Mister vs. dripper?

[boosh96]

I know this is a really stupid question, and I'm prepared to catch some amount of crap for this, but what are the benefits of having a programmable mister when I can have a dripper and hand-mist several times a day? I was talking to my mom about ordering a Mistking starter system and she brought up this question. I was curious about this, and I'm willing to buy a mister if it's in Handsome Jack's best interests, but I wanted to see what you all thought?

 

[Lathis]

I have a MistKing. The starter system cost right around $100 plus 2 buckets. I would say (and would imagine a lot of others would agree) that the cost was worth every penny. Can a dripper with hand misting work? Absolutely. IMO the automated mister gives you the following advantages:

1. Routine. Chameleons thrive on a steady routine, and they definitely know when scheduled times for misting are. A steady routine I think lowers potential stress on an animal and makes them more comfortable.

2. Flexibility. You and your family can go away for a weekend, you can be out overnight, and your school/work schedule can change without worrying about who will spray your cham. Chams can go a day or two without food, no problem. They cannot go without water.

3. Environmental stability. A programmable misting system can be adjusted depending on the season to help maintain humidity levels. I add several more short mistings during the winter when the humidity in the Midwest drops to nothing.

4. Moisture control. Hand misting and drippers use a lot of water. Not a good or bad thing necessarily, it depends on if you have a drainage system in place. A mister can be tweaked to not soak your enclosure and let everything dry out between mistings.

5. Easier. It will be way easier on you and your parents! One less thing to have to do every day. I would also highly recommend putting your lights on a time. Make it easy on yourself.

I think a good automated misting system is a valuable investment for your chameleon's well being. Look into MistKing and AquaZamp systems. Don't cheap out on a less expensive system that might quit prematurely.

Do you have to have a mister? No.
Would it be a great investment? Absolutely.

Have fun and post some photos of your cham!

 

[Sticktongue]

Well.. everything just got covered by the above post. The main reason for me is not having to worry about someone being home to spray

 

[vgaines]

I don't have a misting system but I will get one as soon as I can. With my daughter in college three hours away I will be making short 2-3 trips and I have no one here that can look after my baby when I'm gone. Don't get me wrong, hes a great traveler. I take a small hibiscus tree and he hangs out on that in the bath tub while in hotels etc. lol A misting system would just make things so much easier for me...

 

[kplatvoet]

Having a good system is great - I had a monsoon I bought it in May and it worked great until mid June- then I had to buy a new timer and finally it died- My aquazamp is arriving on Thursday - It's just too much of a hassle worrying and having to rely on someone to hand spray if I'm not going to be home -which is pretty much every day since I work - the price difference is actually pretty small especially when I add in the timer that I had to rig up to get the thing to work properly and the vet bill to check out my baby for respritory problems that I blame on the thing turning on and flooding in the middle of the night and other problems that I had with the idiot thing. But I agree with your mother (because I'm a mom) that if your home enough to hand spray and you have a back up (that you can rely on) that it works fine you can regulate better by hand. I have a chameleon budget - I waited until Sherlock had his fecal and his vet emergency fund was full before ordering - and did "pay me later" to stretch it out over 3 months of budget - I don't need to rely on my chameleon budget but I think it's a good idea for me -

 

[boosh96]

I have a MistKing. The starter system cost right around $100 plus 2 buckets. I would say (and would imagine a lot of others would agree) that the cost was worth every penny. Can a dripper with hand misting work? Absolutely. IMO the automated mister gives you the following advantages:

1. Routine. Chameleons thrive on a steady routine, and they definitely know when scheduled times for misting are. A steady routine I think lowers potential stress on an animal and makes them more comfortable.

2. Flexibility. You and your family can go away for a weekend, you can be out overnight, and your school/work schedule can change without worrying about who will spray your cham. Chams can go a day or two without food, no problem. They cannot go without water.

3. Environmental stability. A programmable misting system can be adjusted depending on the season to help maintain humidity levels. I add several more short mistings during the winter when the humidity in the Midwest drops to nothing.

4. Moisture control. Hand misting and drippers use a lot of water. Not a good or bad thing necessarily, it depends on if you have a drainage system in place. A mister can be tweaked to not soak your enclosure and let everything dry out between mistings.

5. Easier. It will be way easier on you and your parents! One less thing to have to do every day. I would also highly recommend putting your lights on a time. Make it easy on yourself.

I think a good automated misting system is a valuable investment for your chameleon's well being. Look into MistKing and AquaZamp systems. Don't cheap out on a less expensive system that might quit prematurely.

Do you have to have a mister? No.
Would it be a great investment? Absolutely.

Have fun and post some photos of your cham!

BOOM.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/handsome-jacks-picture-thread-118003/#post1048446