MantisFTW
Member
So far, Specs, my nearly 3 year old panther, has been enjoying the outdoors all summer, soaking up the good 90 degree Louisiana heat, UVB, and humidity. It was only until recently (when summers almost over, figures) that I learned a new way to water him...
I was browsing through Target today and found an automatic watering timer, designed to water lawns. I also found a cheap 2 dollar sprinkler. Along with that, I bought a new hose because my last one was pretty shot. Its the kind of hose thats soft and krinkly, and it expands when its turned on, like the kind you see in the commercials.
Anyway, with these items I rigged Specs up with a new watering system... its equivalent to a short, light rain shower. I set it up to where it starts at 10am, sprays every 4 hours, and lasts for 5 minutes each spray. I shut it off at night since its just a waste of water at that point. I wanted to get some opinions on it from you more experienced folks to ensure this new system wont be a problem. Before, I was just doing everything by hand, which I couldnt always rely on because I work 8 hour long days and its never very consistent. Also, I can always change the times and frequencies of the spraying if needed. I've provided a video of the system working and a few pictures:
The timer:
Specs afterwords:
Doing the eye-bulge thing he sometimes does when he gets watered:
Specs will of course be going back indoors the moment the temps start to drop down for autumn, I'll probably be bringing him in when it gets as low as 75-80. So far though its been pretty hot, with temps being in the upper 80's. I strategically placed the cage in a spot on the side of the house to allow for shade and so that hes not in direct sunlight, and as the sun moves throughout the day, he will have a few spots of light to bask in if he wanted to.
I also recently started keeping a lock on his cage, we had a huge scare that involved me having to go searching through a neighbors back yard to find him! Still have no idea how that happened, but a lock has definitely solved it from happening again. I have always been concerned for when it storms though. I have asked about it before, and everyone seems to think that having a chameleon outdoors during a thunderstorm/heavy rain is fine, so long as wind wont knock the cage over. Could I get some confirmation on this? Any other kind of outdoor housing information would be appreciated as well.
I was browsing through Target today and found an automatic watering timer, designed to water lawns. I also found a cheap 2 dollar sprinkler. Along with that, I bought a new hose because my last one was pretty shot. Its the kind of hose thats soft and krinkly, and it expands when its turned on, like the kind you see in the commercials.
Anyway, with these items I rigged Specs up with a new watering system... its equivalent to a short, light rain shower. I set it up to where it starts at 10am, sprays every 4 hours, and lasts for 5 minutes each spray. I shut it off at night since its just a waste of water at that point. I wanted to get some opinions on it from you more experienced folks to ensure this new system wont be a problem. Before, I was just doing everything by hand, which I couldnt always rely on because I work 8 hour long days and its never very consistent. Also, I can always change the times and frequencies of the spraying if needed. I've provided a video of the system working and a few pictures:
The timer:
Specs afterwords:
Doing the eye-bulge thing he sometimes does when he gets watered:
Specs will of course be going back indoors the moment the temps start to drop down for autumn, I'll probably be bringing him in when it gets as low as 75-80. So far though its been pretty hot, with temps being in the upper 80's. I strategically placed the cage in a spot on the side of the house to allow for shade and so that hes not in direct sunlight, and as the sun moves throughout the day, he will have a few spots of light to bask in if he wanted to.
I also recently started keeping a lock on his cage, we had a huge scare that involved me having to go searching through a neighbors back yard to find him! Still have no idea how that happened, but a lock has definitely solved it from happening again. I have always been concerned for when it storms though. I have asked about it before, and everyone seems to think that having a chameleon outdoors during a thunderstorm/heavy rain is fine, so long as wind wont knock the cage over. Could I get some confirmation on this? Any other kind of outdoor housing information would be appreciated as well.
