Humidity drop @ 3a.m
- Thread starter MKeirn
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Sticktongue
Avid Member
I find it interesting that your temperatures are going up and down like that too, and I’m pretty sure the humidity is related to it. I Wouldn’t expect so much fluctuation in the middle of the night on the temps. What’s causing the plus and minus of 2 degrees all night on such a consistent pattern?
Sticktongue
Avid Member
Ah yeah makes sense.
Try making a removable piece to cover the bottom access door. One of my cages is this way too, and I have to cover the access door every night to keep the fog in. Try that and post up the results tomorrow. I use a piece of corrugated plastic cut to size.
I leave it open as I was told there still needed to be air flow like a chimney effect for the health of the Cham and to avoid mold
I personally left my service panel open. You need airflow with fogging. I am wondering if you by chance have a vent anywhere near the cage? I had one near mine and I had to use one of those plastic redirect plates on it to kick it to the opposite side of the room. Otherwise when my heat would kick on it would directly impact my cage temps/humidity levels.
Sticktongue
Avid Member
That is correct during the day. At night If you’re trying to get humidity up, you’ll need to close it off.
Alot of us that fog, we close up the air vents on the side or bottom to allow for the fog to do what we’re trying to do. Otherwise the fog is just rolling right out the bottom of your enclosure.
During the day when lights are on is when you get the chimney effect. This is caused from the lights on the top creating heat and pulling air from the bottom. At night when the lights are off, you’re not going to get a chimney effect.
Hope this helps.
Sticktongue
Avid Member
How are you obtaining fog staying in the cage without covering the access panel?
I didn't choose to fully hold the fog... In nature there is air circulation it is not a box that has fog held in it. You will naturally get higher levels pumping fog in from the top this will then give different gradients in the cage. But it also provides air circulation and the ability for temps to reduce easier.
I know a lot of people are doing this now with their hybrid cages. Personally it was not something I was willing to risk as it was not widely recommended when fogging was first being recommended in the hobby. Don't get me wrong I tried for maybe a week but I watched how my temps held more stable in my dragonstrand cage rather than cooling further and I did not like that the humidity stayed at 100% rather than fluctuating in a more natural way.
I have one on the ceiling ~5 feet away
It would not hurt to get an air director to hook onto it. Especially if the vent is open in a way that is pointed at the cage area. You could also play with it to get it to aim more straight down or away to see if that works.
Yep makes sense with the 2nd hygrometer. You will see a range from the very top being less humidity to the middle being more mid range then the lower part of the cage is going to be higher. You will see this in the daytime as well because your lights on the top are going to reduce that basking level humidity. A lot depends on how you have the fog coming in as in if you have it coming into the back corner then that back corner going down is going to be higher than the opposite side of the cage.
All in all your levels are good. You do not have to achieve 100% humidity. And you can run the opposite where you over hydrate them and their urates turn into runny egg white consistency. I was told by a hobby leader that I needed to reduce my fogging time due to this.
A lot is still being learned about fogging within the hobby. It is still evolving. I find if you try to follow the main info then customize for your species, cage, and environment you can achieve what you need. Remember fogging is still just another form of hydration.
Note if you have a hybrid and you are fogging you may need to play with your misting session length in the AM as your humidity levels may kick up too high after a morning misting. This can be impacted by your ambient household levels as well. When I lived on the coast and dealt with high ambient house levels I stopped my first misting in the morning as it would kick my humidity up above 70-80 until about noon. Not what I wanted and can be unsafe with health issue risk.
Basically this goes back to take all the info for proper husbandry and tweak it until it is perfect for your species, cage, and environment in the home.
My morning mist is only 1.5 min now. Is it an issues if my morning mist keeps my daytime humidity at 80% until 10am. ? Unsure what else to do because it drops to between 37-53 the rest of the day. If I’ve already wrapped the sides what else can I do to keep the humidity 50%?.It would not hurt to get an air director to hook onto it. Especially if the vent is open in a way that is pointed at the cage area. You could also play with it to get it to aim more straight down or away to see if that works.
