Chameleon academy confused me

[hzliedmond]

Hello after listening to chameleon academy about chameleon drinking water confused me about misting. He says fogger at night and misting in the morning. How many people do it this way ? He makes a lot of sense when chameleons are sleeping and the mister gos off on them that they don't like it. Can some one please help me should I buy a mister and a fogger ? I just want my girl to be happy and healthy thank u

 

[SteveH]

You definitely want a fogger. For one enclosure if you are able to you can just hand mist the enclosure with a spray bottle. The need the higher humidity at night that the fogger will provide. The misting gives them water to drink if so desired. So the each have there purpose. I'm home and able to hand mist my seven enclosures.

 

[Steve A]

Hello after listening to chameleon academy about chameleon drinking water confused me about misting. He says fogger at night and misting in the morning. How many people do it this way ? He makes a lot of sense when chameleons are sleeping and the mister gos off on them that they don't like it. Can some one please help me should I buy a mister and a fogger ? I just want my girl to be happy and healthy thank u

Hello! Please keep in mind I am still a new chameleon keeper. With that being said, I feel I have a pretty good grasp for this. So what is important of course, is that your chameleon is hydrated adequately. And usually when done well enough (with exceptions! they're individuals with different preferences..) they mostly won't need to drink during the day. So what you want is that higher humidity at night. AFTER the temps go down.


I used to be confused by all of this too. I was at a point to where I couldn't tell if the humidity needed to be high all night or what. Through experienced I've learned that it doesn't need to be all night. My chameleons humidity is only up to the low-high 70s until around 1am (but these numbers vary. sometimes into the 80s sometimes less.). Once midnight hits my fogger AND mister turn on (2 mins for mister... 1am to 6am for fogger). At this point my temps are easily in the low-mid 60s in his enclosure. Humidity is 80%+ usually. Again, not always. At 6am fogger turns off. At 6:30am the mister turns on for another 2 minutes. Lights are on at 7am. Temps start rising again, gradually and the humidity starts lowering again gradually. BUT you will want a gradient just like with UVB. Humidity will be higher at lower/mid portions of your cage where there is less heat and more plants (most likely).

throughout the day you want the enclosure to be dry. At 7pm my lights turn off. 7:30pm mister is on for 2 minutes... rinse and repeat.

The best advice I was given was "start off with 2 misting sessions at 2 minutes each. half hour before lights on and half hour after". Run the fogger from 1am-6am. This was suggested by my chameleons breeder.

Keep in mind this varies for everyone. We all live in different areas and have different situations.

Check the temps/humidity, and keep an eye on your chameleons poop and if he drinks during the day. Start with a simple schedule (I'll post a friendly to read format at the end), and make small adjustments until you get it right.

I live in South Jersey, I keep my AC at 70-73degrees (usually 73, and when its really hot it'll get as warm as 75-77 in here because we have no shade). My chameleon has a large 36"x24"x48" enclosure, and it is all screened. So it's "fogger friendly" because the air keeps moving through it and out of it.

Here is my schedule:


7:00pm - lights off
7:30pm - mister (2 mins)
1:00am - fogger on + mister (2mins)
fogger stays on
|
|
V
6:00am - fogger turns off
6:30am - mister (2 mins)
7:00am - lights on!

**I have a big dripper I let drip 24/7** - Though he never drinks from it but it helps the plants. Just put it over a plant and rotate it between plants. IMO yould should have it. It's too easy to have not to have it unless you really know your chameleon doesn't need it.

Again this is an example and something you could start out with. But please keep in mind you have to pay attention to your own situation and adjust accordingly as it really is different for everyone. And also different per chameleon type.... and chameleon as individuals! Hope this helps!

edit: I should also add it might be a good idea to start withOUT the fogger. Just to see what your numbers look like and how your chameleon is. If you don't need it, don't bother. Although I personally feel it's better to just have it... again IF your conditions call for it. For me I can tell it helps keep the humidity higher during those early morning hours. Again, test, make small adjustments.

 

[MissSkittles]

I’m in Florida and not able to achieve temps low enough at night to use a fogger/humidifier. I have my Mist King run a couple of 15 second sessions during the night for a modest humidity boost and that is all I dare. Basically, heat plus high humidity greatly increases risks of respiratory infection. If your enclosure is glass of otherwise has limited ventilation, that adds to the risk. You want warm and dryer days and cool humid nights ideally. One of the most important things is to monitor your temps day and night to determine if your night temps are below at least 68-70, which is cool enough for fogging.

