Misting at night?
- Thread starter Char333p
- Start date
Char333p
Avid Member
Okay.. i thought so. Ive only had it hooked up for 2 days now so it hasnt been too long .. thanks
andrearamirezo91
Avid Member
Woops. I guess I've been doing it wrong. I have an automatic mister too and I usually just leave it on at night. It always worried me that misting at night would interrupt his sleep but I thought it was supposed to be on all the time
So you guys say its better to mist once right before lights out and then turn it back on in the morning right?
dshuld
Chameleon Enthusiast
If you haven't already, check out Bill's podcast 89. It discusses the same thing that Petr Necas does in the post below. Both are suggesting to fog at night.
Petr Necas fb post from 4-20-18:
The Naturalistic Approach in Humidity and water management unleashed
One of he most frequently discussed topic of chameleon husbandry is the water management...
What I want to focus now at is NOT a theory and it is NOT a technology. It is an important part of our Naturalistic Approach as it simulates perfectly what happens in the wild.
while at daytime, usually the humidity significantly drops to levels arouns 60-70% in dense rainforests and to even below 30% in the deserts, all at temperatures that are high. The only significant increase of humidity at daytime comes during the rains, but then, simultaneously, the temperatures drop dramatically too (due to cloud cover of the sun and due to temperature of the rain, which is usually in the 70s!)
This is what we must take into consideration and simulate in the captivity. It works, as it is natural!
It is of course much better than doing it differently, destroying natural cycles that chameleons are used to for tenths of millions of years and then compensate their discomfort with something else.
One example...
In the wild, chameleons are very rarely observed to drink... I was almost shocked two months back in Kenya, what the Jacksons chameleons did after 4 months drought with no single drop of rain... I was studying one of the populations and observed about 8 animals at one locality exactly at the moment when the first rain came.
What do you think the chams did?Run for water? Catching every single drop after thirsty 4 months?
NO!!!
They hide in the bushes and slept in!
Why?
Because they were perfectly hydrated and wanted to escape the rain!
Many chameleon species are considered heavy drinkers. Such as e.g. T. melleri. Nonsense. They do not drink for months in the wild, simply as there is nothing to drink! But, they perfectly hydrate at night breathing in moist air and fog,
Which is daily available.
In the captivity, people often let chameleons desiccate at night having night humidity levels low and then they come in with he fakse observation: they are heavy drinkers! They are not! They just have to compensate through drinking the wrong humidity regime of the captive care!
If you hydrate properly, you will see them reducing the water intake through drinking significantly to the spot when they might stop drinking at all!
To be safe, please provide anyway water in the form of drippers and mist if necessary (while switching off the heating lamps to avoid RI).
Now, is it a new approach?
NO.
First, chameleons do it for millions of years in their home-countries. Every day and every night
And in captivity?
In indoor care, many (I am unhappy to say even a vast majority of) keepers destroy the natural humidity cycle in captivity, having the cages completely dry at night and misting at daytime only. Then they see chameleons heavily drink and often encounter health problems and disorders like bad shedding, infections of skin, eyes and respiratory tract...
Automatically, these colleagues who keep the chameleons outdoors, do it! Even though sometimes unknowingly
Welcome to the world of highest standards of chameleon welfare delivered through the magic and logic of the NATURALISTIC APPROACH in their husbandry.
Petr Necas fb post from 4-20-18:
The Naturalistic Approach in Humidity and water management unleashed
One of he most frequently discussed topic of chameleon husbandry is the water management...
What I want to focus now at is NOT a theory and it is NOT a technology. It is an important part of our Naturalistic Approach as it simulates perfectly what happens in the wild.
while at daytime, usually the humidity significantly drops to levels arouns 60-70% in dense rainforests and to even below 30% in the deserts, all at temperatures that are high. The only significant increase of humidity at daytime comes during the rains, but then, simultaneously, the temperatures drop dramatically too (due to cloud cover of the sun and due to temperature of the rain, which is usually in the 70s!)
This is what we must take into consideration and simulate in the captivity. It works, as it is natural!
It is of course much better than doing it differently, destroying natural cycles that chameleons are used to for tenths of millions of years and then compensate their discomfort with something else.
One example...
In the wild, chameleons are very rarely observed to drink... I was almost shocked two months back in Kenya, what the Jacksons chameleons did after 4 months drought with no single drop of rain... I was studying one of the populations and observed about 8 animals at one locality exactly at the moment when the first rain came.
What do you think the chams did?Run for water? Catching every single drop after thirsty 4 months?
NO!!!
They hide in the bushes and slept in!
Why?
Because they were perfectly hydrated and wanted to escape the rain!
Many chameleon species are considered heavy drinkers. Such as e.g. T. melleri. Nonsense. They do not drink for months in the wild, simply as there is nothing to drink! But, they perfectly hydrate at night breathing in moist air and fog,
Which is daily available.
In the captivity, people often let chameleons desiccate at night having night humidity levels low and then they come in with he fakse observation: they are heavy drinkers! They are not! They just have to compensate through drinking the wrong humidity regime of the captive care!
