Exactly How Dry Does the Enclosure Need to be Before Each Misting Session

[natureboy86]

Hi everyone,

So i installed a brand new mist king system this past weekend for my 4 month old male veiled. The dimensions of his enclosure is 2x2x3. My initial settings I set the timer to were 4 misting sessions at 3 minutes each, 4 hour intervals. I've noticed that it almost completely dries between each session, but not 100%. The leaves seem to dry, but the bottom of the enclosure has a few damp spots. Not puddles or floods, but a few spots that remain slightly wet.

I have a drainage system, and it prevents the bottom from flooding, it's just the bottom doesn't completely dry 100% between mistings. Is it necessary for the bottom to dry 100% between sessions, or is it just important to make sure there are no puddles that remain on the bottom throughout the day?

Thanks

 

[Sleaper88]

Hi everyone,

So i installed a brand new mist king system this past weekend for my 4 month old male veiled. The dimensions of his enclosure is 2x2x3. My initial settings I set the timer to were 4 misting sessions at 3 minutes each, 4 hour intervals. I've noticed that it almost completely dries between each session, but not 100%. The leaves seem to dry, but the bottom of the enclosure has a few damp spots. Not puddles or floods, but a few spots that remain slightly wet.

I have a drainage system, and it prevents the bottom from flooding, it's just the bottom doesn't completely dry 100% between mistings. Is it necessary for the bottom to dry 100% between sessions, or is it just important to make sure there are no puddles that remain on the bottom throughout the day?

Thanks

I'd also like to know the answer to this as I have no drainage, so what I do is make sure I mop all the water up each night before lights out!! Nd I do it mid day if the water looks excessive, I do have a tub catching the dripper water

 

[okiroo]

Didint read your post but your cage needs to dry out compleatly before the next msiting. if it stays to humid your cham will get an RI.

 

[natureboy86]

Didint read your post but your cage needs to dry out compleatly before the next msiting. if it stays to humid your cham will get an RI.

I just don't see how people's enclosures dry out completely when a lot of people say they allow misting sessions to go up to 5 minute durations. I only had mine set to 3 minute durations, with 4 hour intervals, and it doesn't completely dry. I have drainage, and there aren't really puddles, but some parts of the bottom are damp and don't 100% dry. The leaves and vines all dry 100%, but the floor has a slight wetness in some areas.

 

[cigdoll]

I also have a 4 months old male Veiled. I have my misting set for 3 times a day with one nozzle at 2 minutes per session and the humidity average is 50%, but that will depend on the room your cham is being kept in. You should get a hygrometer to maintain your humidity level to make sure your humidity is not too high to prevent RI.

 

[natureboy86]

I also have a 4 months old male Veiled. I have my misting set for 3 times a day with one nozzle at 2 minutes per session and the humidity average is 50%, but that will depend on the room your cham is being kept in. You should get a hygrometer to maintain your humidity level to make sure your humidity is not too high to prevent RI.

Sorry I should've mentioned in my OP, but I do have a dygrometer, and my humidity averages around 50-60% . The humidity doesn't really get that high, my main concern is whether or not it needs to be 100% dry on the bottom of the enclosure prior to each misting session. Again, there's not huge puddles or flood on the bottom, but there are a few spots on the bottom that don't fully dry in between mists.

 

[Trillian]

It can make a big difference whether you have a screen or glass enclosure too. Glass is harder to sort out drainage for, and tends to hold humidity incredibly well, which suits some species but not veileds and panthers so much.

My Mistking is set to mist for a minute at 7am, 12pm and 5pm, and humidity peaks at about 80% but rarely gets below 50%. Not yet sure if that will change through the Winter though. I still get slightly damp patches on the floor, despite drainage holes, and obviously the plant pots never dry out completely, they retain moisture.

 

[okiroo]

I just don't see how people's enclosures dry out completely when a lot of people say they allow misting sessions to go up to 5 minute durations. I only had mine set to 3 minute durations, with 4 hour intervals, and it doesn't completely dry. I have drainage, and there aren't really puddles, but some parts of the bottom are damp and don't 100% dry. The leaves and vines all dry 100%, but the floor has a slight wetness in some areas.

