Setup questions

[tonyjaws]

I have purchased the ReptiBreeze XL and a T5 HO hood, I have a large golden pathos and some smaller safe plants to get started. I am leaning towards a mistking over a cheaper reptirain or something but keep going back and forth about it. My main concern is drainage and the best way to do that. And will I also need a fogger/humidifier too or would a mistking alone suffice? Also I’ve been looking at these dragon ledges as well, are they really worth it? I really want this to be perfect to give my cham the best life so Im looking to have this set up and ready to go prior to adding my chameleon, so any help or advice is definitely appreciated. If you think there’s anything in particular that is a must have, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome. To answer your questions -
Mist King is superior and you won’t need to buy a fogger. If you are able to achieve the night temps below at least 68-70, you can increase your humidity thru running a few brief misting sessions during the night.
Drainage is always a challenge and there’s no one way. Some get substrate or drainage trays and then wet vac the excess water daily/as needed. Some set up simple hole in the bottom tray with a bucket below and a way to guide the water to the hole like a heavy plant. Some create a slight tilt to the enclosure and have a drainage trough (for lack of a better word). It’s whatever your imagination and skills come up with.
Dragon Ledges are awesome! It’s incredible the amount of weight I had mine holding. When properly used, you can hang plants, branches and really have fun setting it all up.
Have you been to https://chameleonacademy.com/ yet? It’s the best source for the most current and correct info and I love that it explains why we do things certain ways. The podcasts are incredible and the learning is tremendous.

 

[Kekepania]

I have purchased the ReptiBreeze XL and a T5 HO hood, I have a large golden pathos and some smaller safe plants to get started. I am leaning towards a mistking over a cheaper reptirain or something but keep going back and forth about it. My main concern is drainage and the best way to do that. And will I also need a fogger/humidifier too or would a mistking alone suffice? Also I’ve been looking at these dragon ledges as well, are they really worth it? I really want this to be perfect to give my cham the best life so Im looking to have this set up and ready to go prior to adding my chameleon, so any help or advice is definitely appreciated. If you think there’s anything in particular that is a must have, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

MistKing all the way! It’s soooo quite compared to the other & you can set it by the second! Very handy when you want to boost your humidity without drenching everything to much! Think the reptirain’s lowest setting is 60 seconds. And you get to choose your own size reservoir. Which seem annoying to have to go find & put together but it’s so much better not to have to keep refilling the canister all the time (trust me, with all the stuff you have to keep refilling, it’s nice not to worry about one to often). As for dragon ledges, completely worth it. Good quality & spreads the weight of the plants so your cage doesn’t get warped. You can make your own but if you are not handy or don’t have the time, dragon strand is worth it. As far as drainage, drill a hole & set a heavy plant in the middle so it weighs it down. As far as foggers go, I have the CooSpider on amazon. I like it (it’s my 2nd one…I broke the first when I was washing it…got water in the electrical part. Don’t worry it was unplugged but didn’t work after that) but I hear the Leap fogger has a better design, with being able to refill it without having to take the whole thing apart, like you have to do with the coospider. I would love that! Also, careful with your humidity with a full screen cage. It can be hard to achieve the high humidity at night. Not sure if you thought about covering up 2-3 sides but you may have to, depending on your humidity in your home & where you live. I have a hybrid enclosure myself, with 3 sides closed up.

 

[tonyjaws]

Thank you so much for your responses. I’ve been debating on getting a simple mister and a hygrometer/thermometer combo for cheap or just investing in a mistking w/ the hygrometer included for the future and I think this may have swayed me because I’d rather not have to worry and I want this set up legit. I’ve considered covering the sides and back w/ a shower curtain cause I’ve seen others recommend for during misting and I’ll probably do that after the mister is applied. I reside in Milwaukee, so my temp changes but the enclosure is in my spare bedroom next to my desk (I work from home) so very low traffic. Also been seriously considering these dragon ledges as well because they seem very convenient and make it look great, does anyone know if all 5 ledges (for the XL pack) be for 1 enclosure? Beginning to realize all of the proper/necessary equipment is turning out to be much more expensive than anticipated, but I have always loved chameleons and done a lot of research and due to recent events, I decided that I want to have a chameleon companion while I still have the opportunity. My favorite thing about them is that they dont need constant attention and affection, they just want food and to not be bothered, just like me. I’m a quiet person and appreciate my space, silence is golden. So a companion that I check on a few times a day to feed and admire from afar, maintain their health and take out once in awhile for a little bit seems like the perfect pet for me too lol. Anyway, I greatly appreciate all of your advice and assistance. Thanks for taking the time to read.

 

[tonyjaws]

Thank you so much for your responses. I’ve been debating on getting a simple mister and a hygrometer/thermometer combo for cheap or just investing in a mistking w/ the hygrometer included for the future and I think this may have swayed me because I’d rather not have to worry and I want this set up legit. I’ve considered covering the sides and back w/ a shower curtain cause I’ve seen others recommend for during misting and I’ll probably do that after the mister is applied. I reside in Milwaukee, so my temp changes but the enclosure is in my spare bedroom next to my desk (I work from home) so very low traffic. Also been seriously considering these dragon ledges as well because they seem very convenient and make it look great, does anyone know if all 5 ledges (for the XL pack) be for 1 enclosure? Beginning to realize all of the proper/necessary equipment is turning out to be much more expensive than anticipated, but I have always loved chameleons and done a lot of research and due to recent events, I decided that I want to have a chameleon companion while I still have the opportunity. My favorite thing about them is that they dont need constant attention and affection, they just want food and to not be bothered, just like me. I’m a quiet person and appreciate my space, silence is golden. So a companion that I check on a few times a day to feed and admire from afar, maintain their health and take out once in awhile for a little bit seems like the perfect pet for me too lol. Anyway, I greatly appreciate all of your advice and assistance. Thanks for taking the time to read.

@Kekepania @MissSkittles

 

[MissSkittles]

Yes, the Dragon Ledges are a 5 pack - 2 for each side and one for the back. Do be sure to read the instructions as the one for the back is shorter if I recall. Also, they are much easier to install before putting the enclosure together. You can definitely use a shower curtain to help hold humidity and temps as well as prevent the misting from spraying your room too. Some use the shrink to fit insulating window film too (on the outside) for a neater look. I have 2 Mist Kings and each are just the basic starter set. (Chameleons can be like potato chips for some of us). I don’t have the built in hygrometer, but have been meaning to look into it and what benefit it may be, how it works, etc.
Chameleons are rather expensive to set up properly for. Once you have the initial set up though, maintenance isn’t bad…change your uvb light annually (6 months for ReptiSun), mist heads can go bad after time (may want to keep a spare around), basking bulbs burn out, new plants every now and then as needed, supplements and of course, food.

 

[elizaann2]

I can’t speak to the MistKing because I hand mist my enclosures daily. However I do have the Dragon Ledges and they are AMAZING! Totally worth the price.

 

[tonyjaws]

I can’t speak to the MistKing because I hand mist my enclosures daily. However I do have the Dragon Ledges and they are AMAZING! Totally worth the price.

Thanks for the reply! Everybody has positive reviews so I went ahead and placed an order for some earlier today. Looking forward to getting this all set up very soon.