Fogging is becoming a primary, if not only, hydration method for a number of chameleon keepers. Fogging replicates a cloud enveloping the chameleon in the early mornings of their natural habitat. The part which confounds us humans is that it appears that chameleons can be fully hydrated from their foggy nights. After three to six hours of early morning fog, these chameleons ignore liquid water when presented to them. Fogging is worth evaluating for the progressive chameleon herpetoculturist because it answers a number of questions that misting does not. Why do chameleons drink heavily during the day when, in the wild, they can appear hydrated even in the dry season? If mist or rain is the main hydration method for chameleons, why are they annoyed when the mister is turned on? We can sit around and brainstorm different scenarios, but fogging as a hydration method answers it all neatly.
Fogging is a relatively new hydration technique for the mainstream chameleon community, but it has been utilized for many years. Back in 2018 I interviewed Mario Jungmann who had been successful breeding rare species with a daily staple of fogging. Since then I have used it and other have experimented with it. What is new in all of this is not fogging itself, but the idea that fogging can be the primary hydration method. In fact, people that use a fogger report that they are able to retire their drippers and misters as they are not longer used. Now, it is good to question sources and I will not be vague with the use of the term "people". Below are a number of resources where you can learn about fogging and how you might experiment with this hydration technique.
I have recently done an extensive video interview with Petr Necas who is one of the pioneers of fogging. This interview has been broken up into two sections. The first we discuss hydration in the wild and why we bother bringing fogging into this at all. Why in the world do we need a new hydration method? Isn't misting doing the job?
In the second half of the interview we talk about fogging in captivity.
The third video I would suggest watching is the live session I had with Petr Necas, Sean McNeeley, and James Cross. This was an excellent conversation about what fogging is, how things can go wrong, and where we stand on accepting fogging within the community. Sean shares how he uses fog exclusively to hydrate his hatchlings and James shares how he uses fog exclusively to hydrate his Parson's Chameleon. The two extremes are served by fogging and ignore water which is presented to them later.
Fogging is a controversial issue because it is new and not intuitive for us liquid water drinkers. I would encourage you to watch the interviews to fully understand what we know and the reasons we are pushing in this direction. You are welcome to also reference the Chameleon Academy page on fogging for a summary of what we went over. You can find it here:
Fogging For Your Chameleon
Fogging is not new and is has been proven to work enough that it is time for the general community to consider experimenting with this technique. Some people will jump on immediately and some will wait. Either is fine. If you are experienced and this technique makes you nervous then I can say that it has been proven to work long term. Try it and you will be surprised how well it works. If you are new and not sure how to implement this then read the webpage and listen to the interviews. For everyone - if what you are doing is working and you are satisfied then stick with it. This is for the keepers who believe it is worth working towards the natural condition for the possibility of what we may discover as we get closer to what they were developed to accept.
The good thing about experimenting with fogging is it has little risk. To start, establish a baseline hydration using your present method. You can do this by observing the chameleon poop over a couple weeks and pay attention to their drinking behavior. After that you can add fogging in the early morning hours and then remove the mister or dripper and see if you see a change in poop hydration or drinking behavior.
What is new about fogging is the exposure to the general community. And so I recommend trying the fogging technique if it excites you to be part of moving our husbandry closer to the natural condition. One thing I would welcome is your feedback as to how you implemented fogging, what misteps you may have made, and what would have helped you when you were starting out. I will incorporate that feedback into the fogging page.
This is an exciting time where we can push chameleon husbandry forward in substantial steps! I would be interested in the feedback of anyone who has tried fogging either successfully or not.
Fogging is a relatively new hydration technique for the mainstream chameleon community, but it has been utilized for many years. Back in 2018 I interviewed Mario Jungmann who had been successful breeding rare species with a daily staple of fogging. Since then I have used it and other have experimented with it. What is new in all of this is not fogging itself, but the idea that fogging can be the primary hydration method. In fact, people that use a fogger report that they are able to retire their drippers and misters as they are not longer used. Now, it is good to question sources and I will not be vague with the use of the term "people". Below are a number of resources where you can learn about fogging and how you might experiment with this hydration technique.
I have recently done an extensive video interview with Petr Necas who is one of the pioneers of fogging. This interview has been broken up into two sections. The first we discuss hydration in the wild and why we bother bringing fogging into this at all. Why in the world do we need a new hydration method? Isn't misting doing the job?
In the second half of the interview we talk about fogging in captivity.
The third video I would suggest watching is the live session I had with Petr Necas, Sean McNeeley, and James Cross. This was an excellent conversation about what fogging is, how things can go wrong, and where we stand on accepting fogging within the community. Sean shares how he uses fog exclusively to hydrate his hatchlings and James shares how he uses fog exclusively to hydrate his Parson's Chameleon. The two extremes are served by fogging and ignore water which is presented to them later.
Fogging is a controversial issue because it is new and not intuitive for us liquid water drinkers. I would encourage you to watch the interviews to fully understand what we know and the reasons we are pushing in this direction. You are welcome to also reference the Chameleon Academy page on fogging for a summary of what we went over. You can find it here:
Fogging For Your Chameleon
Fogging is not new and is has been proven to work enough that it is time for the general community to consider experimenting with this technique. Some people will jump on immediately and some will wait. Either is fine. If you are experienced and this technique makes you nervous then I can say that it has been proven to work long term. Try it and you will be surprised how well it works. If you are new and not sure how to implement this then read the webpage and listen to the interviews. For everyone - if what you are doing is working and you are satisfied then stick with it. This is for the keepers who believe it is worth working towards the natural condition for the possibility of what we may discover as we get closer to what they were developed to accept.
The good thing about experimenting with fogging is it has little risk. To start, establish a baseline hydration using your present method. You can do this by observing the chameleon poop over a couple weeks and pay attention to their drinking behavior. After that you can add fogging in the early morning hours and then remove the mister or dripper and see if you see a change in poop hydration or drinking behavior.
What is new about fogging is the exposure to the general community. And so I recommend trying the fogging technique if it excites you to be part of moving our husbandry closer to the natural condition. One thing I would welcome is your feedback as to how you implemented fogging, what misteps you may have made, and what would have helped you when you were starting out. I will incorporate that feedback into the fogging page.
This is an exciting time where we can push chameleon husbandry forward in substantial steps! I would be interested in the feedback of anyone who has tried fogging either successfully or not.