If you hydrate properly, you will see them reducing the water intake through drinking significantly to the spot when they might stop drinking at all!
To be safe, please provide anyway water in the form of drippers and mist if necessary (while switching off the heating lamps to avoid RI).
Now, is it a new approach?
NO.
First, chameleons do it for millions of years in their home-countries. Every day and every night
And in captivity?
In indoor care, many (I am unhappy to say even a vast majority of) keepers destroy the natural humidity cycle in captivity, having the cages completely dry at night and misting at daytime only. Then they see chameleons heavily drink and often encounter health problems and disorders like bad shedding, infections of skin, eyes and respiratory tract...
Automatically, these colleagues who keep the chameleons outdoors, do it! Even though sometimes unknowingly
Welcome to the world of highest standards of chameleon welfare delivered through the magic and logic of the NATURALISTIC APPROACH in their husbandry.
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
Petr did an excellent job with this research. I just ordered 5 humidifiers this past weekend.
The OP has a ReptiRain, I believe they are in the 70$ range if there is anyway you can afford it you are much better off with a Climist or MistKing system. They are far more adjustable and reliable but go for ~130$. Seriously worth it just because they last years longer than the ReptiRain Or Monsoon and can do multiple cages with just couple of minor additions.
To make a ReptiRain work with it's built in timer you need a separate timer to turn it off over night and back on in the morning then set it for every 3 hours so you get 4 mistings during your 12 hour "day".
To make a ReptiRain work with it's built in timer you need a separate timer to turn it off over night and back on in the morning then set it for every 3 hours so you get 4 mistings during your 12 hour "day".
dshuld
Chameleon Enthusiast
Very much agreed. I'm in the process of a house rearrangement to start getting my nursery set up. As I move adult cages into their final places I'll be adding it to their enclosures like I did with Odin for my testing with him. Though I'm working on a design in my head to pipe them through duckbills inside the cages rather then dumping out on top like Odin's does currently.
dshuld
Chameleon Enthusiast
Mind sharing your plumbing? I'm thinking of doing 1" supply reducing to 3/4 at each cage feeding a 3/4 duckbill inside.
I'm holding in a lot of inappropriate comments. I hope the mods appreciate that.
Seriously, for the smaller unit that will eventually run 2 cages I'm planning to use a 1" supply riser to a T connector that sits against the screen between the cages so I don't have to divide off more than that. The larger unit is still a work in progress but the mister will accommodate a 2" supply so I'm thinking to T off that to a 1" or 3/4" feed that is just pipe with a row of holes drilled above the mid cage zone. I would love to know what a ducks bill is so I can consider that option. When I get it done I promise to create a thread with details and to stop hijacking this thread.
Seriously, for the smaller unit that will eventually run 2 cages I'm planning to use a 1" supply riser to a T connector that sits against the screen between the cages so I don't have to divide off more than that. The larger unit is still a work in progress but the mister will accommodate a 2" supply so I'm thinking to T off that to a 1" or 3/4" feed that is just pipe with a row of holes drilled above the mid cage zone. I would love to know what a ducks bill is so I can consider that option. When I get it done I promise to create a thread with details and to stop hijacking this thread.
dshuld
Chameleon Enthusiast
@JacksJill There's a few different shapes of them but, it typically seen in aquarium filter return lines. Sorry to have hijacked @Char333p , it is useful info for you too though
.
andrearamirezo91
Avid Member
So confused. I thought fogging at night wasn't a good idea
Misting at night keeps the cage wet and their body wet so isn't a good idea. A cool mist humidifier creates fog and humidity (no mist) that they breath in and stay better hydrated while sleeping. I get why this is confusing. If you have high humidity levels (90%) in your cage at night this may not be necessary for you.
I was re-reading the transcript of the podcast by Bill and to me it seems like he is recommending an ultrasonic humidifer:
"The fog itself can be created with a humidifier. There are cool mist humidifiers that whip water into the air using a fan and there are ultra-sonic humidifiers that create a fog. Cool-mist can cover a larger area, but ultrasonic fog can be focused much easier. I use ultrasonic humidifiers in my set-ups. The fog coming out is so fine that it is easily breathed in and it takes a while before it starts getting surfaces wet."
"The fog itself can be created with a humidifier. There are cool mist humidifiers that whip water into the air using a fan and there are ultra-sonic humidifiers that create a fog. Cool-mist can cover a larger area, but ultrasonic fog can be focused much easier. I use ultrasonic humidifiers in my set-ups. The fog coming out is so fine that it is easily breathed in and it takes a while before it starts getting surfaces wet."
dshuld
Chameleon Enthusiast
Correct cool mist ultrasonic humidifier. My larger one is currently $27 on amazon and emits up to 330 ml/h depending on where the control is set. I went with one that does not have the digital controls so I can have it on a timer and not have to worry about resetting everything.
Just to clarify, the humidifer you use you can see the fog coming out? I believe the cool mist that Bill is talking about does not produce a fog?
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