Call for Research Participation: Fogging in Chameleonoculture

[PetNcs]

A plebiscite to document real-world evidence and community experience

In Archaius 1(4): 8–28, I (Petr Nečas) published the foundational article

"The Naturalistic Chameleonoculture – a breakthrough in captive management of chameleons. Part 2: Hydration and the Mystery of Fog-Drinking."

This work introduced the concept of fog drinking in captive chameleons, describing how chameleons utilize airborne moisture as a primary hydration source. The article provided observational data, anatomical context, and practical implications for husbandry—marking a turning point in hydration strategies for sensitive taxa.

Since its publication in 2020, the use of fogging systems under controlled, safe conditions has expanded across the herpetoculture community. Keepers and breeders have reported improved hydration, naturalistic behavior, and reduced stress in many species and hundreds of specimens. Yet despite this growing body of practice-based evidence, fogging remains a target of vocal opposition—particularly on social media.

Almost all critics of fogging have never used fogging systems, nor have they published any empirical data to support their reservations. Instead, they circulate speculative concerns, theoretical risks, and fabricated scenarios that usually lack anatomical, physiological, or ecological grounding. This has led to confusion, misinformation, and unnecessary division within the community.

This plebiscite aims to provide statistical proof of evidence.​

We invite all keepers, breeders, researchers, and field observers who use fogging systems to participate in a structured survey. The goal is to collect and analyze real-world data on:

• Species-specific responses to fogging
• Frequency, duration, and timing of fogging sessions
• Observed behavioral and physiological outcomes
• Setup parameters (temperature, relative humidity, ventilation)
• Perceived risks versus actual complications
• Keeper experience level and background

The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and made available to the global community.

This is not a debate—it is a documentation effort. Your participation will help establish a data-driven foundation for future guidelines, dispel misinformation, and elevate responsible herpetoculture.

Article link: https://www.chameleons.info/l/call-for-fogging-research/

PARTICIPATION LINK: forms.gle/KeeWgiJmqxQVXDPp8

 

[jamest0o0]

I think this is great and I’ve always stated my concerns were speculations, never fact. I feel this would take years to show any major changes, but who knows. I’d doubt an otherwise healthy chameleon would have issues from fogging or misting. It’d be interesting to see with late in life chameleons, wild caught, recently rehomed, etc. Basically chameleons that are vulnerable.

 

[nightanole]

I got no dog in this fight, but i was a fogger at one point.

• Perceived risks versus actual complications

I dont know if this is part of the survey, but "the cleaning of the system" was a problem for me. While my misting system never needed cleaning, my fogging system always got the "pink slime" that always happened to ultra sonic humidifier basins. I never could keep it clean, even with distilled water. The reservoir always stayed clean, it was just the sonic section and tubing. And it would happen within 2 weeks of daily use. I even tried adding sodium percarbonate. I stopped simply because i could not mechanically clean the entire unit and all tubing weekly.

But fogging has become really popular since years ago when i tried it. So how are you foggers cleaning(or keeping clean) your systems? Maybe using all black tubing? But my sonics is what got the slime, and light cant get to that section.

 

[jamest0o0]

@nightanole I relate with this as well.

 

[PetNcs]

I think this is great and I’ve always stated my concerns were speculations, never fact. I feel this would take years to show any major changes, but who knows. I’d doubt an otherwise healthy chameleon would have issues from fogging or misting. It’d be interesting to see with late in life chameleons, wild caught, recently rehomed, etc. Basically chameleons that are vulnerable.

well, it seems you did not try fogging yet
the differences are tremendous and rapidly to see.
but let us do the research and we will see what will be the outcome

 

[PetNcs]

I got no dog in this fight, but i was a fogger at one point.

• Perceived risks versus actual complications

I dont know if this is part of the survey, but "the cleaning of the system" was a problem for me. While my misting system never needed cleaning, my fogging system always got the "pink slime" that always happened to ultra sonic humidifier basins. I never could keep it clean, even with distilled water. The reservoir always stayed clean, it was just the sonic section and tubing. And it would happen within 2 weeks of daily use. I even tried adding sodium percarbonate. I stopped simply because i could not mechanically clean the entire unit and all tubing weekly.

