New baby (yay)! Humidity issues (booo)

[PlanetRemulak]

I put off getting a cham initially due to health issues, but I’m feeling better than anticipated. I’ll also be home more than I expected to be, and with all that going for me, I decided I couldn’t stand to wait until November for a baby. I still went with Fram’s Chams, but I ended up with a 4 month old Nosy be/Ambilobe cross. I brought him home from the FedEx hub today.

I’m trying so hard to not obsess and leave him be so he can get settled in. All of my digital/hygrometer probes are reading at 39-43% humidity unless I mist (then it goes up to 50-55%). I’m terrified of giving him a respiratory infection or stressing him to the point of illness, so I don’t want to keep going into the room to mist his cage. The left, back and right sides are of the cage are covered in window shrink film. Suggestions? it doesn’t appear as though the insulating shrink film is holding in humidity.
The cage has a decent amount of live plants: two pothos, one tradescantia zebrina, some tradescantia pallida, a spider plant and a pachira aquatica tree. I do intend to get a few more plants to fill in space at the bottom of the cage.

I’m hand misting at the moment unfortunately - my drill decided to take a crap, so I have not yet been able to install the bulkhead on my MistKing.

 

[Lindasjackson]

congrats on your new baby and that you’re doing better!! We’re like new parents when we bring a cham baby home. Remember to relax and it will all work itself out.

 

[Chameleoking]

Nice cham and setup you got there.

 

[Sonny13]

Nice setup

The problem for you regarding humidity is, there isn´t much that keeps the moisture, therefore quickly after misting everything dries out. You could try to mount some xaxim or cocos fibre plates with epiphyte plants on it, those will hold moisture and raise humidity. Just an idea

 

[summerseeking]

Where do you live?

So I know bio active setups are not everyone’s jam, but they help with humidity so much. Numbers in the 40s 50s are fine for daytime humidity. It’s the nighttime where this can get sticky. I mist for 5 mins 30mins after light off, 1 min at 1 am, my fogger turns on at 1:02 and runs until 6-7 am. The fogger helps so much buts it’s tricky if your night temps are too high. I’m in the Bay Area and the last few nights it’s been tough getting night temps under 67f for safer fogging. Added vinyl covers to the sides of my enclosures and also didn’t find them super helpful. I’m still learning just like you, these are some of the things that have worked for me in warm/hot Vallejo lol

 

[Sonny13]

Where do you live?

So I know bio active setups are not everyone’s jam, but they help with humidity so much. Numbers in the 40s 50s are fine for daytime humidity. It’s the nighttime where this can get sticky. I mist for 5 mins 30mins after light off, 1 min at 1 am, my fogger turns on at 1:02 and runs until 6-7 am. The fogger helps so much buts it’s tricky if your night temps are too high. I’m in the Bay Area and the last few nights it’s been tough getting night temps under 67f for safer fogging. Added vinyl covers to the sides of my enclosures and also didn’t find them super helpful. I’m still learning just like you, these are some of the things that have worked for me in warm/hot Vallejo lol

Luckily you brought it up, bioactive . I wouldn´t build an enclosure without any more and sure helps a lot with humidity. Just didn´t wanna mention it as first option , good you did

turns on at 1:02

That´s almost autistic

 

[summerseeking]

Luckily you brought it up, bioactive . I wouldn´t build an enclosure without any more and sure helps a lot with humidity. Just didn´t wanna mention it as first option , good you did


That´s almost autistic

I have a misting scheduled from 1-1:01 am…then the fogger turns on a minute later. Bill Strand suggests misting before the “fog rolls in” to help it stick around. Out of context 1:02 is an odd time to go with

Also, me either! I love bioactive setups (though I’ve never tried the non-biosactive route lol).

 

[Sonny13]

I have a misting scheduled from 1-1:01 am…then the fogger turns on a minute later. Bill Strand suggests misting before the “fog rolls in” to help it stick around. Out of context 1:02 is an odd time to go with

Following the same principal and very content with it, damn that makes me also autistic

Also, me either! I love bioactive setups (though I’ve never tried the non-biosactive route lol).

Started with it and when I came across CF, I went very quickly to bioactive, thanks to all information I could find here. Best decision I made within this hobby, speaking for myself of course.

 

[summerseeking]

Following the same principal and very content with it, damn that makes me also autistic


Started with it and when I came across CF, I went very quickly to bioactive, thanks to all information I could find here. Best decision I made within this hobby, speaking for myself of course.

We are peas in a pod lol

When I was researching before I built my setup I kept coming across folks saying it wasn’t a route for beginners. Definitely happy I didn’t listen lol. I did a full cleaning of my enclosures today (aka washed poop off plants and picked out some urates) it took less than 10 mins. A breeze!

 

[Sonny13]

We are peas in a pod lol

When I was researching before I built my setup I kept coming across folks saying it wasn’t a route for beginners. Definitely happy I didn’t listen lol. I did a full cleaning of my enclosures today (aka washed poop off plants and picked out some urates) it took less than 10 mins. A breeze!

Well my girl poops always from the same branch and that´s free drop till the bottom, there the CuC stands....

Easy as it can go.......it´s already a complete army and attack it the moment it hits the bottom.

 

[PlanetRemulak]

Nice cham and setup you got there.

Thank you!! I put a lot of work into it. Evidently it’s planted well because I had a moment yesterday where I couldn’t find him. He finally decided to pop his little head out of the middle of his money tree this chameleon keeping thing is going to be the death of me lol

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I put off getting a cham initially due to health issues, but I’m feeling better than anticipated. I’ll also be home more than I expected to be, and with all that going for me, I decided I couldn’t stand to wait until November for a baby. I still went with Fram’s Chams, but I ended up with a 4 month old Nosy be/Ambilobe cross. I brought him home from the FedEx hub today.

