]

I think a vet check is a good idea. It probably is salts, but best to rule out a RI, and get the right meds if it is. Any wheezing/popping noises when he breathes?

No wheezing or popping that I’ve noticed. I’m not sure if I know the difference between gaping or just yawning? He just opens his mouth super wide while he’s puffed out on his UVB branch or sometimes his heat basking branch and closes it again? It’s not a constant open where he holds it open, it’s more just open very big then close again. He’ll do it once or twice in a row then that’s it it’s not all day. I tried to get a video but he’s usually done before I grab my phone. Other than that he seems very healthy and active.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Yup, that's a yawn. Both my lizards do it, particularly in the morning (but can be any time).

Here's a vid (not mine):