But fogging has become really popular since years ago when i tried it. So how are you foggers cleaning(or keeping clean) your systems? Maybe using all black tubing? But my sonics is what got the slime, and light cant get to that section.

while some people claimed tk have issues with some slime, I have never encountered any

even growing the smewrs of all the parts post and pre piezzo unit revealed no pathogens, just airborn bacteria in low concentrations. micht be soecifics of the local area and of cleaniness and temperatire of the surrounding area

 

[jamest0o0]

well, it seems you did not try fogging yet
the differences are tremendous and rapidly to see.
but let us do the research and we will see what will be the outcome

I have fogged, wasn’t really impressed. I felt it was a larger risk than misting. JMO though.

while some people claimed tk have issues with some slime, I have never encountered any

even growing the smewrs of all the parts post and pre piezzo unit revealed no pathogens, just airborn bacteria in low concentrations. micht be soecifics of the local area and of cleaniness and temperatire of the surrounding area

Bacteria can be a pathogen, it depends on where and what quantity it is present. I also find it hard to believe no bacteria would show up on the lining. It does not matter how clean the environment is there are still going to be microorganisms.

 

[nightanole]

while some people claimed tk have issues with some slime, I have never encountered any

even growing the smewrs of all the parts post and pre piezzo unit revealed no pathogens, just airborn bacteria in low concentrations. micht be soecifics of the local area and of cleaniness and temperatire of the surrounding area

Its possible people who do not "need" a humidifier might not get the pink slime? Like only people who live in a dry environment? it appears to be a mold, which is why it builds up in dark places, so my idea of using opaque tubing wouldnt help.

This article seems to align with what i see. Requiring weekly mechanical cleaning, and some type of hydrogen peroxide.



https://everlastingcomfort.com/blogs/comfy-reads/pink-residue-in-humidifier-what-you-need-to-know?

"Pink mold can begin forming within 24-48 hours of humidifier usage."​

​

Is Pink Mold Dangerous?​

Pink mold isn’t inherently dangerous, and you don’t need specialized equipment to deal with it, nor do you need to call in a HAZMAT team to clean your small appliance. However, over time, exposure to pink mold can cause respiratory problems. If you don’t remove the pink mold from your humidifier, you are giving the mold an opportunity to be sprayed out into the air along with the cool mist vapor.

When this happens, mold that is expelled from the humidifier looks for a new space to invade, and that place can oftentimes be your nose and lungs. This can lead to a condition called “humidifier lung.” This condition leads some people to believe that using a humidifier is dangerous, but it really has nothing to do with the humidifier at all, and everything to do with its improper cleaning.

Symptoms of humidifier lung are similar to that of a cold; difficulty breathing, coughing and congestion, and fever.

The best way to avoid an issue with pink mold is to regularly inspect and clean your humidifier. With proper care, you will never have to worry about becoming sick from your humidifier.

 

[PetNcs]

I have fogged, wasn’t really impressed. I felt it was a larger risk than misting. JMO though.



Bacteria can be a pathogen, it depends on where and what quantity it is present. I also find it hard to believe no bacteria would show up on the lining. It does not matter how clean the environment is there are still going to be microorganisms.

there were bacteria but not pathogenic ones and low concentration
ther are lots of bacteria with zero pathogenity
I ldid cultivation on Agar under controlled conditions myself
I have i.A. human medicinal education

 

[DocZ]

I got no dog in this fight, but i was a fogger at one point.

• Perceived risks versus actual complications

I dont know if this is part of the survey, but "the cleaning of the system" was a problem for me. While my misting system never needed cleaning, my fogging system always got the "pink slime" that always happened to ultra sonic humidifier basins. I never could keep it clean, even with distilled water. The reservoir always stayed clean, it was just the sonic section and tubing. And it would happen within 2 weeks of daily use. I even tried adding sodium percarbonate. I stopped simply because i could not mechanically clean the entire unit and all tubing weekly.

