Manual Misting or Misting System?

ChamQuestions said:
My main question is if a MistKing will pretty much alleviate the extra difficulty (if there is any) in owning a panther. If so, then I will do more research. I hear that chameleons, in general, are difficult though, so I definitely want to get one that I can handle. It's a living creature, after all! I couldn't live with the guilt if it died because of my poor treatment!
Click to expand...

They require more care but it’s all in how you set up the husbandry, making sure you change the bulbs out 6 every months, gutloading your feeders, and dusting with calcium/vitamins. Good practice to allow unfiltered indirect sunlight when you can do so. I’ve taken weeks + on my enclosures and some on here can vouch for that if it makes you feel any better. I at least give my chameleon 3 days or more in the unfiltered sunlight. Free ranging but I’ve lost mine over the summer a couple of times even when keeping a sharp eye out. It’s a great thing to do for your chameleon but I’m keen on free ranging when I can. I’d stay away from compact fluorescents bulbs they tend to lose uvb faster and if you must use those I highly recommend you getting something to check the uvb output periodically. I would go with a high output (HO) T5 bulb {tube bulb}. Use live plants and branches. If you follow what people say on here you shouldn’t have to worry about the care taking of a chameleon. Reasearch, research, and research...I’d get a species that in your climate you live in you can keep it outside and it be comfortable. Panthers are in a pretty warm and humid climate in Madagascar so I’d take that into consideration if that is the species you are interested in. Every species needs a night drop at the bare minimum of 10 degrees or more depending on which species you choose to keep.
But If its really cool and wet in the enclosure you have a big chance of res
 
Dang that wasn’t supposed to happen...lol
It sent before I was done typing...

Well, as I was saying if the enclosure is wet before lights out and it’s cooler it can cause upper respiratory issues and if it is hot and extremely humid and consistently wet it can also cause upper respiratory problems. Good thing to do is keep the humidity lower during the day and higher humidity during night without wetting down the enclosure. I’d use a ultra sonic humidifier at night on low-medium setting and have it on a timer so it’s not on all the time high temp and high humidity also can cause upper respiratory issues when is stays wet in the enclosure...allow the enclosure to dry out in between misting and it with gets the relitive humidity sustained more constant especially when when having life plants In the enclosure. If it’s wet all the time it causes bacteria to grow. I’m just giving some of the precautions. Spot clean every day and deep clean 1-3 times a week at least.
Mites are something to watch out for there’s several kinds of things to treat and prevent your chameleon from getting them. Natural mite spray with serveral good things in it but I still wouldn’t use it a lot use as directed.
 
ChamQuestions said:
My main question is if a MistKing will pretty much alleviate the extra difficulty (if there is any) in owning a panther. If so, then I will do more research. I hear that chameleons, in general, are difficult though, so I definitely want to get one that I can handle. It's a living creature, after all! I couldn't live with the guilt if it died because of my poor treatment!
Click to expand...

Whether you're getting a veiled or a panther chameleon you will want the Mistking. If you're getting a panther chameleon you ESPECIALLY want a Mistking, haha, but honestly you want one either way.
 
greenchamelons said:
Dang that wasn’t supposed to happen...lol
It sent before I was done typing...

Well, as I was saying if the enclosure is wet before lights out and it’s cooler it can cause upper respiratory issues and if it is hot and extremely humid and consistently wet it can also cause upper respiratory problems. Good thing to do is keep the humidity lower during the day and higher humidity during night without wetting down the enclosure. I’d use a ultra sonic humidifier at night on low-medium setting and have it on a timer so it’s not on all the time high temp and high humidity also can cause upper respiratory issues when is stays wet in the enclosure...allow the enclosure to dry out in between misting and it with gets the relitive humidity sustained more constant especially when when having life plants In the enclosure. If it’s wet all the time it causes bacteria to grow. I’m just giving some of the precautions. Spot clean every day and deep clean 1-3 times a week at least.
Mites are something to watch out for there’s several kinds of things to treat and prevent your chameleon from getting them. Natural mite spray with serveral good things in it but I still wouldn’t use it a lot use as directed.
Click to expand...

Daaang, what do you mean by "deep clean" 1-3 times a week? My version of a deep clean happens every 2-3 months.

Also, you've seriously perked my interest. I was under the impression that mites were EXTREMELY rare for chameleons unless someone uses substrate. Was I mislead?!
 
amfire125 said:
Daaang, what do you mean by "deep clean" 1-3 times a week? My version of a deep clean happens every 2-3 months.

Also, you've seriously perked my interest. I was under the impression that mites were EXTREMELY rare for chameleons unless someone uses substrate. Was I mislead?!
Click to expand...

Just as a precaution with potential mites
 
Thanks, guys, this is all really helpful! I've also heard that one can make a dripper by simply filling a cup with water and poking a hole in the bottom, securing it to the side of the cage. Should I do that or get an official dripper? Also, right now my "shopping cart" looks like this:
Dragon Strand Large Keeper Kit
Drainage Tray
MistKing 22251 Starter Misting System V4.0
Large plastic plant
Sticks and small live plants
Worms (Which kind is best?)
Food container + breeding supplies(?)
UVB Light (Which brand?)
Anything that should be added or perhaps dropped?
 
Worms... Silk worms are great, but this time of year you may only get eggs available. Easy to raise though. You can use superworms as part of the diet, but try to limit them. Hornworms are great, but get big very fast, so may not be ideal for a young chameleon.

UVB light - Go with T5 HO Arcadia linear tubes. They are definitely the best. They should last about a year so easily twice as long as the comparable alternatives. They are available from multiple sources here in the States. Reptile Basics http://www.reptilebasics.com/ , Pangea https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/ , LightYourReptiles http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/ ...
 
For live plants you will need something like a 6500k bulb as well. Also, a basking bulb (regular household incandescent) and dome fixture. You may have to try a few wattages to see which one gives you the desired temps.
 
Decadancin said:
For live plants you will need something like a 6500k bulb as well. Also, a basking bulb (regular household incandescent) and dome fixture. You may have to try a few wattages to see which one gives you the desired temps.
Click to expand...
So, three bulbs total. Two if I don't get live plants. Am I understanding correctly?
 
ChamQuestions said:
So, three bulbs total. Two if I don't get live plants. Am I understanding correctly?
Click to expand...
That's correct - a basking light for heat (regular incandescent or halogen light from walmart, etc), a UVB bulb (the links you got are excellent), and a grow light for live plants & you will want live plants as they help with keeping the humidity up / providing cover
 
celeste_knitter said:
That's correct - a basking light for heat (regular incandescent or halogen light from walmart, etc), a UVB bulb (the links you got are excellent), and a grow light for live plants & you will want live plants as they help with keeping the humidity up / providing cover
Click to expand...

Yep, and some use LED lighting for plants... (cough cough,,, @dshuld ) :sneaky: see what I did there...
 
I'm moving this from the Free Range section since it doesn't seem to apply here. Not sure if it was intended to be posted here...
 
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