Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a jackson and was wondering if i should have the humidifier on a timer 24 hours a day? also should i do the same for the misting system? thanks matt

My general rule for montane species is the bigger the wetter, the better, as close to natural habitat as possible. Though with more moisture comes more maintenance. You will have to clean the cage more often because it will most likely harbor more bacteria. Jacksons can survive with just a spray or two a day for several minutes a day, but cooler (70s) and more humid temps are best. If you are looking to breed jacksons, then try to mimic their natural habitat as best you can. This will cause less stress and incourage mating. So its up to you if you want to keep the humidifier on all of the time. Jacksons are a pretty hardy species so they can take a variety of captive habitats, but general higher himidity is better.

No that won't be necessary. How often and how long to let it run will depend on your particular climate in the room. A good way to figure this out is to set up a good humidity gauge (electronic, not the cheapo stick on ones from pet shops). Then aim the humidifier right at the cage and run it until the humidity in the coolest most sheltered part of the cage reads about 80%. Shut the unit off and time how long it takes the humidity in that same spot to drop TOO low, such as 50%. This tells you how long the humidifier needs to run, and how often you will need it to cycle during a 24 hour period. It is better to have cycles that range from high to low rather than a constant high level all the time so the cage plants and branches can dry out. Then once you know how many cycles of fogging you want in 24 hours you can find a lamp timer that lets you set multiple on-off cycles. This controls the humidifier itself. Does this make sense?

As for the misting system it is primarily to provide drinking spray right? You will probably only need it to spray thoroughly a couple of times a day if the humidifier is running. The cham won't dehydrate as fast or need to drink as much if the air humidity level is correct. A softer lighter spray for a longer time is better than a short intense blast, as the cham tends to take a while before it starts drinking.