But fogging has become really popular since years ago when i tried it. So how are you foggers cleaning(or keeping clean) your systems? Maybe using all black tubing? But my sonics is what got the slime, and light cant get to that section.

@nightanole I relate with this as well.

I think is a good issue to examine. What do you think that is

Its possible people who do not "need" a humidifier might not get the pink slime? Like only people who live in a dry environment? it appears to be a mold, which is why it builds up in dark places, so my idea of using opaque tubing wouldnt help.

This article seems to align with what i see. Requiring weekly mechanical cleaning, and some type of hydrogen peroxide.



https://everlastingcomfort.com/blogs/comfy-reads/pink-residue-in-humidifier-what-you-need-to-know?

"Pink mold can begin forming within 24-48 hours of humidifier usage."​

​

Is Pink Mold Dangerous?​

Pink mold isn’t inherently dangerous, and you don’t need specialized equipment to deal with it, nor do you need to call in a HAZMAT team to clean your small appliance. However, over time, exposure to pink mold can cause respiratory problems. If you don’t remove the pink mold from your humidifier, you are giving the mold an opportunity to be sprayed out into the air along with the cool mist vapor.

When this happens, mold that is expelled from the humidifier looks for a new space to invade, and that place can oftentimes be your nose and lungs. This can lead to a condition called “humidifier lung.” This condition leads some people to believe that using a humidifier is dangerous, but it really has nothing to do with the humidifier at all, and everything to do with its improper cleaning.

Symptoms of humidifier lung are similar to that of a cold; difficulty breathing, coughing and congestion, and fever.

The best way to avoid an issue with pink mold is to regularly inspect and clean your humidifier. With proper care, you will never have to worry about becoming sick from your humidifier.

This is a good start. What is growing in there? Is it dangerous? What would be dangerous if it was growing in there?
Any humid or submersed/wet surface is going to grow stuff. That includes our misters. I think this might represent some of what grows there too

https://www.knowyourh2o.com/indoor-6/slime-bacteria

As both state, in general, neither of these are necessarily harmful, but pathogenic bacteria are all around too

Question: do you think it’s more likely pathogenic bacteria will grow in a fogger with essentially water and some minerals or in an enclosure with an animal, poop, plants, and bugs?

I used PVC pipe for my foggers so it was easy to disassemble and clean. I also made two sets of PVC pipes so I could take one off replace it, clean and completely dry the other set. Since small humidifiers are cheap, I had two of those as well and did the same clean and dry for the humidifiers. I didn’t use vinegar just water and scrubbing, but I’ll add something below that makes me think it’s a good idea and it’s mentioned in the article you linked as well. I changed the system out once or twice a week. Pretty simple process for small collections. It would be more difficult in large collections

I have seen this offered as some evidence of the dangers of foggers

https://www.childrenscolorado.org/just-ask-childrens/articles/danger-of-humidifiers/

It presents examples of how aerosolized bacteria is not completely benign and it also recommends regular cleaning and vinegar during cleaning to mitigate dangers. This article is presented by children’s hospital Colorado and the doc they quote a pediatric pulmonologist about one of their patients having chronic lung problems that was associated with humidifiers. This is important. A pediatric pulmonologist does not have normal patients at baseline, and I do think her subjects would have an increased risk over all comers and it would be much less likely healthy individuals would develop problems

Under the assumption that we are keeping healthy Chams in our community, I think some of these concerns are alleviated with proper maintenance of the device and good care of your cham

Enough of me for a while

 

[DocZ]

I did not address the bad bugs. What are the pathogens that actually cause disease? I don’t have a great list of these other than some ideas and could use more info about that too

 

[PetNcs]

I think is a good issue to examine. What do you think that is

This is a good start. What is growing in there? Is it dangerous? What would be dangerous if it was growing in there?
Any humid or submersed/wet surface is going to grow stuff. That includes our misters. I think this might represent some of what grows there too

https://www.knowyourh2o.com/indoor-6/slime-bacteria

As both state, in general, neither of these are necessarily harmful, but pathogenic bacteria are all around too

Question: do you think it’s more likely pathogenic bacteria will grow in a fogger with essentially water and some minerals or in an enclosure with an animal, poop, plants, and bugs?

