Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just bought my 1yr old panther(more like 1yr 4 months) a habba mister. I thought it would be great because then I would only need to use his dripper in the morning. Well that isn't going as planned. I think he is afraid of it. When it first sprays he hisses and then closes his eyes and lets it spray him. He wont ever drink the water. The cage (I built myself with chameleon paradise plans ) is plenty big enough for him to move to avoid being sprayed but he doesn't. He also doesn't enjoy a water bottle. The only time he drinks is from his dripper. I just thought that the mister would also help with humidity but I don't want to stress him out. I am also starting the dental hygiene program at school starting tuesday and I will be gone in the afternoon so he wouldn't get his afternoon hour of water. So what should I do? will he eventually get use to it? Thanks a bunch in advance for the replys!

Dani

Can you move the mister so it doesn't spray right where he tends to sit? If it sprays the foliage in the cage anywhere it will provide humidity and water droplets that he may choose to lick later once the cycle is over. Put the mister up high so the droplets fall onto the foliage from above (more natural). Most likely he would not lick the water right during the cycle anyway. It takes chams a while to "decide" to drink once the misting starts. If he uses his dripper reliably that is great. The humidity provided by the mister should keep him from getting dehydrated during the day depending on the humidity level in the room. The mist cycle is sudden and probably just startles him. After all, rain would not be sudden and intense. You can always do some hand spraying after you get home to see if he needs a drink later in the day.