misting times
- Thread starter rocket89
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fluxlizard
Avid Member
I use long misting times as well- 20 minutes 2x per day indoors 1 in morning, 1 in afternoon. Outdoors I use the mist as temperature control as well, so between 4 and 8 hours depending on ambient temperature that day (if it is in upper 90s I'll generally have it on 8 hours. This time of year with the weather we have gotten this past couple of weeks- I'll leave the misters on for an hour or so).
The guy who said misters for 20 minutes is never necessary- maybe in the strictest sense- you could use a drip for example. But some species like mellers prefer strongly to drink right out of the air and many species take a few minutes to even decide to go have a drink. Once drinking, some species like mellers can drink for a loooong time. Very slowly. The mist cleans them as well.
My misters are just cheap patio misters. I use well water.
The guy who said misters for 20 minutes is never necessary- maybe in the strictest sense- you could use a drip for example. But some species like mellers prefer strongly to drink right out of the air and many species take a few minutes to even decide to go have a drink. Once drinking, some species like mellers can drink for a loooong time. Very slowly. The mist cleans them as well.
My misters are just cheap patio misters. I use well water.
summoner12
Avid Member
You should never say never.
I don't really understand the point of denying your chameleons water in the name of simulation. Our cages are nothing like what our animals habitat is in Madagascar. Your cage doesn't provide the same alternative water sources Madagascar does. I feel it is necessary to operate my 'misters' the way I do in order to up the humidity in the room from the over night dry out and it gives the cham a chance to find the water and drink, wash out their eyes or take a nice morning shower. I do not operate misters inside of my cage, so only a portion of the cage gets 'rain' from the 'misting nozzle' that is spraying a portion of the top of the cage. This means, the cham doesn't get wet unless he/she happens to be under the 'rain' and if he/she wants to, can move away from the water.
I think what you don't realize is that everyone does everything differently from everyone. This is how the world works.
Solid Snake
Avid Member
My female jackson's schedule.
2x2x4 cage
fogger, hot water humidifier, and drip 24/7
lights on at 0600 off at 1800
I use boiling water treated with reptisafe poured into a pesticide type hand pump mister
0610 ~ 10min
1100 ~ 10min
1400 ~ 10min
1730 ~ 10min
She hates water period, but its for her own good and Ill throw an extra in there occasionally, usually shorter than 10min.
I actually measure by amount of water used, not time, but it averages 10min, this is enough to coat all 4 sides and some of the top of her enclosure. I do this because it traps the fog in and makes it all nice and cloudy I also feel that the air moving through the water coated mesh will pick up that humidity and keep it cosey longer...
2x2x4 cage
fogger, hot water humidifier, and drip 24/7
lights on at 0600 off at 1800
I use boiling water treated with reptisafe poured into a pesticide type hand pump mister
0610 ~ 10min
1100 ~ 10min
1400 ~ 10min
1730 ~ 10min
She hates water period, but its for her own good
and Ill throw an extra in there occasionally, usually shorter than 10min.I actually measure by amount of water used, not time, but it averages 10min, this is enough to coat all 4 sides and some of the top of her enclosure. I do this because it traps the fog in and makes it all nice and cloudy
I also feel that the air moving through the water coated mesh will pick up that humidity and keep it cosey longer...
frankie-gush
New Member
I mist for Fairly long times.
1 Min, 5 mins after lights come on.
15 mins, 8am
5 mins, 11am
15 mins, 2pm
2 mins, 5pm
See him drink all the time during the long misting sessions, either through mist from the air, drops off the brances, and i've also got a home made Raindome set up, and he shoots his tongue and drinks droplets from the roof of the cage too.
Can sometimes take a while for him to drink though, sometimes he'll run right out of the way, other times he'll just sit in front of the mister and lap it up, depends what mood he's in.
Male Veiled, approx 2 years old
1 Min, 5 mins after lights come on.
15 mins, 8am
5 mins, 11am
15 mins, 2pm
2 mins, 5pm
See him drink all the time during the long misting sessions, either through mist from the air, drops off the brances, and i've also got a home made Raindome set up, and he shoots his tongue and drinks droplets from the roof of the cage too.
Can sometimes take a while for him to drink though, sometimes he'll run right out of the way, other times he'll just sit in front of the mister and lap it up, depends what mood he's in.
