how do you keep your mist warm?

[heartben]

ive been having a lot of trouble warming my cage, ive tried 5 different bulbs

i just don't know what to do anymore as i feel if i get a higher wattage he will be in more danger of burning himself. ive seen enough burn threads and now im absolutely paranoid he is going to burn himself. as it is thought i imagine he is kind of cold and i dont want that either.. well.. not COLD but cool.

so my next idea is... the water.. perhaps my water is somehow getting colder than post peoples - making it so every time i spray its hard to heat back up.. likely? i dont know.

so do you guys go out of your way to make sure the water is warm or am i just having crappy luck with the temp?

btw i am using one of those like.. pressure sprayer things for gardens (got it brand new for using on him only btw) and it works fine, not really a mist like i was hoping but its a pretty fine spray. so if that has any effect let me know about it so i can correct the situation.

i feel like i am bombing the boards with my threads. sorry about that guys, im just really curious and have fairly specific questions. i spend hours reading old posts on here so i try not to ask extremely obvious questions but sometimes i have to ask things like this. hope no one is annoyed with me

thanks everyone
-ben

 

[okiroo]

what watt bulb do you have? have big is the area? as long as the cham can get warm as he/she needs to or as cool as he/she needs to than its ok. what the temp? and warmer water would be better. being sprayed with cool while your getting nice and warm would b irratating. i use a hand mister.

 

[Carlton]

Let me see if I understand the question.

Is it the water temp in your hand sprayer you think is too cold? If so, just fill the sprayer with hot water before using it. By the time the droplets reach the cage surfaces it will be lukewarm. Breaking up the water into many small droplets automatically chills it.

If you have a large sprayer that you only fill occasionally you can either leave less water in it and re-heat the water in your microwave, or only fill it with enough hot water to spray each time.

If you want to warm up the water in an automatic misting system you can use an aquarium heater in the reservoir.

If you want to heat the water in a humidifier reservoir, I wonder if focusing a light bulb on the reservoir might warm it a little?

Check the temp of the water you are concerned about with a thermometer, not your hand. Water sitting in a room will generally settle at room temp unless there's something colder or hotter close to it. Also, remember that anything cooler than 98.6 F will feel cold to the touch. And, your cham's body temp will be lower than yours so water that feels cold to YOU may not bother your cham that much.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I heat mine up in the micro. Just dont get it too hot. Also I use only filtered water on my herps. I think using the filtered water is more imp than the water temp IMPO.

 

[heartben]

i tried 75 watt incandescent, 100 watt standard incandescent, 40 watt spot light style, i think i tried another kind of 60 watt light but i cant remember, and the one thats in now is a 50 watt zoo med basking light, i actually have 2 of them on right now with another light off to the side to help warm it up.

i know they only really need one spot/area that gets nice and warm but im just not sure what to do without putting too much heat in one spot, you know what i mean? the cage is 2x2x4.

how do i warm the water in the sprayer? i have been using reptisafe in my water so dumping it out to put warm water in and treating it is going to get wasteful fast.

so.. just another bulb? or am i doing something wrong mist wise?

 

[DavidBuchan]

Let me see if I understand the question.

Is it the water temp in your hand sprayer you think is too cold? If so, just fill the sprayer with hot water before using it. By the time the droplets reach the cage surfaces it will be lukewarm. Breaking up the water into many small droplets automatically chills it.

I agree totally, check with a thermometer if you are to be 100% sure.........just use warm water - as long as it's no hotter than than luke warm to you, and not ice cold, you should be fine. He's still very young, so if you have any proper basking spot you do not need to worry about him being too cold. Ambient temp. at 70F or 65F in the cooler end if you have a large viv.
Basking lights before 4 months aren't even essential, if the ambient temps are good. Uv is always essential of course......

 

[heartben]

i feel like a fool having started this thread. heh.

ill check the water temp, i just feel like the enclosure isnt as warm as it should be. over all its been between like 73 and 78 most of the time but on occasion ill see like 82 for a bit and ive seen 85 at the hottest but it was only once and i think it was on a day when the air wasnt on all day (which was miserable!)

thanks everyone. im going to check my water just because im curious now.