I used PVC pipe for my foggers so it was easy to disassemble and clean. I also made two sets of PVC pipes so I could take one off replace it, clean and completely dry the other set. Since small humidifiers are cheap, I had two of those as well and did the same clean and dry for the humidifiers. I didn’t use vinegar just water and scrubbing, but I’ll add something below that makes me think it’s a good idea and it’s mentioned in the article you linked as well. I changed the system out once or twice a week. Pretty simple process for small collections. It would be more difficult in large collections

I have seen this offered as some evidence of the dangers of foggers

https://www.childrenscolorado.org/just-ask-childrens/articles/danger-of-humidifiers/

It presents examples of how aerosolized bacteria is not completely benign and it also recommends regular cleaning and vinegar during cleaning to mitigate dangers. This article is presented by children’s hospital Colorado and the doc they quote a pediatric pulmonologist about one of their patients having chronic lung problems that was associated with humidifiers. This is important. A pediatric pulmonologist does not have normal patients at baseline, and I do think her subjects would have an increased risk over all comers and it would be much less likely healthy individuals would develop problems

Under the assumption that we are keeping healthy Chams in our community, I think some of these concerns are alleviated with proper maintenance of the device and good care of your cham

Enough of me for a while

Very thoughtful comments!
And I am the forst person being cautious.
I tested fogging for more than 20yeats and was actively seeking wild and captive evidence that it works…
As everything, there might be conditions that failed to be simulated by myself. Therefore, before I put everything together to a peer reviewed scholarly article, I cooperated with tens of respondents around the world to test and tell me what is their experience. No negative issues if applied properly.
beware I have scientific training at PhD level so I am pretty well aware of the problem of evidence of absence, I do not go that way ever, I seek for evidence of the opposite and use critical thinking and doubt and bias as instruments of research thoroughly.
So, opportunists warned me of respiratory disease spreading like pest in captivity after using foggers.
And this never happened.
I am daily at cases of RI in the cyber space. I have not seen any single one. All of the hundreds of RI issues came from misting at basking lights on. Ehy I knownit? Because none of the hundreds of cases I was anle to investigate and follow even used the fogger.
So, accumilatively, I am close to the believe foggers do not cause RI and as a blackbox approach, it it does not happen, it does not happen either of the possible ways: it does neither happen through the effect of humidity raised nor it happens through the “improper size if the droplets which is the last not based on any research invention of the critique) nor does it happen through inpurities and mold of the devices… If any of those would be true, we would see an RI cases increase. In fact, we see a decrease. I guess itnis bu the massive use if mesh cages rather than anything else but anyway.
I ask kindly everyone who has a valid experience with fogger and will be able to provide evidence and data which will be thoroughly cross-checked, to take part the research.
Thank you DocZ for friendly and collegial support! I love discussing with great minds

 

[PetNcs]

I did not address the bad bugs. What are the pathogens that actually cause disease? I don’t have a great list of these other than some ideas and could use more info about that too

As per
my knowledge and experience,
the most frequent bacterial causes of respiratory infections (RI) in reptiles include Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Mycoplasma, and Salmonella species. These pathogens often take advantage of poor husbandry conditions and weakened immune systems.
The most frequent root causes in chameleon husbandry are absence of pollen in diet (I made
countless experiments, especially montanes are extremely sensitive to it) and combination of too high temperatures and too high humidity induced as a rule through misting at strong basking lights and low ventilation.

 

[LizardLurkin]

I was on the fence about fogging, due to many reptile branded foggers reviewing rather poorly, and not being able to locate a trusted brand within the community. I think this fog machine tended to review the best in my search and even then people have a lot of problems with it.
I am curious: is there a particular machine anyone here has good luck with? Or do you have to replace the unit periodically?

The upkeep is to be expected. When water is involved, consistent cleaning is an unfortunate requirement.