 

[DonKeesh]

The goal is to have high humidity nights and a thick layer of dew on plant surfaces available for drinking in the first couple hours of the morning, and then allow the cage to dry out during the day. There are several ways to achieve this but a fogger and mist king are the easiest and most automated option.

 

[elizaann2]

The fog machine, and everything else we use in our husbandry is used as tools to help us achieve the kind of environment that our chameleons need to thrive. Some places don't need a fog machine to achieve high humidity at night, some do. I love the idea of buying a hygrometer (needed anyways) to see what your night humidity is before deciding to get a fog machine. I absolutely need one being in a dry state but I also have to make sure that my night temps are 68 degrees or lower in order to fog safely.

 

[Lt.WorfReportingForDuty]

Hello! Please keep in mind I am still a new chameleon keeper. With that being said, I feel I have a pretty good grasp for this. So what is important of course, is that your chameleon is hydrated adequately. And usually when done well enough (with exceptions! they're individuals with different preferences..) they mostly won't need to drink during the day. So what you want is that higher humidity at night. AFTER the temps go down.


I used to be confused by all of this too. I was at a point to where I couldn't tell if the humidity needed to be high all night or what. Through experienced I've learned that it doesn't need to be all night. My chameleons humidity is only up to the low-high 70s until around 1am (but these numbers vary. sometimes into the 80s sometimes less.). Once midnight hits my fogger AND mister turn on (2 mins for mister... 1am to 6am for fogger). At this point my temps are easily in the low-mid 60s in his enclosure. Humidity is 80%+ usually. Again, not always. At 6am fogger turns off. At 6:30am the mister turns on for another 2 minutes. Lights are on at 7am. Temps start rising again, gradually and the humidity starts lowering again gradually. BUT you will want a gradient just like with UVB. Humidity will be higher at lower/mid portions of your cage where there is less heat and more plants (most likely).

throughout the day you want the enclosure to be dry. At 7pm my lights turn off. 7:30pm mister is on for 2 minutes... rinse and repeat.

The best advice I was given was "start off with 2 misting sessions at 2 minutes each. half hour before lights on and half hour after". Run the fogger from 1am-6am. This was suggested by my chameleons breeder.

Keep in mind this varies for everyone. We all live in different areas and have different situations.

Check the temps/humidity, and keep an eye on your chameleons poop and if he drinks during the day. Start with a simple schedule (I'll post a friendly to read format at the end), and make small adjustments until you get it right.

I live in South Jersey, I keep my AC at 70-73degrees (usually 73, and when its really hot it'll get as warm as 75-77 in here because we have no shade). My chameleon has a large 36"x24"x48" enclosure, and it is all screened. So it's "fogger friendly" because the air keeps moving through it and out of it.

Here is my schedule:


7:00pm - lights off
7:30pm - mister (2 mins)
1:00am - fogger on + mister (2mins)
fogger stays on
|
|
V
6:00am - fogger turns off
6:30am - mister (2 mins)
7:00am - lights on!

**I have a big dripper I let drip 24/7** - Though he never drinks from it but it helps the plants. Just put it over a plant and rotate it between plants. IMO yould should have it. It's too easy to have not to have it unless you really know your chameleon doesn't need it.

Again this is an example and something you could start out with. But please keep in mind you have to pay attention to your own situation and adjust accordingly as it really is different for everyone. And also different per chameleon type.... and chameleon as individuals! Hope this helps!

edit: I should also add it might be a good idea to start withOUT the fogger. Just to see what your numbers look like and how your chameleon is. If you don't need it, don't bother. Although I personally feel it's better to just have it... again IF your conditions call for it. For me I can tell it helps keep the humidity higher during those early morning hours. Again, test, make small adjustments.

Additionally regarding the dripper- Neptune demonstrated a method of poking a pinprick hole in the bottom of a washed out gallon milk jug or equivalent, it gives a steady drip without paying for the big dripper from the store.

 

[CamiCham]

I’m in Florida and not able to achieve temps low enough at night to use a fogger/humidifier. I have my Mist King run a couple of 15 second sessions during the night for a modest humidity boost and that is all I dare. Basically, heat plus high humidity greatly increases risks of respiratory infection. If your enclosure is glass of otherwise has limited ventilation, that adds to the risk. You want warm and dryer days and cool humid nights ideally. One of the most important things is to monitor your temps day and night to determine if your night temps are below at least 68-70, which is cool enough for fogging.

this is what I'm worried about - I just put in a little Betazooer fogger and run it on 30 min and off 30 min from 12-6am but have some loose fitting covers on the sides and back so probably not a great air flow. ?? I am in FL as well but we are fairly modest with our a/c setting. We have the air set at 76 so I know it doesn't get cool enough here. With the misting after lights off it does cool off in there but I worry about causing an RI. I am in a constant state of - am I doing this right? I'm wondering if I should nix the betazooer and get a cool mist humidifier instead. Or reduce the time I'm running it at least. Now that he's had a couple days to hydrate after shipping here - maybe I'll turn it off tonight.

