Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How is the best way of providing humidity in an all wire enclosure? We have central heat and durring the winter the humidity in our house drops way below accepable ranges for chameleons. Do the fogging devices i.e. the one by exo terra or the misty volcano by zoo med help increase the humidity levels significantly in an all wire cage? How long does this raise in humidity last? Any advice or input would be apreciated.

It's good to ask this ahead of time! Those small foggers may not humidify quite enough and are fussy to maintain. I would suggest an ultrasonic room humidifier. They tend to cost less and are more durable too. Easily cleaned...clean the nebulizer disk and the reservoir with vinegar to dissolve hard water minerals and dilute bleach for disinfection. If you can put the unit above or on top of the cage the fog will pour down into it. If not, build a stand next to the cage and "pipe" the mist in through a hole in the mesh. Depending on what type of humidifier you get (the Sunbeam 696 is commonly used and the directional spout will take a 2" PVC water pipe) run a pipe from the unit and have a section of perforated pipe (drill 1/2" or larger holes in it) inside the cage to get the fog where you want it to go. You can cover the back and/or sides of the cage with sheets, clear plastic or whatever to help hold in the humidity. Also stuff the cage with larger potted plants...the moist soil and respiration of the plants will help too. Get a decent humidity gauge...you'll need it. Also, remember the humidity can cycle from a high to a slightly lower range (depending on your species of course) during 24 hours and this allows the cage to dry a bit between mist cycles.