Male Veiled, approx 2 years old
Chamster
New Member
my guy despises the water.! he wants nothing to do with it. I've seen him drink once lately and when he was me he stopped. i saw his drink from drops handing off the ceiling cage.
i think he does it regularly since he has done it before no reason why he won't keep drinking off there...
i think he does it regularly since he has done it before no reason why he won't keep drinking off there...
stltheurge
New Member
First off, I have a MistKing system running on the starter pump; this is a true misting system NOT a fogger. I also make sure the mist is totally dry on the bottom of the cage before the next cycle begins. What everyone has seemed to neglect is both the size of the cage and the basking bulb wattage. I have a panther chameleon that is roughly 9" long and is around 4-5 months old. With that being said, my bulb is a 75 watt bulb and my cage set up is 16"X16"X20" with one nozzle at the corner of the cage aimed at the ficus benjamina in the center. I set my basking light right above where the misting nozzle is to help with the chameleon's shedding. I do four misting cycles at 1 minute each after the lights come on promptly at 9 a.m. as follows: (1) 10:00 a.m. (2) 1:30 p.m. (3) 5:00 p.m. (4) 8:00 p.m., then lights out at 9:00 p.m. Always make sure your lights are on for a 12 hour cycle, and I would also argue that turning to a ten hour cycle during the winter is not mimicking the diurnal cycle of this type of chameleon in its natural habitat (near the equator). This works both great for the plant and for the chameleon granted the size of the cage. I will be moving to a 2'X2'X4' cage in a couple months and will be replacing the basking bulb with a 100 watt bulb. With this being said, I always leave the bulb a solid 6" away from the top of the cage to avoid burning the chameleon. If your not sure what kind of heat will do your chameleon better or worse, I would highly recommend a 100 watt bulb in a light dimming fixture so you can effectively turn the dial to better both the chameleon and to allow the water at the bottom of the cage to dry without sacrificing much needed humidity (be sure that the water is not drying up too fast as the chameleon could be subject to little humidity). I would also highly recommend using reverse-osmosis water in the misting receptacle as it prevents the calcium in the water from clogging both the lines and the motor, and it is much more healthy to drink for any organism (it has to do with filtration, look it up). I am able to purchase this filtered water at the grocery store where I work in massive quantities for as little as $2.55 for a 5 gallon refill.
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
I would argue that following what the sun outside is doing is better for the animal, since you'll see that in winter, if the sun is down at 6 they're probably in sleeping positions at 5:30, so long as they can see a window. They know the sun is what they should be following, not their artificial lights. Mine are awake when the sun rises at 6:45 and in bed 12 hours later because the sun is starting to set. And when winter comes and it gets dark at 6, I'll turn down the number of "daylight" hours to compensate. I'm in Florida, though, so I'm about as close to the solar Equator as you can get in the US for part of the year.
Why would you say it isn't mimicking the natural cycle, out of curiosity?
Why would you say it isn't mimicking the natural cycle, out of curiosity?
summoner12
Avid Member
I don't see the point in trying to convince other people how to mist. There are people who don't think about it much and ask the question; 'how long should I mist'. These people are open to hear opinions, they take in other people opinions and decide. There is no point to argueing or saying someone is wrong if you have your own theory on how it should be done.
Now I say to those with an open mind: when you look outside and it rains near you, or if you thought about where these animals live, rain forests, jungles, trapical areas, some near deserts.......
"does it rain for 1 minute or less, several times during the day?"
No.
Most of the time you will see it rain once a day for maybe 30 minutes. Sometimes you see it rain allll day. Sometimes you see it rain twice a day OR several rain systems are rolling through so there is a gap between downpours.
I could almost argue that most people could mist for 20 minutes once a day and still not have issue with your animal being dehydrated.
What I find interesting is that people get very excited about a seconds timer. Some people go from a hand spray bottle that they use maybe for a minute tops to get the cage wet. They get tired of this and they buy an automated misting system with a seconds timer and they simulate the SPRAY BOTTLE, not a 'rain cycle'. The concern is 'well if i run it too long, water will build up in the cage'. Yes, this is true. This is why when people buy a misting system, they should be looking at how they will drain the water. And I don't say this just to remove the water from your scheduled mist.... but what if your seconds timer stays on and runs till your entire water supply is empty? You will have 4 gallons of water sitting all over your floor. My theory is that you provide enough drainage for as much water as you have on hand to mist with. So if the pump stays on, for whatever reason, you can catch all the water. A misting system AND drainage go hand in hand.
