New to the life, needing some help/guidance
Hey everyone, as you can tell from the title I am new to the life of chameleon keeping. I've owned multiple ball pythons & a tarantula in my younger years lol aka my parents tolerated my weird pet fascination. Obviously at some point I had to stop creature keeping due to roommates or living conditions. I now am in a spot where I can have at least 1 reptile (wife says only 1 at this time lol)
My plan of action was a living biome since I can only have the 1 chameleon; I wanted to get the biome up and running for at least 1 month before getting said chameleon. Researched into cost on that and as soon as my wife heard springtails and saw a picture the biome got nix lol Basic setup with a few live plants it will be. Over some months, because shit is expensive due to the nature of who and what its for, I have gathered enough of a setup- tank, therm/hygro, misters, light/heat and got my terrarium going so I can start dialing in air temps & humidity for my new friend.
Here lies the problem. I'm having what my eyes and basic research comprehension is telling me is a heating issue. Chameleons (dependent upon species) like 92F-80F in the hot zone, mid 70s in the cooler zone; with a night temp drop in the 70s as well- please correct if wrong. According to my thermometer my air temp are between 74F-77F and humidity 63%+.
Multiple factors could be materials, equipment brands, wattage, location. So here I am asking the wide community that is reddit for help/guidance on my "possible" issue or am I being a helicopter parent?
Tank- 45gal front open glass with metal mesh screen top; leca false bottom, substrate cloth, soil, moss; 3 live plants- ficus & fern
Mister- reptizoo 2L adjustable misting system
Control- Digital hygro/thermometer & non digital gauge (came with tank); 100W dual light/heat mini dome; 100W ceramic heat bulb, 5.0UVB Reptisun 13W mini compact bulb