Misting System Recommendations

[summoner12]

The concern seems to be that younger chameleons in smaller cages might be more vulnerable to respiratory problems if the cage didn't completely dry between mistings.

That is a good point. I like to mist for long periods of time on my adults, then let the cage air out. For the babies I use tubs with drain holes along one side and then I tilt the tubs to that side. I use my Rain Dome on those types of cages to limit the 'watering' to one side of the enclosure. This way babies can escape if they want. I also mist for shor amounts of time on babies... but have misting sessions more frequently, so everyone gets something to drink if they weren't on the 'mist' side of the cage during a misting.

 

[rcutchens]

I have to chime in on this post because I will be ordering the mist king soon as well. I'm glad to have come across this, I have been reading & taking mental notes I'm wondering why a second timer is needed? Also is the water warm that comes out or at room temp? Also which kit would you suggest $99 starter then I think it was $189 & 350... for 1 cham? Rcutchens which one did you order? TIA

Hi Dawniegirl. I ordered the start kit for $99 and added the seconds timer. We only have one cham and I'm told that the starter kit is more than sufficient. I did not add the ZipDrip valve because I just couldn't see the value in it based on my setup. If it does drip to such an extent that it's causing problems with excessive water I'll just setup another funnel collector and route it to my existing excess collection reservoir and that will cost me less than $2 to do!

The water that comes out will actually be a little cooler than room temperature because when the mist interacts with air it's typically cooler. I've no doubt there's science behind it but I'm not sure what it is. People who hand mist will typically use hot or warm water so that the mist is a more comfortable temperature for their chams. I've heard of some people heating their water supply for their misting systems and I'm thinking of doing the same but I understand bacteria growth is a concern as warm/hot water encourages the growth of bacteria. I think there are ways to still warm the water while minimizing the bacteria growth, however. One thought that occurred to me is to use a black supply reservoir and keep the water supply out of any light which is also contributes in bacteria. Additionally, using a smaller reservoir will mean we’ll need to change/refill the water supply more frequently.

I’m still researching the idea of heating the misting water supply and am not sure which direction to go yet.

 

[rcutchens]

I have to chime in on this post because I will be ordering the mist king soon as well. I'm glad to have come across this, I have been reading & taking mental notes I'm wondering why a second timer is needed? Also is the water warm that comes out or at room temp? Also which kit would you suggest $99 starter then I think it was $189 & 350... for 1 cham? Rcutchens which one did you order? TIA

I forgot to respond to your question regarding the seconds timer. This is actually something I struggle with myself and originally didn't opt to get it because I didn' think it would be necessary. Most digital timers allow you to program down to the minute and which would be about the amount of time I'd run the mister for anyway.

I'm not sure that having a Ni-MH batter back-up is that much of an advantage other than it will allow you to ensure that your misting system could be switched on and off at the programmed intervals AND, presumably, the batter can supply enough power to run the pump so that the system will still mist your animals. Beyond that, the timers sold at the hardware stores often have lithium based batter back-ups which are primarly to retain the clock and programmed settings when the timer is unplugged or loses power.

Having the ability to program the timer down to the number of seconds was really the most appealing aspect to me. This just means I'll have greater flexibility and control if I want it. I could chose to mist more frequently but in shorter durations, for example, and this could allow me to better control the humidity levels in the environment.

 

[mary prefontaine]

whew this is getting complicated lol

Im trying to read what settings every one has as I have my new mist king starter kit set up and want to practice before I actually get my cham/s. Right now I have it set to go off every 3 hours for 10 minutes, is this way too excessive? what would be a good setting (and keep it simple please lol) for a panther chameleon. I will hopefully have both a male and female in a month or two. (young ones). I have a 4ft high by 2 ft wide x 2 ft deep on each side of the cage. Two misters one on each side. Just one plant for now in each cage.

 

[summoner12]

Im trying to read what settings every one has as I have my new mist king starter kit set up and want to practice before I actually get my cham/s. Right now I have it set to go off every 3 hours for 10 minutes, is this way too excessive? what would be a good setting (and keep it simple please lol) for a panther chameleon. I will hopefully have both a male and female in a month or two. (young ones). I have a 4ft high by 2 ft wide x 2 ft deep on each side of the cage. Two misters one on each side. Just one plant for now in each cage.

I would maybe do 10 minutes 60-90 minutes from having the lights on and then do a 5 minute mist mid day and then another 5-10 minutes 90-120 minutes before lights out.

 

[aliguori]

Im trying to read what settings every one has as I have my new mist king starter kit set up and want to practice before I actually get my cham/s. Right now I have it set to go off every 3 hours for 10 minutes, is this way too excessive? what would be a good setting (and keep it simple please lol) for a panther chameleon. I will hopefully have both a male and female in a month or two. (young ones). I have a 4ft high by 2 ft wide x 2 ft deep on each side of the cage. Two misters one on each side. Just one plant for now in each cage.

The most important thing is to have good drainage. There should never be a large puddle of standing water. As long as you have good drainage, you can't mist too much.

In terms of whether its long enough, the best way to tell is depending on what the cham droppings look like. The urate should be white. If it's frequently yellow or orange, then your cham isn't hydrated enough.

I do 4 minutes every 3 hours. I also run a dripper for an hour in between mistings.