Mist generator?

[arcadies]

why not just attach a heat pad to the bottom of your BIG water dish? or just move the water dish closer to your heatpad?

[D-Sciple]

I Have a fogger and I dont have any problems with it and I have a humidity controller that switches the fogger on and off if the humidity is to low or high, I think it is a must to have one, it makes your work so much less and esier. It is a bit expencive but by far worth it

[rubida]

Ok, a presume you guy's want to improve your humidity for a tropical species? If so, you can buy from your local pharmacy a humidifier (around R190) which can operate for up to 12 hours. Very important to double check that it generate a warm stream and not cold. The Carmen health humidifier doesn't generate any vibration and work very well. One important thing to consider, because it generate warm steam, your reptile must not have direct contact with the humidifier.

[Wolf777]

Yeah it's for a tropical species.Thanks for the advice.

[Bjorn]

I recently got some ultrasonic humidifiers to see how they do. I have them connected to a humidity controller and I am simply amazed at the difference in my reptiles behaviour. The water also gets warm so the mist isn't really cold at all. I still introduce the mist to the middle or cooler end and not at the bask site. I am using it with my emerald tree boa and a Gargoyle gecko. They have both become a lot more active and the little gecko loves the mist. When she was shedding she hung on the mesh under the mister. I thing they are fantastic and now with a proper humidity controller I can see and control the humidity percentage to a 1%. I used to spray 2-3 times a day and when I introduced the humidity control in the cage I was surprised the levels where lower that what I thought. Even with the walls and water at the bottom the humidity wasn't high enough.

I have been looking around at the Carmen range and all they may need is a home made attachment for a pipe which is easy enough. Carmen have a cool and a dual cool/warm unit. The cool unit should also warm the water once operating. My snake room is warm so the water can only be warmer.

[Wolf777]

Thanks for the info.

[Dangerbear]

Hello Wolf777.

I too am in the market for a decent fogger system for my red tail Boa.
Depending on the animal you have (from a tropical climate) then i'd say it is indefinably worth getting one.
I would prefer the standalone ultrasonic ones as it is best in my opinion. If you are a handy bloke you can quite easily make one. I found quite a few tutorial videos on You Tube.
I'm still at two minds about whether i'm going to buy or make one. I'll see what time allows me.
But in a nutshell, if your animal is from a tropical climate it is definitely worth getting one as the lack of humidity can cause skin issues.

[Mitton]

But in a nutshell, if your animal is from a tropical climate it is definitely worth getting one as the lack of humidity can cause skin issues.

I don't really agree here, you don't have to over complicate things with these snakes. I know many people with red tails and none of them use misters. I think misters can more easily cause skin issues than without them.
Just giving the cage a light spraying every day or 2 is more than enough for these snakes.

[Dangerbear]

Good day Wolf777 / Mitton.

Mitton, I appreciate your input and advice . We all stand together to help each other optimize the life expectancy and wellbeing of our pets. As you may know I had some issues with my Red Tail when I got her. I was referred to and consulted with Dr. Phillip Stapelberg. He is the reptile expert at Radiokop Vet (http://vw.radiokopvet.co.za/index.php/our-staff.html)
Among other things he suggested I increase the heat and humidity and provided me with a Zoology chart for tropical snakes indicating humidity and heat requirements. He informed me that if the humidity is too low (or high) and the heat is not sufficient that it could cause issues. I didn't want to take chances. After all, she is a "tropical" snake.

I purchased a 2.8l Cool Mist Maker Ultrasonic Humidifier through Bid Or Buy. Currently I manually switch it on 3 or 4 times a day for a few minutes but it is to go on a timer soon. It works amazingly. Slitherine started eating again and had 3 sheds already and looks good and is healthy again. I got some thick aquarium tubing and a 90 Deg bend which I connected to the humidifier. I have a "jam jar" light in her cage and the mist pumps in next to the "jar" which warms it up slightly as well (Yes, it is properly insulated). See the pics below and feel free to ask if you are not certain of something.

[TonyK]

You guys are making things way too complicated.I have never seen or heard of any red tail boa keepers using this extra equipment.Do a little online research. You are confusing Red Tail Boas and the Emerald Green Tree Boas with regards to humidity requirements.All a red tail needs is correct temperature and a decent size water bowl.I understand that the guys living up in Gauteng may struggle with low humidity levels in winter but again nothing that a big water bowl and correct temperature wont solve.

[Bushviper]

The reason why you require more humidity is because of that spotlight that is in the cage. Those lights dry out the air and now you have to replace the humidity that is lost. I am glad to see the snake cannot lie on top of the light or else it would have been burnt by now. That needs to be on a thermostat if you intend retaining the light.

I would suggest that you place heating pads in the cage and run them off a thermostat instead of a light. Keep the hot spot at around 30 degrees and the cool side at around 24. That should be adequate for your boa.

Adding extra humidity like you do is fine except that it does drop the temperatures while it evaporates so monitor this.

Your boa does seem to lean towards the Central American markings and colour so it would actually handle a drier cage much more easily that a South American boa.

As long as your boa is shedding in one piece and the cage does not mist up every morning and there is a decent ventilation your boa will be happy.

[Dangerbear]

Hello Bushviper.

Thanks for your input. It was valuable and appreciated. Yes, I'm new to this but I started off with guidelines from a very well respected Repti Vet. I value the info I get here from you guys as well, hence the reason I joined. Thank you. I put he humidifier on for few min every few hours. Only until I build her new enclosure. Then I'll install the internal heat pad on hand and a timer for the humidifier and the thermostat for the heat pad. Do you have any suggestion as to the thermostat I could use or do I just get a regular one from a company like, Mantech Electronics?

[Bushviper]

Get hold of Rolf at Ultimate exotics or Louis at Click-a-pet and get a thermostat that is right for reptile cages.