Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I want to get a misting system because hand spraying is getting a little old and it is hard to keep it at the right humidity. I am either going to get a habba mister or make my own. I have seen people say make your on with an automatic sprinkler and hook it up to hoses and misting nossles. But the ting is, if the habba mister does the same thing for about the same price, I am going to go for the habba mister. I like doing "do it yourself" stuff, but this is something I just want to be finished. I don't really know anything about the habba mister. Does it just make mist by itself? Does it just pump water into hoses that have mister nossles on them to make the mist? I just want to know more about this. Could it keep high humidity(65% or more) in a 5 foot tall enclosure? Thanks, Josh

My terrarium (built by me) is 6'L x 5.5'H x 4'D, 2 sides are acrylic, the doors are acrylic, the back is lanoleum over plywood, and the top is screened. I bought the Habba Mister hoping it would raise my humidity levels. WRONG.......

It sprays automatically in intervals of your choice an adjustable mist or stream. It hasn't really helped me, even when I cover my top with towels. I am waiting on a high end fogger I bought on E-Bay, and maybe that will help me.

Good Luck....

Hi Guys

We were using a similar system, and found that the motorized pump in them was just too noisy... So, we developed an automated misting system that works well for us. We sell the plans and the "kit" to make it easier, but, the jist of it is this:

Pump-up garden sprayer (We use a 2-gallon; the larger the pump/reservoir, the less often you have to refill/repressurize the system).

A variety of step-downs to get from 1/2-inch reinforced tubing (just cut the misting nozzle off the pump) to the 1/4 inch stuff we use. Some micro-nozzles, some hose clamps, and you have a slick misting system.

Now comes the automating part. The timer (indoor, sprinkler) and solenoid valve we used is from Orbits, and is available through Home Despot. You can automate up to 4 valves on the timer we got, but, there are fancier ones that can provide much more fine control... Solenoid valves are nice in that there is just a little "click" when the timer goes off. No grinding of the gears when the faucet timer goes off (we tried one of those too); no moaning of piston or diaphraghm pumps... The really cool part of it all is that, if the valve fails, or the solenoid fails (they are separate pieces), you can replace either one for under $20... I don't think any one piece is over that, unless you get a monster timer, or a monster pump...

In any event, it is infinitely expandable, provided you have a pump with sufficient pressure. A single timer can control 4 valves (using the timer we have), meaning 4 pumps, if you get strapped for pressure. Nicer timers control 6, 8 or more pumps, and you can start to get more exciting with the timing intervals (i.e. each pump can be on a set time interval of its own, while, with our current setup, all the critters are on one timing: 8AM for 1 minute; 11 AM for 2 minutes; 2 PM for 1 minute; 5 PM for 1 minute. We can add up to 4 more cycles in there (3 on 2-minute cycles, 1 on a 1-minute cycle), but, we find this cycle adequte at the moment... As summer arrives, we'll open it up a bit more.

Now then, to the other part of the question:
Raising humidity...
We've found that live, water-loving plants, like pothos, chinese evergreen, jade and wandering jew, also survive nicely in an active lizard's terrarium. Rather than spraying the mist into the air, we spray the plants (and really soak them). This does several things:
1- provides dew, for dew-lapping lizards
2- creates a beautiful live environment for display
3- releases humidity all the time, as the plant breathes
4- provides for most of our drainage needs. We don't have to mist more than a few times per day, and keep pretty high humidity levels. Want higher humidity, add more plants and nozzles to the terrarium.

It also means, since we don't have to spray as much, that less of the water ends up puddling on the floor. What little does puddle, it dries by the next misting cycle...

If you want detailed plans, they are on our site, or I'll be happy to answer questions about our system (which is derived from the Barr's folks, to give credit where it is really due!)

The same system we put together has been built by other folks, and has also been adapted for household plumbing (for those not in apartments). Just be careful with this part and keep a close eye on it for a while... Leak in the household plumbing setup versus leak in a 2-gallon pressure sprayer is a totally different animal!!!
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Justin, Julie and the menagerie...
www.baskingwonders.com