 

[jdog1027]

There are no stupid questions,.... Just lots of inquisitive idiots!! Just kiddin' man. I don't think anyone minds answering your questions. It's better to ask something than not.

 

[SonTigerPantherCham]

Hi Ben, have you thought about getting a temp gun?
that way you can temp him directly with the lazer light.
They arent expensive, LLL has them it works really well for me. I just point and shoot, My guys bask at 81.5 pretty much all the time, and you can temp the rest of the cage accurately.
Just a thought, and as said, there are no stupid questions. Its what you do with the info given that makes a difference
anne

 

[Carlton]

how do i warm the water in the sprayer? i have been using reptisafe in my water so dumping it out to put warm water in and treating it is going to get wasteful fast.

Treat the water first, then when you are getting ready to spray, just microwave it.

A temp gun is an amazingly useful thing for herp keepers. Don't know what I'd do without mine. You can spot check the surface temp of just about anything whenever you want (including your water).

 

[heartben]

i suppose 25 dollars isnt too bad (assuming the cheapest one is worth buying)

i will get one when i can afford it!

one sort of interesting thing ive noticed is he usually doesnt get very close to the bulb, alot of the time he is on the other side. today he has been under the light more. guessing that has to do with his shedding?

thanks everyone, ill start pouring out the water andwarming it before i spray and see if that helps keep it up a little better.

 

[Carlton]

i just feel like the enclosure isnt as warm as it should be.

Even if the cage is a bit cooler than you think it should be, as long as your cham can bask enough to reach "operating temp" he should be OK. He may just bask longer. Better to err on the cooler side especially for a young one. A sign that he is not warming up will be lethargy, no appetite, dark color and basking for hours.

 

[Carlton]

i suppose 25 dollars isnt too bad (assuming the cheapest one is worth buying)

i will get one when i can afford it!

Well, back when these were new to the market I had to pay over $100 for one! $25 is dirt cheap!

 

[heartben]

daaang. yeah. id say so compared to 100+

yeah he is within.. not dying ranges.. he has been basking more than im used to seeing today but im thinking its the shedding. i may have mentioned it before but im not sure if it was on this thread.

 

[x KaveManKush o]

Wow i Think i Need To Research More Before Getting My Cham. :/

 

[DavidBuchan]

Even if the cage is a bit cooler than you think it should be, as long as your cham can bask enough to reach "operating temp" he should be OK. He may just bask longer. Better to err on the cooler side especially for a young one. A sign that he is not warming up will be lethargy, no appetite, dark color and basking for hours.

Totally, err on the side of cooler - and stop worrying quite so much, Ben.....

Wow i Think i Need To Research More Before Getting My Cham. :/

Yeah, before, during, after, and then again when you get your next one.......

 

[Elizadolots]

78 is really fine for the average ambient temperature. Assuming you have a male veiled you should have a basking temperature of 85 degrees (up to 90 is okay from what I've read) but the temperature at the bottom of the cage could be 70 degrees and that would be fine.

 

[heartben]

I have a ambilobe thats around 3.5 months old. i bought some more bulbs to try and it hink they should work, they will probably be too hot when my house gets hot again but i have smaller wattage bulbs so i think im good to go now.

 

[Solid Snake]

If its -50F in the cage, and there is a light creating a area of 80F, the cham should still be ok, it will simply move into the warmth, like you would
But yeah you dont have to waste the water, I use a small hand mister that makes a fine mist. I also use reptisafe, but I mix it in gallon jugs, and pour out a "single dose" that I microwave for 1 min. then pour into the mister and use. This should work the same for your larger sprayer I would think, do you live somwhere extremely cool? What are your outside temps? It sounds like your doing fine...

 

[mikeduner]

Does everyone use filtered water or reptisafe? Can i use tap or should i get distilled from walmart: its only a buck a gallon i just wanna know