I mist a few times a day(using a mistking) I FR but the area is always dry before the next misting. With a screen cage im shure it can be done just need to adjust here and there. mabey one long mist in the morning and then the afternoon instead a bunch of small ones? mabey ALOT of small ones? i do 5+ mins 5x times a day.

 

[fluxlizard]

The enclosure should dry out completely- I agree.
You are inviting RI as well as fungus growth in the enclosure if you don't.

I just don't see how people's enclosures dry out completely when a lot of people say they allow misting sessions to go up to 5 minute durations. I only had mine set to 3 minute durations, with 4 hour intervals, and it doesn't completely dry. I have drainage, and there aren't really puddles, but some parts of the bottom are damp and don't 100% dry. The leaves and vines all dry 100%, but the floor has a slight wetness in some areas.

There are a couple of things to think about here.
The first is the purpose of the misting system- are you trying to water your chameleon? Or raise the humidity? Or both?

If you are trying to water the lizard- my experience is a longer session 1 or 2x per day is best. Longer because they often take a while to decide to go on over and have a drink from the mister. I do 20 minutes 1x day for veileds and it works great. But I also have mesh bottomed cages with a catch system- so water does not accumulate. If you don't want to have a drainage system, then I'd highly recommend short misting 1 or 2x per day along with a drip system providing the main drinking water- dripping at least 20 minutes per day. When I used drip systems I just used a catch bowl in the enclosure itself- make sure small chameleons can escape the water if they fall in- a large rock or branch in the bowl for example.

If you are trying to raise humidity- you are better off using a humidifier in the room. But honestly- I doubt you need to have a lot of anxiety about humidity with veileds. Even panthers are fine down to something like 30% according to things in the literature (pretty sure vosjoli and also ferguson). Veileds like yours sometimes occur in areas that occasionally go without water for months at a time- even years (schmidt- individuals were seen alongside the road in an area that hadn't had rainfall in a year). Still- a misting 1 or 2x a day would probably be a good thing.

 

[natureboy86]

I'm thinking perhaps I should have fewer misting sessions. Right now it's as follows:

7:15am- 4 mins
11:15am- 4 mins
3:15 pm- 4 mins
5:30pm -1 min (because lights go out at 7pm)

Should I maybe make them 5 hour intervals rather than 4, and maybe take one of the sessions out and increase each session to 5 minutes? What do you guys think

 

[Sleaper88]

My humidity always averages at bout 65/75% apart from at night where it rises slightly, I think I'm gonna start draining it after each misting!!!

 

[okiroo]

I'm thinking perhaps I should have fewer misting sessions. Right now it's as follows:

7:15am- 4 mins
11:15am- 4 mins
3:15 pm- 4 mins
5:30pm -1 min (because lights go out at 7pm)

Should I maybe make them 5 hour intervals rather than 4, and maybe take one of the sessions out and increase each session to 5 minutes? What do you guys think

Again, whatever works for you and your chameleon. some take a while to start drinking. Some drink all the time. Work with what you know to make your cage safer for your cham. I cant give you exact time beacuse idk the air flow in your house and how fast water evaporates. Im shure some formula could be made but idk it or how to make it. Tell us when you get things worked out.

 

[natureboy86]

Ok. So the consensus is that everything needs to be 100% dry prior to each misting session, correct? It seems almost impossible for the spot around my plant pot to dry completely (despite the majority of my draining holes are under it). I guess I'll maybe cut one of the sessions out, and spread the three sessions further apart for maybe a longer duration of time. Maybe three sessions of 5 minutes per day.

 

[Trillian]

I refuse to believe anyone manages to get their enclosure bone dry between mistings. Obviously you don't want puddles or standing water, but there's always going to be a little moisture left in places, like under plant pots and around sundry clutter and debris. I'd be misting twice a week if I let it dry completely! I mist for humidity and drinking, Ivy is very shy and won't approach the mister, but will wander about collecting drops from the pothos leaves under the mister.

 

[natureboy86]

I refuse to believe anyone manages to get their enclosure bone dry between mistings. Obviously you don't want puddles or standing water, but there's always going to be a little moisture left in places, like under plant pots and around sundry clutter and debris. I'd be misting twice a week if I let it dry completely! I mist for humidity and drinking, Ivy is very shy and won't approach the mister, but will wander about collecting drops from the pothos leaves under the mister.

