Humidity

[ChameleonNerd]

I don't have a problem keeping my humidity up in the enclosure, but i'm curious, what is the significance of humidity? I always read that they need 50-70% humidity, but i never find why

 

[Purp]

I'm also wondering this...

Also, what range of humidity is ideal for a graceful chameleon in a 4'x2'x2' enclosure outside in a garage? Right now mine stays around 60-70... Is this alright?

 

[ChameleonNerd]

i'm not sure about enclosure size, but humidity could be 50-70

 

[DeviousMike]

For veils, the humidity recommended is not really necessary as they do come from a drier climate. But it has been observed that in more humid conditions, they display brighter colors. As for other species, the recommended humidity is set to match their native enviroment in the wild.

 

[ChameleonNerd]

oh.. well thank you very much for the answer

 

[Picasso123]

Kinda like how it's harder to breath when it's overly humid out and your skin dries out in the winter when it isn't humid out. Their jungles tend to have one season.

 

[Chris Jury]

One of the major ways that many organisms lose water to the environment, and in fact THE major mechanism that water is lost for many reptiles, is through breathing. Respiratory surfaces have to be moist in order to function properly, and the air that land vertebrates exhale has very high humidity as a result (in part, this is why we can see our breath on a cold day). If lungs are filled with dry air then a lot of water evaporates from the lungs, and a lot of water is lost via respiration. If humidity is high, on the other hand, then much less water evaporates when the lungs are filled, and much less water is lost.

Dehydration is an extremely common and serious condition in chameleons in captivity, an maintaining moderate to high humidty helps to reduce water loss by the animals, and hence combats dehydration. In addition, most (but not all) chameleons live in areas of moderate to very high humidity in nature, and seem to not only tolerate but benefit from high humidity in captivity.

Also, Veiled chameleons are very much habitat generalists in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Some of them live in coastal areas or high plateaus that get relatively modest rainfal, but other areas, such as medium elevation and high mountains, get considerable rainfall. Regardless, most of these areas are relatively humid, owing to the adjacent Red and Arabian Seas, and heavy morning dews are normal.

cj

 

[melric]

It's to keep from dehydrating.

 

[ChameleonNerd]

somebody needs to write a book "the science of humidity"

 

[jojackson]

somebody needs to write a book "the science of humidity"

Start Here Mate!

http://science.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/meteorological-terms/question651.htm

Great Information Chris, Hey, do me a favor? See if you can find a list of common plants and trees in Yemen where Veileds are found? Id love to buy habitat native shrubs for my lizards.

 

[ChameleonNerd]

very informative and helpful. they should make a section of this website that has different categories that people can add on to about chameleon health, information, useless facts, physical descriptions, and all that extra jazz

 

[jojackson]

I like that, It could be called 'Captive Trivia'

 

[ChameleonNerd]

they should also have a SUGGESTIONS BOX

 

[jojackson]

They Do Mate... Post your idea here, Brad will look at it when he gets time.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/feedback-suggestions/

 

[Chris Jury]

Great Information Chris, Hey, do me a favor? See if you can find a list of common plants and trees in Yemen where Veileds are found? Id love to buy habitat native shrubs for my lizards.

I'm an oceanographer by trade, and work primarily with coral reef organisms. I'm interested in herpetology as well (if I hadn't gone into oceanography, I would have gone into herpetology), but am certainly no expert. Floral communities of the Arabian peninsula is way, way outside of my area of expertise though. You'd probably have as much luck with google/googlescholar as I would

 

[jack77772010]

When i bought my veiled chameleon the guy said keep the humidity at 90 !

 

[ChameleonNerd]

lol... 90% humidity? Does your chameleon sweat? lmfao

 

[jojackson]

I'm an oceanographer by trade, and work primarily with coral reef organisms. I'm interested in herpetology as well (if I hadn't gone into oceanography, I would have gone into herpetology), but am certainly no expert. Floral communities of the Arabian peninsula is way, way outside of my area of expertise though. You'd probably have as much luck with google/googlescholar as I would

Lol Ok Fair enough Mate, thanks anyway. Reefs fascinate me, I used to keep reef fish. Interesting Field.

Chamnerd, lizards dont sweat mate, instead they gape (hold the mouth open)
and lose heat by evaporation. Evaporation of moisture from the lining of the mouth, cools blood flowing through surface vessels.
They lose bodily moisture in this way.