how is my setup?

[dr cucumber the chameleon]

so the list of things i have is

zoo med 5.0 T5-HO linear uvb

exo terra sun glo halogen daylight 50-w bulb

mistking starter automatic misting system (set for 4 minutes 30 mins before lights turn on and 30 mins after lights turn off, if the humidity is too high/low i will adjust)

vivarium electronics LED plant grow light

reptibreeze xl enclosure and stand

plants are all from neptune the chameleons list of safe plants

i have all the lights on a timer to turn on at 8 am and turn off at 8 pm, the ambient temperature is 81 and the basking spot is 85, i’m doing calcium without d3 every day and a multivitamin with d3 twice a month. he’s getting gutloaded small crickets right now, ill introduce dubia roaches soon. he’s a male veiled chameleon and he’s about 3-4 months old i think.

problems im having:
i cant get the humidity above 60%, ill be adding more misting at night but even right after misting for 4 minutes the humidity is still only in the high 50s. maybe the humidity gauge isn’t a good one? i’m looking into getting a fogger i’m just trying to find one i can program for a specific time and how long it goes for.

 

[ToastyCham]

Hi and welcome to the forum!
Your ambient temp is too hot, it should be around 70-75. What are you gutloading the crickets with? As for humidity, you can try wrapping the sides and back of the cage with window insulation. Where did you get your chameleon? Your setup looks pretty good! I’ve attached a few files to help you.

 

[ERKleRose]

Welcome on here! I love your username, by the way! What species of chameleon do you have?
Edit: never mind, saw it!
I’ll go through what you have posted, just give me a sec

 

[ERKleRose]

zoo med 5.0 T5-HO linear uvb

exo terra sun glo halogen daylight 50-w bulb

How far away is each bulb from his basking branch?

plants are all from neptune the chameleons list of safe plants

I’d double check what you have in there with the veiled tested plants on the Chameleon Academy's plant list. Veiled are notorious for eating anything, so you want to make sure you’re only using plants that have been proven safe for veileds. Also make sure to put rocks too big for him to eat over the soil in the plant pots if you haven’t already. I’ve linked the Chameleon Academy’s plant list below!

the ambient temperature is 81 and the basking spot is 85

Like @ToastyCham said, the ambient is too hot, he gave a good ambient range; your basking temp is too hot for your cham’s age, as well. It should be 80*F at the top of his back when he’s on his basking branch. How are you measuring his basking temp and ambient temps?

i’m doing calcium without d3 every day and a multivitamin with d3 twice a month

What specific brands and versions are you using? The schedule is perfect!

he’s getting gutloaded small crickets right now, ill introduce dubia roaches soon

Stick to the gutload chart with the white background @ToastyCham anttached above for gutload. Both the old one (first listed with green background) and Neptune the Chameleon’s list (based on your plants and other threads, I’m guessing that’s where you got your info) have kale in them, which is not good. Kale is high in oxalates, which binds calcium. More feeder variety is always better, so go wild trying the different bugs on the feeder chart above! Let us know if you need/want places to buy bugs from! Dubia roaches don’t always interest chams, so start with a small amount to test them out. Other easily accessible roaches that chams love (there are way more than this) are red runner/Turkistan roaches, discoid roaches, horseshoe crab roaches, orange-and-ivory headed roaches, and green banana roaches (these are the only ones that can climb and fly in what I listed, the others do neither)

he’s a male veiled chameleon and he’s about 3-4 months old i think

If you could post a pic of the back of his back feet, we can check for tarsal spurs to double check he is in fact a he. Plus a regular pic of him so we can fawn over him of course! Where did you get him from?

i cant get the humidity above 60%

That is too high for veileds during the daytime, you want it to be 30-50% during the day. What are both your nighttime temps and humidity levels?

ill be adding more misting at night but even right after misting for 4 minutes the humidity is still only in the high 50s. maybe the humidity gauge isn’t a good one?

Short spurts of misting at night are great, you can also make your night misting longer to help. Is your humidity gauge digital or analog? And did water get into it and break it?

i’m looking into getting a fogger i’m just trying to find one i can program for a specific time and how long it goes for.

Unless your nighttime temperatures are 65*F or lower, it is not safe to fog at night. Higher temps and high humidity increases the risk of a respiratory infection. If you can get that nighttime temp drop, make sure the fogger is cool mist, not warm mist. There are many options to choose from, you can search here on the forums for premade ones or even make your own! @crosscutts has a great tutorial on making your own: (the entire series is awesome!)

For his cage, I’d add some more branches and vines (that are safe) throughout, but especially near the top. If you want to do a full husbandry review, let us know! I’ve attached helpful links below (if you haven’t already seen them)!

https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/
https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/ (everything on here is correct except for basking temps and feeding amounts, those both vary depending on age and gender, and the humidity can go lower, too)