That's exactly what I was thinking and was hoping to hear! As I stated, I don't have puddles, but I do have water under the plant pot, and a little wetness that vears from that area. Everything else is completely dry between mistings, but pretty much around the plant put and the bottom of one of the vines that touches the ground remains a little wet throughout the day.

how often do you mist and what are your durations?

 

[okiroo]

I refuse to believe anyone manages to get their enclosure bone dry between mistings. Obviously you don't want puddles or standing water, but there's always going to be a little moisture left in places, like under plant pots and around sundry clutter and debris. I'd be misting twice a week if I let it dry completely! I mist for humidity and drinking, Ivy is very shy and won't approach the mister, but will wander about collecting drops from the pothos leaves under the mister.

That's exactly what I was thinking and was hoping to hear! As I stated, I don't have puddles, but I do have water under the plant pot, and a little wetness that vears from that area. Everything else is completely dry between mistings, but pretty much around the plant put and the bottom of one of the vines that touches the ground remains a little wet throughout the day.

how often do you mist and what are your durations?

My areas are dry before the next misting occurs. if you let that water stay and never dry up(if its still there after mistings) then bacteria and fungus ect will grow. wet and under a pot= not good. Get thing to put under your pot and dump it if you have to but my Freerange drys up and i would think most peoples cgaes do aswell.

 

[Saldarya]

That's exactly what I was thinking and was hoping to hear! As I stated, I don't have puddles, but I do have water under the plant pot, and a little wetness that vears from that area. Everything else is completely dry between mistings, but pretty much around the plant put and the bottom of one of the vines that touches the ground remains a little wet throughout the day.

how often do you mist and what are your durations?

I use a Mistking in a 2x2x4 screened cage with a duration and schedule very similar to yours. In my case, the whole cage is at a slight incline which drains into a drain/gutter system. That being said, I do get a few damp spots on the ground at the start of the next cycle. My solution is once a day, towards the end of the day, I do squeegee any water into the drain.

It does need to dry out, but like a previous poster said, there is a ton of variance to consider. For example, where I live, 60% humidity is a normal daily occurrence, so I am watering more for the Cham than the environment.

Bobby

 

[Solid Snake]

Didint read your post but your cage needs to dry out compleatly before the next msiting. if it stays to humid your cham will get an RI.

You live on the coast.

Its different when your in the desert and the ambient RH is .05% ;/

 

[Decadancin]

So far, I would say that you are all correct! (That doesn't help, does it?) Let me explain...
I use a misting system in my enclosure and I run it about 5 times a day for about 40 seconds. I have one of those "eco-friendly" mats at the bottom of the enclosure to help maintain the humidity levels. I have NO drainage as of now. The humidity levels for my veiled are around 40% before a misting, or when both basking bulbs are on, to about 60% when the system has misted. I do not like to go much higher than that to risk conditions favorable for bacterial or fungal growth. This could still happen, but it lowers the risk. If the levels get too high I will simply take out the mat and allow more water to evaporate out. I also change the mat often! I will wash one while the other is drying out and this helps reduce the growth of bacteria, as well. I have 2 hygrometers and the one at the bottom is always higher than the one at the top, by about 5-10%.
One thing to remember is that the native range of veiled chams varies quite a bit in temps and humidity levels. Just try to minimize the dangerous factors in a home setup and try to avoid extremes.
Hope this helps.

 

[natureboy86]

Well, today, I altered my mistking settings. I basically took out one session, increased the duration of the remaining three, but spread the sessions out a little more in hopes that the bottom will completely dry in between sessions. My new settings are as follows:

Lights on: 7am
1st misting: 7:20am, 5 minutes
2nd misting: 12:15, 5 minutes
Last misting: 4:45, 3 minutes
Lights out: 7pm

Let me know what you guys think.. For clarification purposes, I bought this mist king system for the purpose of hydration for my cham, not for humidity. The humidity is usually between 50-60%.Will my above mist king routine be sufficient for my cham, or should I go back to the 4 sessions, in which the bottom doesn't completely dry?