Should i'd be chasing humidity

[Sanababit]

Hi, i have two panther chameleons, each in it's own screen cage, i have an aquaking system and mist for 30 seconds every two hours 6 times a day, but the weather is really dry and cant get it past 40%, it stays at about 30%, should i be misting more or just not worry to much about it as long as there is water or humidity every so often, thanks

Sana

 

[Kiwiflage]

I would get a few plants to put in the cages. They help with humidity a lot

 

[ZiggyStardust]

Absolutely agree about the live plants - they are excellent for helping with humidity.

I might be wrong here as well, but I think that 30 is way too low for a panther - my cage never dips below 60 at any time and most times is between 70 and 80.

 

[pigglett79]

I don't really worry about humidity. If you have a drainage system try 1 or 2 longer mistings in between the shorter ones. If they are shedding without issue, hydrated and look healthy I don't worry about what the humidity is. I don't even measure it in my cages. I do have a fogger for my Jackson, but the panthers just get the rain a few times a day and they are doing fine.

I have two mistings mid day that are 5-10 minutes long and have live plants to help.

 

[Sanababit]

I don't really worry about humidity. If you have a drainage system try 1 or 2 longer mistings in between the shorter ones. If they are shedding without issue, hydrated and look healthy I don't worry about what the humidity is. I don't even measure it in my cages. I do have a fogger for my Jackson, but the panthers just get the rain a few times a day and they are doing fine.

I have two mistings mid day that are 5-10 minutes long and have live plants to help.

That is exactly what i tought, thanks for the replies guys, i do mist a lot troughout the day, and humidity goes up a little, 40ish, at night it goes up to 70%, i do have a ficcus tree in each cage and some substrate (i know, i know, but i like it), anyways, if they start to shed or see they're urate off white then more spraying for them, lol

Sana

 

[Carlton]

That is exactly what i tought, thanks for the replies guys, i do mist a lot troughout the day, and humidity goes up a little, 40ish, at night it goes up to 70%, i do have a ficcus tree in each cage and some substrate (i know, i know, but i like it), anyways, if they start to shed or see they're urate off white then more spraying for them, lol

Sana

This is where an ultrasonic fogger or small ultrasonic room humidifier can really help. You can set one up on a lamp timer to run for a while in between your misting cycles to raise the overall cage humidity without being present to spray, or without needing a lot more misting (and drainage). In the dead of winter when your house heating is drying everything out it can level out the rate at which the cage dries.

 

[Sanababit]

This is where an ultrasonic fogger or small ultrasonic room humidifier can really help. You can set one up on a lamp timer to run for a while in between your misting cycles to raise the overall cage humidity without being present to spray, or without needing a lot more misting (and drainage). In the dead of winter when your house heating is drying everything out it can level out the rate at which the cage dries.

Thanks carlton, i live in tijuana mexico, very close to san diego california, the weather is excellent almost all year round, it stays around in the 70's, in winter it goes down to mid 50's outside, i dont use heaters in the house, my only concern was that sometimes it gets really dry (santa ana winds) and my cages are made of aluminum mesh so they cant hold on to humidity that good, i will keep misting a little bit more if i have too (its automatic anyways), and keep in mind that humidifier, thanks

Sana

 

[Devokid]

I do the same as pigglett. I live in Salt Lake City, and the weather here is very dry, especially in the winter time. I used to try and keep the humidity high, but noticed that they got URI's fairly often. Now that I don't monitor it, my panthers have all thrived. They probably just drink more than the ones that live in high humidity environments.

 

[Carlton]

Thanks carlton, i live in tijuana mexico, very close to san diego california, the weather is excellent almost all year round, it stays around in the 70's, in winter it goes down to mid 50's outside, i dont use heaters in the house, my only concern was that sometimes it gets really dry (santa ana winds) and my cages are made of aluminum mesh so they cant hold on to humidity that good, i will keep misting a little bit more if i have too (its automatic anyways), and keep in mind that humidifier, thanks

Sana

Oh, OK, I know that climate well. Maybe during the dry weather spells you can attach some plastic sheeting to the cage frame. It will decrease the air exchange which slows down evaporation, help hold in more humidity and also provide more surface area to hold water droplets.