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Misting question

schwartzenstobe Dec 19, 2005 09:29 AM

I have a jackson chameleon and am buying a misting system. I will put it on a timer. I was thinking setting it for 5 minutes 3 times a day. is that sufficient? thanks Matt p.s. the enclosure is 3x2x2

Replies (3)

WillHayward Dec 19, 2005 11:14 AM

I like to have mine go for 4 minutes a few times a day, and then 1-2 minute bursts every other hour. The important thing is to keep the humidity up. I think that leaving it gor for 4 hours between the mister going, would let the humidity drop much too low. Although it does depend on your location.

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CANADIAN CHAMELEONS

Carlton Dec 19, 2005 01:11 PM

It's going to need trial and error and really depend on the temp and air humidity in your house. It may also change with seasons. What I suggest is plan to do the testing over a weekend when you can be around to check how the cage humidity changes before, during, and after a spray cycle. You may find that 4 minutes will flood your cage depending on how much water the system puts out, and you may not need that much spraying.

If you are using the system to give both heavier water for drinking as well as keeping humidity up, you could set up short bursts for humidity and plan one longer burst to really give dripping for drinking in the afternoon for example.

This is how I would test it: Set up a good humidity gauge in a sheltered part of the cage. Record the humidity before misting. Run the mister manually for whatever time you want to try. Record how high the humidity level gets, and then watch the drop once the cycle is over. When the humidity gets too low, you'll know how long the intervals between spray cycles should be. Then spray again. Try several combinations of short bursts to see just how often it needs to run to maintain the humidity level you want. Remember, if there aren't enough live plants to "catch" the moisture the cage will still dry out pretty fast.

ankinc Dec 19, 2005 04:14 PM

Hi,

Leaving the misting system on 3 times a day, for 1-3 mins is sufficient in most locations. While humidity is important, a drinking source is much more important. As long as you have an irrigation system, you can leave it on as much as you need. As carlton said, it is trial and error. If you notice him getting dehydrated, increase it; if you notice the cage flooding, decrease it. Also, what kind of misting system do you have?

Ank-Inc.
Adam.

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