Yep makes sense with the 2nd hygrometer. You will see a range from the very top being less humidity to the middle being more mid range then the lower part of the cage is going to be higher. You will see this in the daytime as well because your lights on the top are going to reduce that basking level humidity. A lot depends on how you have the fog coming in as in if you have it coming into the back corner then that back corner going down is going to be higher than the opposite side of the cage.
All in all your levels are good. You do not have to achieve 100% humidity. And you can run the opposite where you over hydrate them and their urates turn into runny egg white consistency. I was told by a hobby leader that I needed to reduce my fogging time due to this.
A lot is still being learned about fogging within the hobby. It is still evolving. I find if you try to follow the main info then customize for your species, cage, and environment you can achieve what you need. Remember fogging is still just another form of hydration.
Note if you have a hybrid and you are fogging you may need to play with your misting session length in the AM as your humidity levels may kick up too high after a morning misting. This can be impacted by your ambient household levels as well. When I lived on the coast and dealt with high ambient house levels I stopped my first misting in the morning as it would kick my humidity up above 70-80 until about noon. Not what I wanted and can be unsafe with health issue risk.
Basically this goes back to take all the info for proper husbandry and tweak it until it is perfect for your species, cage, and environment in the home.
How much is he actually drinking during that morning mist? If not at all then go ahead and turn off that one. Just have a late afternoon/evening one when temps start dropping and he is still up and moving around. you can add a dripper by just using a plastic solo cup with a few pin holes in it and add ice cubes for a slower melt. Set on the screen top and let it drip on plants. This works really well and does not raise your morning humidity.
I actually don’t have him yet! I’m just trying to be thorough and making sure everything is set to go for him!
Well you are doing the right thing! What species are you getting? Did you do a husbandry review to double check everything?
A panther chameleon, and no I have not. I pretty much copied all of the things from Neptune the Chameleon
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Beautiful baby and a great breeder too.
If you would like to do a husbandry review then copy and paste the form below into your reply and then answer the questions. The ones pertaining to feeding etc just put what you are planning to do. Info about the cham just put what you are getting species and age. Post pics of the cage from the lighting all the way to the bottom so the layout can be seen.
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
- Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
- Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
- Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
- Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
- Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
- History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
- Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
- Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
- Location - Where are you geographically located?
Chameleon Info:
- Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Male Ambanja x Ambilobe hybrid. Do not have yet should have him by the end of Jan. or early Feb.
- Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? Don’t have him yet.
- Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Don’t have yet but following recs. from Neptune the Chaneleon
- Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Will be doing : Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3- Daily unless it’s a D3 day. Zoo Med Reptivite with D3: Twice a month
- Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? Misting and fogging. Working out kinks right now. Misting 30 min before lights come on and 30 min after lights go off. Am: 1:30, Pm: 3:30, fogging from 10p to 6a
- Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Don’t have Cham yet.
- History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. Don’t have Cham yet.
- Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? 2x2x4 Reptibreeze. Have sides and back covered. Screen open on very top and bottom access door.
- Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 T5-HO UVB Fluorescent Reptile Lamp, 22-in, 24-watt, 75w heat bulb for winter as house gets colder and 60w for summer. Plant light unsure of brand. Lights on from 7:30a-7:30p
- Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Basking- 80-85, ambient house temp is kept ~72. Lowest overnight temp is 65.
- Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? Daytime: 34-50% Nighttime: 70-98%. Has a fall at 3am to 59%- trying to fix this. I have 2 temp/hygrometers (middle and one bottom) brands are SwitchBot and Govee
- Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? All live plants and branches from outside. Pothos, snake plant, money tree, I don’t remember what the other 2 are called.
- Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? Cage is in living room, no availability to move elsewhere, had air vent ~5 feet away on ceiling (getting an air deflector). Cage is 3 feet off floor on a table.
- Location - Where are you geographically located? Midwest.
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I attached it above
