Misting schedule????

[Kronos]

Not sure what my misting schedule should be now that I have a mistking. Before, we use to mist by hand and then bought the reptirain mister(which bites the big one, don’t buy it)!!! It literally broke within three days. Luckily we had already ordered the mistking and it showed up the day that the reptirain broke. We’ve been keeping his humidity between 60 to 70% by keeping a close eye on our temp/humidity gauges. Just new to the mistKing, so trying to figure out what the best schedule is.

 

[Tige21v]

Google chameleon academy hydration for chameleons.
Lots of information, and a good starting point for a schedule

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

I happened to be looking this up myself...

https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-cage-set-up-naturalistic-hydration/

 

[Kaizen]

Not sure what my misting schedule should be now that I have a mistking. Before, we use to mist by hand and then bought the reptirain mister(which bites the big one, don’t buy it)!!! It literally broke within three days. Luckily we had already ordered the mistking and it showed up the day that the reptirain broke. We’ve been keeping his humidity between 60 to 70% by keeping a close eye on our temp/humidity gauges. Just new to the mistKing, so trying to figure out what the best schedule is.

The long answer:

There appears to be a growing majority of keepers, as well as researchers, who suggest that misting should not be done when the lights are on. The reason given is that the natural cycle of hydration/humidity for most species is dryer daytime % (30-50%), higher nightime % (approaching 100%). When a chameleon first wakes up, the leaves are often covered in early morning condensation, and s/he can drink if spending the night in 100% humidity wasn’t quite enough water. Replicating this in captivity typically involves a mist just before lights on, so the Cham can wake up to leaves covered in water; and maybe a good mist or two after lights off. At night, some people employ a fogger for several hours as well. If additional water is required during the day, a dripper is often employed. In cases where replicating a rainy season is desirable, lights turn off for an hour in the after noon. After 15 - 30 minutes of no light, the mister goes off for a quick burst, and the lights turn back on 15-30 minutes later. This is intended to mimic clouds rolling in and dumping a quick rain. (It typically isn’t raining when the sun is out) The whole picture here is intended to mimic the conditions a chameleon would experience in the wild.

 

[Kaizen]

I should add here that misting during the day was a common strategy that appeared to work for decades, so there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with it. I’m just reporting how things are looking as of late.

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

The long answer:

There appears to be a growing majority of keepers, as well as researchers, who suggest that misting should not be done when the lights are on. The reason given is that the natural cycle of hydration/humidity for most species is dryer daytime % (30-50%), higher nightime % (approaching 100%). When a chameleon first wakes up, the leaves are often covered in early morning condensation, and s/he can drink if spending the night in 100% humidity wasn’t quite enough water. Replicating this in captivity typically involves a mist just before lights on, so the Cham can wake up to leaves covered in water; and maybe a good mist or two after lights off. At night, some people employ a fogger for several hours as well. If additional water is required during the day, a dripper is often employed. In cases where replicating a rainy season is desirable, lights turn off for an hour in the after noon. After 15 - 30 minutes of no light, the mister goes off for a quick burst, and the lights turn back on 15-30 minutes later. This is intended to mimic clouds rolling in and dumping a quick rain. (It typically isn’t raining when the sun is out) The whole picture here is intended to mimic the conditions a chameleon would experience in the wild.

The mimicking of a short rain shower with the lights off and then on is a new concept to me. I love that idea of taking things to the next level. I wish our UVB/Plant lights were smart and dimmable. There would be so many cool scenarios that could be created.