 

[snitz427]

Personally, I dont run a fogger. Too complicated - they need to be regularly cleaned, RO, can introduce mold and respiratory issues without proper airflow. I am fortunate (for chams at least!) to live in a state with moderate ambient humidity. My house rarely drops below 50%, and the basement is higher. Couple that with lots of plants and log mist sessions, and I am happy with my enclosure’s humidity level.

In summer, my chams are outside 24/7, most days - and very happy. My inside night temps/humidity are as good if not better than outside. That’s good enough for me.

I ran multiple foggers for my plant collection for years, and developed mold issues in the area (despite 2 lrge fans moving air), fungal issues on the plants, and went through 3 good foggers due to mineral buildup. Cleaning was a pita. Not for me. Again, just my opinion and my circumstances

 

[MissSkittles]

this is what I'm worried about - I just put in a little Betazooer fogger and run it on 30 min and off 30 min from 12-6am but have some loose fitting covers on the sides and back so probably not a great air flow. ?? I am in FL as well but we are fairly modest with our a/c setting. We have the air set at 76 so I know it doesn't get cool enough here. With the misting after lights off it does cool off in there but I worry about causing an RI. I am in a constant state of - am I doing this right? I'm wondering if I should nix the betazooer and get a cool mist humidifier instead. Or reduce the time I'm running it at least. Now that he's had a couple days to hydrate after shipping here - maybe I'll turn it off tonight.

If your night temps don’t get below at least 70 (preferably 68), I wouldn’t fog at all. I keep my ac set at 74 usually. The room my chams are in is the hottest in the house and their lights make it even more so. I was running a room ac unit on top of the central ac, but still wasn’t able to get below 72ish at night.

 

[CamiCham]

If your night temps don’t get below at least 70 (preferably 68), I wouldn’t fog at all. I keep my ac set at 74 usually. The room my chams are in is the hottest in the house and their lights make it even more so. I was running a room ac unit on top of the central ac, but still wasn’t able to get below 72ish at night.

Alrighty - will stop using it as of now. Thanks for the advice! Def don’t want the little dude getting sick.

 

[elizaann2]

Additionally regarding the dripper- Neptune demonstrated a method of poking a pinprick hole in the bottom of a washed out gallon milk jug or equivalent, it gives a steady drip without paying for the big dripper from the store.

That’s what I do.

 

[hzliedmond]

If your night temps don’t get below at least 70 (preferably 68), I wouldn’t fog at all. I keep my ac set at 74 usually. The room my chams are in is the hottest in the house and their lights make it even more so. I was running a room ac unit on top of the central ac, but still wasn’t able to get below 72ish at night.

I'm at 84 degrees and 43 humidity and it's 10 pm I just misted the cage

 

[jannb]

I'm at 84 degrees and 43 humidity and it's 10 pm I just misted the cage

What kind of chameleon do you have? What’s your location?

 

[hzliedmond]

What kind of chameleon do you have? What’s your location?

 

[hzliedmond]

Veiled chameleon and here in cali Los Angeles

 

[jannb]

Veiled chameleon and here in cali Los Angeles

You have nice chameleon weather there. Veileds do not require as high of humidity as some species of chameleons. What I do with my veileds is a mist after they go to bed and another mist early morning. I drip through out the day. You do need at least a 10 degree drop in temperature at night. The best to you and your girl. BTW Do you have a laying bin for her?

 

[hzliedmond]

You have nice chameleon weather there. Veileds do not require as high of humidity as some species of chameleons. What I do with my veileds is a mist after they go to bed and another mist early morning. I drip through out the day. You do need at least a 10 degree drop in temperature at night. The best to you and your girl. BTW Do you have a laying bin for her?

Not yet ,should I cover the sides of the screen? Or just it be ,I'm trying to make a small bin for her

 

[jannb]

Not yet ,should I cover the sides of the screen? Or just it be ,I'm trying to make a small bin for her

I don’t recommend covering the sides until she starts digging in her laying bin. By the age of 4 months I keep a laying bin for my girls.

 

[hzliedmond]

I don’t recommend covering the sides until she starts digging in her laying bin. By the age of 4 months I keep a laying bin for my girls.

My girl is 6 months should I make her one and do u leave it the whole time, m?