How do I keep humidity up in a screened cage?

[SaraSondermann]

I just bought a screened cage for my baby veiled, online, and it should be here sometime this week. I was wondering, is it more difficult to keep the humidity up in a screened cage simply because of all the ventilation? And if so, what are some ways to take care of that?

 

[Ferrah88]

With one of my terarriums which needs higher humidity but doesn't keep it I just put saran/plastic wrap around it. This also prevents the (possible) wall behind it from getting wet, which is an added bonus! Worked like a charm

It also depends on where you live. If it's drier, a solution like the one above may be necessary. I would leave the wrap off for the start, try it without and monitor the humidity levels. If they are too low, there is something you can do about it!

Depending on how much your cage is losing humidity, I would recommend covering up only 2 walls. If that's still not humid enough, cover up three. You can even leave some breathing room at the bottom for more air flow. I would also make sure oyu don't keep the humidity at foll power all the time. There should be some drier times between mistings.

 

[vangarret2000]

Chameleons need the proper ventilation which is why screen cages are used. To keep up the humidity for them just mist more often then you would other tanks\reptiles.

 

[Ferrah88]

Chameleons need the proper ventilation which is why screen cages are used. To keep up the humidity for them just mist more often then you would other tanks\reptiles.

It really depends on the humidity of the air around the vivarium as well (global location). If the screen vivariums are not covered up on 3 sides at home, they lose next to all humidity within 30 minutes of being misted. Misting every 30 minutes wouldn't be a viable solution

This is why I typically use glass vivariums for my reptiles that need high humidity. (My Ellioti's, for example, live in glass vivariums because they need a higher humidity. There is enough ventilation as glass vivariums are built well here) My veileds on the other hand, live in screened vivariums as their humidity does not need to be so high. I just cover up 3 sides on one, and 2 on the other to keep it in a bit longer!

 

[symphonica]

You can put up acrylic sheets that they sell at Home Depot on 2-3 of the sides. Your humidity should be dropping down to about 30-40% before you re-mist. They need that rise and fall. Make sure the cage dries completely in between mistings. And don't mist an hour before their bedtime and make sure the enclosure is completely dry before the lights go out.

Otherwise, constantly high humidity can make them very susceptible to respiratory infections.

 

[SaraSondermann]

Thanks for all the responses. I'll definitely keep them in mind when my new enclosure gets here!

 

[Anniel]

automatic mister at night?

You can put up acrylic sheets that they sell at Home Depot on 2-3 of the sides. Your humidity should be dropping down to about 30-40% before you re-mist. They need that rise and fall. Make sure the cage dries completely in between mistings. And don't mist an hour before their bedtime and make sure the enclosure is completely dry before the lights go out.

Otherwise, constantly high humidity can make them very susceptible to respiratory infections.

I leave my mister on at night because I live in a dry climate,
Do you think this is safe to do? I'm worried the humidity would drop really low if I turned it off.

 

[pigglett79]

I leave my mister on at night because I live in a dry climate,
Do you think this is safe to do? I'm worried the humidity would drop really low if I turned it off.

Its generally not a good idea to mist at night. This could disturb their sleep. A drop in humidity during the night is fine. They do not need a constant humid environment. You also want the cage to dry out as to reduce risk of bacteria and mold forming as well as upper respiratory infections.

 

[Ferrah88]

I leave my mister on at night because I live in a dry climate,
Do you think this is safe to do? I'm worried the humidity would drop really low if I turned it off.

I know you didn't quote me but seeing as I know the general reasoning that this shouldn't be done...

When you mist during the night there is no light or warmth to evaporate the water thus leaving stagnant water around- not only that, but I'm sure the chameleons get woken up from the misting (Although this would probably happen in the wild... extra stress isn't necessary in captivity).

If you are worried about the humidity dropping too low, cover up a side or two. But a general drop at night shouldn't be much of a worry unless you live in a REALLY dry place and it "almost instantly" dries up!

 

[symphonica]

Its generally not a good idea to mist at night. This could disturb their sleep. A drop in humidity during the night is fine. They do not need a constant humid environment. You also want the cage to dry out as to reduce risk of bacteria and mold forming as well as upper respiratory infections.

Exactly what piggy said. Misting will disturb their sleep, and a deep sleep cycle is important for chams. You also don't want them sleeping in high humidity because of the respiratory infection concern.

 

[Anniel]

Thanks for the info. I live in Northern Nevada, so it is a very dry climate. Is it okay to leave the mister on if I am going away for a couple if days? I planned on leaving the lights and mister on a timer. Thanks

 

[symphonica]

It's fine if you have it on a timer for it to shut off at night, but you would have to make sure the timer doesn't fail, or you may end up with it running all night or even flooding your enclosure. Also, depending on how many days you're going to be away and how large your reservoir is, not sure it would last that many days.

 

[Anniel]

Okay, thanks so much for all the info!

 

[Montium]

live plants, the soil will hold water and increase your humidity, plus the plant respiration will increase humidity. Be sure to cover the soil with big river rocks or something similar, it will reduce the risk of ingestion. Depending on your misting schedule you can always up the frequency and shorten the duration. Playing with the times and duration to fit your environment.

 

[SaraSondermann]

How should I time my feedings in between the automatic mistings? Should I do it right before, right after, or does it not really matter? I just wouldn't want the crickets to drown or anything, if they got wet. Or does that not happen really...?

 

[Montium]

Depends on how you are feeding, if you cup feed just be sure the cup is away from the mister. If you free range, try to only put enough in that will be eaten right away. You can always feed less more often than a bunch at one time.

 

[broderp]

Chameleons need the proper ventilation which is why screen cages are used. To keep up the humidity for them just mist more often then you would other tanks\reptiles.

Not to cloud the issue, but you can get proper ventilation from a glass terrarium as well. Since the OP lives in a dry area, she may have been better served getting a glass enclosure as they: (when compared to a mesh cage in the exact same location)

1. Hold the humidity much better (fact)
2. Require less frequent misting (fact, see #1 above)
2. Look much better than a screen cage wrapped in plastic wrapp. (opinion)

I'm not saying glass is better, but each siduation is different. To make a comment that can be easily be interpreted as "mesh good, glass bad" is not in the best interest of anyone.

 

[krusty46]

I covered 2 sides of my cage with Clear Polystyrene Light Panels that I got at Home Depot for about $7 each. They come precut to 24'' x 48'' and fit my cage perfectly. They are not completely clear however so the 2 sides I chose to cover are the back and the side between another cage.
They look a lot better than plastic wrap.

 

[zsazsa85]

I have 2'x2'x4' screen for my veiled. We covered two sides with a plastic very light sheet, probably the same krusty has but I don't know the name.
Taped nice forest pictures on them so not just white. Plus to the back I'll have exoterra background as soon as it arrives. I have very low humidity here. I use Mistking BTW and I love it!
But I suggest covering two sides first and then you'll see.
The added benefit of using plastic to cover both sides is to give extra support for when you want to install horizontal sticks or feeding cup or whatever.