over watering/misting
- Thread starter tryme
- Start date
dodolah
Retired Moderator
over watering can kill your plants. but mostly because you let the bottom of the plants soaked in water.
that's why elevate the plants above the dripping tray and rotate the plants once a week with a new plant.
Last edited:
dodolah
Retired Moderator
well, you got to clean the cage sometimes, right?
why not use that opportunity to rotate plants?
once a week is pretty minimal occurrence.
if you feel once a week stresses your chameleon, then make it less often.
just make sure that it's not too long for your plants to die.
wet soil can also cause root rot and invite gnats to breed in the soil.
this is where you have to find the balance between watering, misting, rotating plants, and your chameleon's health.
Justin Carl
Avid Member
For people like me thats cages are like a jungle it is impossible.
My "base structure" is a large plant. Usually a shefflera or hibiscus.
Then i have 4-6 vines that weave in and out and all around the cage.
Then I have branches and sticks stuffed inside.
Last but not least i a bunch of fake plants inside.
I have found the easiest way to mist your cage is 30 seconds to a minute at a time 3 times a day. That just gets the humidity up. Then i have a dripper goin all day. My chameleons drink from the dripper, and occasionally when the mist is hitting them they will drink from the water running down their face.
My "base structure" is a large plant. Usually a shefflera or hibiscus.
Then i have 4-6 vines that weave in and out and all around the cage.
Then I have branches and sticks stuffed inside.
Last but not least i a bunch of fake plants inside.
I have found the easiest way to mist your cage is 30 seconds to a minute at a time 3 times a day. That just gets the humidity up. Then i have a dripper goin all day. My chameleons drink from the dripper, and occasionally when the mist is hitting them they will drink from the water running down their face.
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
Taking the plants out of the enclosures here would pretty much constitute total re-arrangement.
My drippers do not drip into plants, but rather into mesh covered collection containers. Mistings are 2 to 3 times a day for about 30 seconds each time.
I have to water the plants once a week.
I have recommended rotating hibiscus in the past due to it's high light requirements ... I have not had a problem keeping the hibiscus alive this winter since I added lighting. 1 regular fluorescent tube, 1 Repti-Sun 5.0 fluorescent tube, 1 basking light with a 60 watt bulb and one in an opposite corner with a 40 watt bulb. No basking light on the females enclosure, 2 foot by 4 foot white foam core is sandwiched between the enclosures to create a visual barrier ... it also reflects a lot of light!
I have not taken a plant out of Kitty's enclosure since the beginning of August. I clean around them, or lift them up to wipe underneath if I feel it's needed.
They sit in drainage trays ... but water rarely if ever collects there.
I am talking about Veileds here, and they do need water ... I just don't try to drown everyone and everything in the enclosure.
The dripper runs all day ( I refill it in the afternoon)
-Brad
My drippers do not drip into plants, but rather into mesh covered collection containers. Mistings are 2 to 3 times a day for about 30 seconds each time.
I have to water the plants once a week.
I have recommended rotating hibiscus in the past due to it's high light requirements ... I have not had a problem keeping the hibiscus alive this winter since I added lighting. 1 regular fluorescent tube, 1 Repti-Sun 5.0 fluorescent tube, 1 basking light with a 60 watt bulb and one in an opposite corner with a 40 watt bulb. No basking light on the females enclosure, 2 foot by 4 foot white foam core is sandwiched between the enclosures to create a visual barrier ... it also reflects a lot of light!
I have not taken a plant out of Kitty's enclosure since the beginning of August. I clean around them, or lift them up to wipe underneath if I feel it's needed.
They sit in drainage trays ... but water rarely if ever collects there.
I am talking about Veileds here, and they do need water ... I just don't try to drown everyone and everything in the enclosure.
The dripper runs all day ( I refill it in the afternoon)
-Brad
mcghee26
New Member
I have a large enclosure that is 4 feet long by 2 feet deep and 5 feet high, I have it divided into to seperate enclosures, one for my sailfin and the other side for my male veiled. I run a humidifier on the sailfin side, due to his high need for alot of humidity, and I have a dripper on teh other side for the veiled. I also have an automatic misting system run through both sides of the cages which comes on 3-4 times a day for 17 minutes each time. I use alot of water. I have an umbrella tree on each side and in the sailfin side I also have a pothos. I have been running this way for about 7-8 months now and have not had any problem with plants dying or becoming over watered, they are growing fine and I never rotate them or even move them for that matter. They are up on stands and the water does drain enough for them not to drown.
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
Wow.
I think that's way too much rain for your veiled.
How long are the dry out periods between mistings?
Your Cameroon loves it, I'm sure!
Compared to my misting for veileds:
Your veiled gets 1 hour and 4 minutes of rain per day, every day.
My veiled gets 1 minute and 30 seconds of rain a day every day.
-Brad
I think that's way too much rain for your veiled.
How long are the dry out periods between mistings?
Your Cameroon loves it, I'm sure!
Compared to my misting for veileds:
Your veiled gets 1 hour and 4 minutes of rain per day, every day.
My veiled gets 1 minute and 30 seconds of rain a day every day.
-Brad
