humidity

[kk1020man]

So I have my Flap Neck Chameleon in a Zoo Med screened enclosure. It is a little too small for him, but next month I plan to start construction on his new very large home. For now though, I am having a very difficult time keeping his humidity up with out completely flooding his home and mine. I have found very little information about them, but from what I read the humidity should be around 65-70% and I can barely keep it above 50. We bought a automatic mister which runs every hour for 30 seconds and we also have a dripper on top of his cage. I was thinking about getting a small waterfall as well but I am having trouble finding one. I have looked at Wal Mart, Lowes and Home Depot as well as some pet stores.
He is also getting too hot. His temp shouldn't go above 85, which it hasn't, but he still spends a lot of time with his mouth open. I do plan to remedy that by replacing his 75 watt with a 50.
Anyway...long story short...if anyone has any suggetions on how to keep a high humidity without flooding your house please let me know. I am willing to spend money if necessary but, the cheaper the better!! Thanks for reading!

 

[davider]

a waterfall is a bad idea since it can cause a lot of bacteria from the water
ive read many times that the sitting water can cause a bad outcome

well goodluck

David

 

[lonomac]

50 should be fine. I bought 3 humidifiers on craigslist to get mine up that high. Also spraying mist out of a mist bottle or your mist system in the room will kick the humidity way up, but temporarily. Unless its on a timer. Also more plants are good. But dont leave anything with standing water in the cage (ie NO WATERFALL).

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."what I read the humidity should be around 65-70%"...flaps come from a wide range and its hard to know exactly what humidity and temperature is right without knowing where it came from.

You said..."he still spends a lot of time with his mouth open"...is he sitting in the basking area when he is doing this? Are you sure its a male?

How old is it?

Have you read this...
http://www.chameleonnews.com/dilepis.html

Regarding the humidity/floodinbg....is there no way to set up drainage under the cage?

 

[kk1020man]

The guy I bought him from said he is mountainous and that the humidity needs to be very high and the temp low. He said the care for them is the opposite of a veiled. He is 2.5 years old. When we are home we spray him from a bottle, but we both work 12 hour shifts half the week and aren't home to do this all day. When we get home from work and spray him down he goes crazy for the water like he hasn't drank any in a long time. He does have his mouth open under the basking lamp, which is where he spends most of his time. He shed the day after we brought him home, which was last Saturday and he still has a few reminants of it on his back.
I wanted a very small waterfall, not for drinking but just to boost the humidity. I will still have the dripper from the top and the mister from the side.
I just want him to live a happy, stress free life, which means I need to make his habitat as real as possible.

 

[dodolah]

instead of waterfall, i would suggest you buy an ultrasonic humidifier.
and put it next to the cage or run a PVC pipe to catch the mist and put the other end into the cage.

Waterfall is just a big NO NO.
Every time, i run my humidifier high, I always have to turn it off cause it made the room 85% humidity.
I have veiled, so I don't need the humidity to be that high.

But, it certainly will work for you if you want to try it.

 

[Chill]

Yah i usually dont have to many problems w/ humidity because my room is around 50-60% but because i live in nh and its getting colder i have to put my humidifer on more often but i still have to turn it off bcuz it gets to like 80% sometimes!! Like the others said plants help. and no standing water it can help raise humidity but can also harbor bacteria. I've heard of some people using small tubs of water and putting airstones in it to aggitate the water.

-Chill

 

[TRI0N]

Live Plants. Get live healthy plant and put it inside your enclosure such as a Pothos for now then when you get the bigger kingdom built for him put in something like a Ficus. Live plants will increase humidity very well.

 

[spatulars]

I'm certainly not an expert, but the airstones were recommended to me as well, and if you change the water enough, it shouldn't make a difference.

 

[Chamero]

Since were on the topic of humidity, I was wondering if it would serve any purpose to get a humidifier for my outdoor cage? How strong are they?

 

[dodolah]

humidifiers are for indoor use. nothing at your regular walmart or target will be strong enough for outdoor, unless you buy the big giant one like the local zoo often use.

 

[ny noob]

hye guys.. this is a great site btw.
i just bought a blue barred ambliobe and the breeder said they recomend humidity of 40-50.. this seems really low is this correct? i also have a qestion on some missing scales but im going to try and find the correct thread.. thanks