Now I say to those with an open mind: when you look outside and it rains near you, or if you thought about where these animals live, rain forests, jungles, trapical areas, some near deserts.......
"does it rain for 1 minute or less, several times during the day?"
No.
Most of the time you will see it rain once a day for maybe 30 minutes. Sometimes you see it rain allll day. Sometimes you see it rain twice a day OR several rain systems are rolling through so there is a gap between downpours.
I could almost argue that most people could mist for 20 minutes once a day and still not have issue with your animal being dehydrated.
What I find interesting is that people get very excited about a seconds timer. Some people go from a hand spray bottle that they use maybe for a minute tops to get the cage wet. They get tired of this and they buy an automated misting system with a seconds timer and they simulate the SPRAY BOTTLE, not a 'rain cycle'. The concern is 'well if i run it too long, water will build up in the cage'. Yes, this is true. This is why when people buy a misting system, they should be looking at how they will drain the water. And I don't say this just to remove the water from your scheduled mist.... but what if your seconds timer stays on and runs till your entire water supply is empty? You will have 4 gallons of water sitting all over your floor. My theory is that you provide enough drainage for as much water as you have on hand to mist with. So if the pump stays on, for whatever reason, you can catch all the water. A misting system AND drainage go hand in hand.
stltheurge
New Member
"Why would you say it isn't mimicking the natural cycle, out of curiosity?" -Olimpia
I am not debating the hours of sunset and sunrise, but a lights on a twelve hour cycle is the closest way to mimick the length of day in Madagascar. My timer is simply set at different times due to my overnight work schedule so the chameleon will be awake at night so I can feed him before leaving. This is what I meant by mimicking the diurnal cycle (length of day):
The natural cycle of Madagascar is very close to a twelve hour cycle from where my chameleon would be considered indigenous. In the nothern hemisphere it's summer while in the southern it's winter. The medium between the two hemispheres is obviously the equator. During winter, we will see less daylight because of the earth's orbit around the sun. The equator will always see the same amount of daylight due to the tilt of the earth's axis. The axis is what makes the difference in daylight (seasons) between the northern and southern hemispheres. Thus, the sun will always be in a twelve hour cycle along the equator.
The equator remains, in essence, the same season (temperature) year round due to the heat from the sun throughout the day; the span between sunset and sunrise is the cooling period [the sun is much like the heating cycle of a house: the longer the cycles the hotter the house (earth) will be. Of course, the opposite is also true: the shorter the heating cycles, the cooler the house (earth)].
The largest difference Madagascar experiences is on the southern tip of the island where the length of the day only changes by a maximum of one hour. The northern tip of the island would be where my panther chameleon would call home, seeing as it is a morph and a cross between four different species which all reside on the northern tip of the island. The change in the length of the day there is only 30-45 minutes difference. Check it out on www.timeanddate.com. There is a sun and moon calculator where you can find the changes in the length of the day at any location on the globe.
Just saying that if you're concerned with eliminating inconsistencies in the circadian rhythm (sleep pattern) of your panther chameleon, an 11 1/4 to 12 hour cycle is the way to go.
I am not debating the hours of sunset and sunrise, but a lights on a twelve hour cycle is the closest way to mimick the length of day in Madagascar. My timer is simply set at different times due to my overnight work schedule so the chameleon will be awake at night so I can feed him before leaving. This is what I meant by mimicking the diurnal cycle (length of day):
The natural cycle of Madagascar is very close to a twelve hour cycle from where my chameleon would be considered indigenous. In the nothern hemisphere it's summer while in the southern it's winter. The medium between the two hemispheres is obviously the equator. During winter, we will see less daylight because of the earth's orbit around the sun. The equator will always see the same amount of daylight due to the tilt of the earth's axis. The axis is what makes the difference in daylight (seasons) between the northern and southern hemispheres. Thus, the sun will always be in a twelve hour cycle along the equator.
The equator remains, in essence, the same season (temperature) year round due to the heat from the sun throughout the day; the span between sunset and sunrise is the cooling period [the sun is much like the heating cycle of a house: the longer the cycles the hotter the house (earth) will be. Of course, the opposite is also true: the shorter the heating cycles, the cooler the house (earth)].
