Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I must be doing something wrong...please help me figure out a solution.

I used to just mist the cage all over and get it nice and soaked...then, I was told by several people that I should mist the cham with warm water until I see them start drinking. It makes sense to me, and it's working...but my cages and everything around them are SOAKED by the time I am finished. I had paper towels at the bottom, but they were getting so waterlogged that they were not drying between mistings. I removed them, and I've been soaking up the excess on the bottom with paper towels after I'm done misting. This is really a pain, so I'm trying to figure out a better way.

I've seen pic's of many people's set ups, and only a few have something for drainage...most just have a solid bottom.

So, what do you all do? I'd love to hear suggestions, ideas or anything that might help me figure this out.

Thanks!
Kristen
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1.1 pygmy leaf
1.1 carpet
1.0 jackson
0.0.3 red eared sliders

I have a plexiglass bottom in my cage. When I spray some small puddles will accumulate on it, but evaporate within an hour or so. I also have a habba-mist, which goes off three times a day, and most of the water from that runs down over the leaves and into the ficus pot. I really have no problems with water acumulation. Maybe you should spray less water at more frequent intervals so you don't get everything so soaked.

Hey Kristen!

Misting wasn't enough for Luna so I got a Sunbeam Personal Humidifier (K-Mart for about $28 - see link below) that I will put in the bottom of her cage and run for about 1/2 an hour 2x/day and I will pull the shower curtain liners around the whole thing so that she is sort of in a steam room. I turn up the heat so that the humidity stays longer.

I also finally got a real dripper for her. I set it on the top of the strip light so that the water gets warm, and let it drip pretty much all day. She LOVES it! She sits under it, goes to bask, takes a shower, basks, shower, bask...etc. ALL DAY! I do not use the humidifier as much if she keeps herself moist.

I have a plastic container on the bottom to catch the excess, (with pt underneath andt hey dry rather quick) and dump it each night. She's asleep now but I will try to remember tomorrow to take a pic and I can show you her digs!

lele
Link

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

There's a pic of my drainage set up at
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/epollak/drainage.htm
I just drill some drainage holes in the bottom of the cage.

As for the foggers. IMO it's a very bad idea to expose chams directly to the fog for more than a very brief period. I used to use PVC tubing to directly ultrasonic humidifiers directly into all my cages. I've since gotten rid of the PVC tubing and simply use the humidifers to keep the entire room humidity up. On the one cage where I still have the PVC I have the fog directed upward, away from the cages. My chams have been much healthier since I made this change. Also the remaining PVC is angled so that no water can pool in it and breed bacteria.
Ed

Hi Ed,

Yes, I thought about the potential of URI and possible other problems. I work form home so I can monitor it closely which I do and since she has been hanging out under her new dripper I sometimes don't run it at all. The fact that the humidifier is on the bottom of the cage and she is 3 ' away it just really mists and it is a little one, not a room size one. I have tried, to absolutely no avail, to keep the overall room humidity up but it is so dry here in the winter. I have had my big ultrasonic and evaporative on together and I barely get the room over about 50%.

But I agree, I certainly wouldn't want one of those misting directly on her, if for no other reason is that it is cool mist.

lele

>>There's a pic of my drainage set up at
>>http://mywebpages.comcast.net/epollak/drainage.htm
>>I just drill some drainage holes in the bottom of the cage.
>>
>>As for the foggers. IMO it's a very bad idea to expose chams directly to the fog for more than a very brief period. I used to use PVC tubing to directly ultrasonic humidifiers directly into all my cages. I've since gotten rid of the PVC tubing and simply use the humidifers to keep the entire room humidity up. On the one cage where I still have the PVC I have the fog directed upward, away from the cages. My chams have been much healthier since I made this change. Also the remaining PVC is angled so that no water can pool in it and breed bacteria.
>>Ed
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

...good, basic, simple drainage! I like it!

>>There's a pic of my drainage set up at
>>http://mywebpages.comcast.net/epollak/drainage.htm
>>I just drill some drainage holes in the bottom of the cage.
>>
>>As for the foggers. IMO it's a very bad idea to expose chams directly to the fog for more than a very brief period. I used to use PVC tubing to directly ultrasonic humidifiers directly into all my cages. I've since gotten rid of the PVC tubing and simply use the humidifers to keep the entire room humidity up. On the one cage where I still have the PVC I have the fog directed upward, away from the cages. My chams have been much healthier since I made this change. Also the remaining PVC is angled so that no water can pool in it and breed bacteria.
>>Ed
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

Hi: I feel exactly the same way. I've worked with Dart frog tanks longer then Cham set ups and I think I'm going to modify a method we Dart Froggers use with our tanks-the False bottom. Mr. Pollak has something like it, and he kindly showed me a picture and confirmed that my thoughts of the modification could work for Chams too. It involves raising the bottom by the use of a grated material. Dart Froggers use eggcrate(a ceiling light diffusing material). I think I'll put the cage, pots, everything over a section of eggcrate. I'll put window screen on top of the egg crate to keep the critters in. Water will drip though the eggcrate bottom that is sitting over another bin at the bottom(a tub, a sweater box-something water tight. I will drill a hole into the bin and attach a bulkhead or just a tube with silicone to finally drain into a bucket underneath the shelf that the set up is on. Sounds more involved but I have many dart frog tanks like this and I'll never go back to the regular bottom way again. The bucket will have to be dumped too but not nearly as often as the tub inside the cage. We like to keep that floor clean and dry and it seems more tedious to do if its everyday. If you have automated water delivery, you will want something easily draining too. When I expand after my learning curve has come to an acceptable point, I will build a final shelving with the grate as the shelf and a lower shelf with pans that could also have a similar draining methods.

Take care,

Maggie