I’m trying so hard to not obsess and leave him be so he can get settled in. All of my digital/hygrometer probes are reading at 39-43% humidity unless I mist (then it goes up to 50-55%). I’m terrified of giving him a respiratory infection or stressing him to the point of illness, so I don’t want to keep going into the room to mist his cage. The left, back and right sides are of the cage are covered in window shrink film. Suggestions? it doesn’t appear as though the insulating shrink film is holding in humidity.
The cage has a decent amount of live plants: two pothos, one tradescantia zebrina, some tradescantia pallida, a spider plant and a pachira aquatica tree. I do intend to get a few more plants to fill in space at the bottom of the cage.

I’m hand misting at the moment unfortunately - my drill decided to take a crap, so I have not yet been able to install the bulkhead on my MistKing.

I would concentrate on getting the MK up & running. I use it at intervals throughout the night, and it both lowers the temperature via evaporative cooling and keeps the humidity up—no fogger needed.

Larger plants/more foliage also help achieve & retain humidity.

 

[PlanetRemulak]

Nice setup

The problem for you regarding humidity is, there isn´t much that keeps the moisture, therefore quickly after misting everything dries out. You could try to mount some xaxim or cocos fibre plates with epiphyte plants on it, those will hold moisture and raise humidity. Just an idea

Something worth considering - thank you so much for the suggestion! I checked back a few times later after my original post, and my humidity ranged from 46-51%. Not terrible! Not low enough for me to get all bugged out about it like I was. The real challenge is going be with getting the night time humidity right. Thanks for the kind words!

 

[PlanetRemulak]

congrats on your new baby and that you’re doing better!! We’re like new parents when we bring a cham baby home. Remember to relax and it will all work itself out.

Thank you so much for the kind words, @Lindasjackson! I actually thought of you when I got my new baby home yesterday. I recall your MistKing anxiety and not being able to find suitable plants for Eustis’s enclosure, but you got it all figured out. Made me feel a lot better!

Where do you live?

So I know bio active setups are not everyone’s jam, but they help with humidity so much. Numbers in the 40s 50s are fine for daytime humidity. It’s the nighttime where this can get sticky. I mist for 5 mins 30mins after light off, 1 min at 1 am, my fogger turns on at 1:02 and runs until 6-7 am. The fogger helps so much buts it’s tricky if your night temps are too high. I’m in the Bay Area and the last few nights it’s been tough getting night temps under 67f for safer fogging. Added vinyl covers to the sides of my enclosures and also didn’t find them super helpful. I’m still learning just like you, these are some of the things that have worked for me in warm/hot Vallejo lol

I live in the super hot, dry Central Valley of CA (San Joaquin Valley). So, a couple hours away from you actually.

I think you’re right! Mid to high 40’s isn’t too much to get worried about. Can I get your exact misting schedule? I thought I had this down.. turns out I can’t remember if you’re supposed to mist for 2 minutes 30 minutes BEFORE and AFTER lights on/off, or if you’re supposed to mist for 2 minutes 30 minutes AFTER and BEFORE lights go on/off. Confusing, to say the least all my current chameleon knowledge pertains to non bio active setups, but I may have to start researching that option!

I would concentrate on getting the MK up & running. I use it at intervals throughout the night, and it both lowers the temperature via evaporative cooling and keeps the humidity up—no fogger needed.

Larger plants/more foliage also help achieve & retain humidity.

100%. Asking around to borrow a drill today. This hand misting thing just isn’t getting it

 

[Beman]

Put the film on the other side as well so you have the back and both sides done. Try not to panic over the humidity. Fluctuations are good. Your looking for that mid range during the day. If it drops that is fine. 39-43 is still a great range adding the film to the other side should give it a little more of a bump as well.

 

[PlanetRemulak]

Put the film on the other side as well so you have the back and both sides done. Try not to panic over the humidity. Fluctuations are good. Your looking for that mid range during the day. If it drops that is fine. 39-43 is still a great range adding the film to the other side should give it a little more of a bump as well.

Thank you so much, @Beman! If you say it’s all good, I’ll relax.

Do you think it’s best to mist in the morning before lights go on and then again at night after lights off? Or lights on, mist, lights off, mist?

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

A few minutes either way shouldn't matter. My lights don't run off the MK timer; if they did, I'd have short light shows every night. IDT Nature runs on timers either.

 

[PlanetRemulak]

A few minutes either way shouldn't matter. My lights don't run off the MK timer; if they did, I'd have short light shows every night. IDT Nature runs on timers either.

Makes sense when you put it that way.
As always, thank you for the help!

 

[Beman]

Thank you so much, @Beman! If you say it’s all good, I’ll relax.

Do you think it’s best to mist in the morning before lights go on and then again at night after lights off? Or lights on, mist, lights off, mist?

I mist in the morning right as the lights are kicking on. Then in the evening after my basking light has kicked off. Then I provide a dripper during the day so there is access to water.

IME misting and fogging at night alone did not hydrate my chams enough. The dripper was needed. Relying too much on fogging at night I feel is detrimental to the cham.

I use a plastic solo cup with tiny pin holes. water or ice cubes added to it sitting directly on the screen top of the cage away from fixtures. Ice cubes will provide more of a slow drip.

 

[Lindasjackson]

I just set My mist king to go off every 2 hours at night for 2-3 min. That’s what helps my humidity at night. I can’t get it above %75 according to my gages but I don’t think they are measuring correctly. If I’m misting every 2 hours then how can it only be 75%. I have a ton of plants in there as well. I’m so happy for you @PlanetRemulak ! We started here about the same time I think and we’ve grown our enclosures and chams together! It’s awesome.