The largest difference Madagascar experiences is on the southern tip of the island where the length of the day only changes by a maximum of one hour. The northern tip of the island would be where my panther chameleon would call home, seeing as it is a morph and a cross between four different species which all reside on the northern tip of the island. The change in the length of the day there is only 30-45 minutes difference. Check it out on www.timeanddate.com. There is a sun and moon calculator where you can find the changes in the length of the day at any location on the globe.
Just saying that if you're concerned with eliminating inconsistencies in the circadian rhythm (sleep pattern) of your panther chameleon, an 11 1/4 to 12 hour cycle is the way to go.
mary prefontaine
New Member
I want to buy a mister for a panther chameleon.
My cage is 48Hx40Wx18D and I want to cover the humidity issues , the plant issues and the chameleons needs, so i will probably also get a dripper in case he likes that better. But what is a decent, but not too expensive misting system to buy, so i can buy one now and be ready to set it up when my cage comes? Will i need a timer? for both misting and lights? and what kind should I buy, any suggestions?
Believe me i read through the threads and Im finding it confusing as there are so many opinions out there. I'm hoping by giving my dimensions and type of cham that I'm getting, i can get a simpler answer
thanks
My cage is 48Hx40Wx18D and I want to cover the humidity issues , the plant issues and the chameleons needs, so i will probably also get a dripper in case he likes that better. But what is a decent, but not too expensive misting system to buy, so i can buy one now and be ready to set it up when my cage comes? Will i need a timer? for both misting and lights? and what kind should I buy, any suggestions?
Believe me i read through the threads and Im finding it confusing as there are so many opinions out there. I'm hoping by giving my dimensions and type of cham that I'm getting, i can get a simpler answer
thanks
mary prefontaine
New Member
wow seems expensive!
Is you're cage size about the same? 40Lx48Hx18D? Does that mist king come with more than one sprayer? Do you place it near the upper portion of the cage , so that the water sprays wide areas and drops below to hit several of you're other live plants? Are there a less expensive brands out there?
Is you're cage size about the same? 40Lx48Hx18D? Does that mist king come with more than one sprayer? Do you place it near the upper portion of the cage , so that the water sprays wide areas and drops below to hit several of you're other live plants? Are there a less expensive brands out there?
mary prefontaine
New Member
ok im new to the idea of using a misting system
i would like to try a misting system this time with my next panther, and it appears everyone likes mist king a lot, and i believe they start at around 100.00? So does anyone have one for sale or where would be the best place to buy one? My cage will be 40"Lx48"Hx18"w . I will figure out after watching him for a few weeks how often to use the mister and for how long, placement I'm assuming would be where it would defiantly hit the leaves and anything else I want to get nice and wet for a period of time. Any thing else I need to know about these misting systems or which one i should get. I will of course look at my hygrometer/thermometer to make sure the humidity is correct, As with anyone i would like to save as much as possible, but without having problems down the road with a mister, so any advice would be great!!
thanks
i would like to try a misting system this time with my next panther, and it appears everyone likes mist king a lot, and i believe they start at around 100.00? So does anyone have one for sale or where would be the best place to buy one? My cage will be 40"Lx48"Hx18"w . I will figure out after watching him for a few weeks how often to use the mister and for how long, placement I'm assuming would be where it would defiantly hit the leaves and anything else I want to get nice and wet for a period of time. Any thing else I need to know about these misting systems or which one i should get. I will of course look at my hygrometer/thermometer to make sure the humidity is correct, As with anyone i would like to save as much as possible, but without having problems down the road with a mister, so any advice would be great!!
thanks
mary prefontaine
New Member
exo terra monsoon?
Anyone heard or tried this one and what problems are you finding?
Anyone heard or tried this one and what problems are you finding?
grimjob
Established Member
I have a 2 month male veiled, mine lives in a glass exo terra, and I have soil and live plants growing in it, I have a mist king system with 2 nozzles, my lights turn on at 7am and my mister goes off at 9am for a minute then will go off again at 2 pm for another minute I have a dripper that constantly drips every couple of seconds all day onto a leave, he seems healthy and poos are the good colour, what do you all think?
fluxlizard
Avid Member
I think that sounds fine as far as water goes. Mainly because of the dripper in addition to the short mist times. And also the glass enclosure will tend to hold the water from the mister longer and keep the humidity up from the mist times longer.
