Questions

[podenbeck]

I have started building my enclsure for a male juvenile Panther 18X18X36. I had to use painted fiberglass screen for the sides I tried aluminum but I kept ripping it with the tool. Should I put a coat of spray paint on it to add to the paint coat on the screen. For the top I am using a the PVC coated hardware cloth so I am not worried about that.

Also since I am in Colorado I am not sure what typed of misting I should do. It is so arid here. Right now I am thinking a small automated mister (Habba-mister) since I will only have one Cham- but wow those are expensive. Does any one have a better alternative to this that is feasible. I just don't think that hand misting or a pump mister will cutt the mustard- especialy when I am at work etc.

Let me know if you guys have any other tips.

Patrick

 

[Heika]

Hi Patrick,

Habba Misters are not a great choice in misters for a chameleon. They will only spray for 1 minute at a time, they have tiny resevoirs, and on top of that, they are noisy. If you think a Habba Mister is expensive, you will really be shocked by the cost of some of the nice pump driven systems available.

I am still using DIY misting systems that are pressurized by 2 gallon garden sprayers. The cost to build one is between $50.00 and $75.00, depending on what you can find on sale. I like them a lot.. they have proven to be reliable, easy to use, and practicle for my small number of chameleons. I pump up the sprayers every morning, and my panther's runs a total of 80 minutes a day. This site has the plans for sale: http://www.baskingwonders.com/produc...products_id=56

These two sites have some basic instructions on how to make them:

http://www.trix.com/binx/mister/
http://www.barrs.com/spray.htm

Heika

 

[podenbeck]

mister thanx

thanx I actually had an old pump sprayer at work!!!! And some of the fittings. Do you recommend a certain type of mister nozzle?

 

[Sean]

Do not use spray paint, it is toxic. You do not need to paint fiberglass screen, it works fine as it is, keep in mind, however, when your chameleon reaches 6" you need to switch to some type of hardware cloth (preferably vinyl/pvc coated) to avoid toenail damage.

 

[Heika]

thanx I actually had an old pump sprayer at work!!!! And some of the fittings. Do you recommend a certain type of mister nozzle?

I really like the Mist&Cool .5 gph misting heads, but there are lots out there that I haven't tried. If you decide to use an old pump sprayer, please be certain it hasn't been used to spray pesticides/chemicals. Some chemicals will leach into plastic, and even a good cleaning won't completely remove them.

Heika

 

[podenbeck]

Thats why I asked about the spray paint it seemed like a stupid idea. I have plenty of hardware cloth left over when I need to switch. The sprayer was only used with a dilute soap solution probably arcojet. I am going to give it a really good cleaning before I use it.