What other equipment do I need for keeping chameleons?
Part 2.
If you're keeping chameleons in a terrarium, you'll need a heat and humidity thermometer. This lets you check whether the temperature from the heat lamp is right for your animals. For two chameleons, the basking branch needs to be at 27-30 degrees Celsius. Use the right bulb and lamp to make sure this happens. You can read more about this in our previous article.
. --> What other equipment do I need for keeping chameleons?
The thermometer will give you the most accurate reading if you actually place it under the heating lamp. It's important to know that this temperature is only needed in the upper part of the terrarium. The lower levels should be kept at a lower temperature so that they can choose the temperature they need to warm up or cool down. This is called a heat pipe. There are several types and placement methods you can use to achieve this.
One type can be fixed to the side of the terrarium using the strong double-sided adhesive that comes with it. Just make sure you put the heat lamp as close to the edge of the terrarium as you can, as a distance of 20-30 cm can make a big difference in temperature. You can also attach this thermometer to a branch right under the heat lamp to get the most accurate readings.
The humidity part gives us an extra piece of information to monitor the humidity levels during the day. It's important to note that the panther chameleon doesn't need too much humidity during the day, and can even cause respiratory illnesses. Humidity levels can easily rise above 80% during morning and evening humidification, but will soon return to normal levels of between 45-60%. It's important to keep this value relatively constant. We often hear that animals need to be humidified 3-5 times a day, but this is life-threatening if you use a heat lamp.
The other most common type of thermometer is the wired one, which is great because you can put the sensor probe anywhere in the terrarium without having to move the LCD display. Some versions also measure humidity, which gives you more info about your pet's living conditions.
