ive recently had problems keeping the moss in my redfoots cage moist enough for him to burry himself into. i mist it everyday and it doesnt help to much. what does everyone else do??? let me know
keeping the moss moist?
- Thread starter jobeanator
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I couldn't keep the humidity up either in a plastic tub, so I got a 75 gal. vivarium and added some plants. I guess by watering them the humidity stays up around 80.
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We have made a sprinkling system that is on a timer. It is very easy to do and I have all the information on how to do it on our blog. Take a look at www.tortugaplace.blogspot.com. Let us know if you have any questions about making it. It really is simple and works great. We use it in our Spiders too. One system does it all.
yes i love this mist machine you have created. does this keep your redfoot nice and moist? and your setup looks expensive, did you pay alot for it? and where'd you get it all at?
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It works very well at keeping the humidity up and keeping them moist. They seem to love it too. The cages are Showcase cages, you can find them at www.showcasecages.com. They are a bit spendy, but they work well for us. They keep the nasty cat away! 
The sprinkler set up is not expensive. You can do it for less than $80. And if you have looked at misting systems, that is cheap. Plus there is no noisy pump to ever burn up if let go dry.
The sprinkler set up is not expensive. You can do it for less than $80. And if you have looked at misting systems, that is cheap. Plus there is no noisy pump to ever burn up if let go dry.
What type of covering does your enclosure have? I cover at least 1/2 my enclosures with plastic, which I have found keeps humidity up. Just leave a gap for air to circulate. This with misting keeps mine humid.jobeanator said:
wow, i just looked at the showcages you guys have, there absolutley gorgeous, but WOW there absolutely expensive! im defently going to try your misting machine concept. Itort, i have for my redfoot a vivarium thats got all moss his water dish and his food dish. i havent tried covering his cage, but i shall. my redfoot loves rain specially when its warm, and i think he'll love it when i do tim/robins misting machine.
I found just misting the top of the moss does not do the job. You gotta get down in there and turn it over to make sure it is damp under the top layer. Then it will hold up the humidity when you place a cover over part of the top.
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I have found I can keep the humidity up if I mist like she said,turning the moss over,but I do need to do it several times a day. That works for me because I'm at home during the day.
Crazy1 said:
okay i plan on buying all the stuff in order to make my own mister but theres a couple parts im not getting down. i see how to get the connectors into the spraying tube and the nozzles attached but how do i attach the stuff to the timer? can you email me a step by step on how to do it pleeeease. [email protected]
Tim/Robin said:
This was awesome thread to look at. You guys put a lot of effort to make your pets happy. They're are lucky to have you. And your teaching your children very well how to respect and take care of animals. Good for you. Thanks for posting such a great site. Me and my kids loved it. Candy
You can make a quick and dirty misting system for small spaces fairly cheaply this way...
1. Get a good, clean pump-style garden sprayer with a locking trigger. The bigger it is, the less often you'll have to refill it.
2. Get a battery-powered sprinkler timer at a home and garden store. Look for one that allows lots of watering sessions of very short times. You should be able to find a decent one for less than $40. (The one I was using was WAY too noisy for nighttime use, and I have not replaced it yet, otherwise I would post photos. Yeah, I should have just turned it off at night, but I kept forgetting.)
3. In a decent hardware store, get a male and female hose-threaded fitting with barbs on the other end that would fit the tubing of the sprayer. Get the staff to help you, and grab a roll of Teflon tape as well.
To make it,
1. Tape the male threads of the fitting and timer. Screw the fittings into the timer.
2. Cut the sprayer tube in a convenient place. Soak the cut ends in hot water for a minute and push onto the barbs. If you got the right size, it will fit tight. If it is not a tight fit, take them back and get the right size.
3. Program the timer.
4. Fill and pump up the sprayer, set it to the spray pattern you want (I prefer very fine and gentle).
5. Point the sprayer head, secure it in place as needed, and wait for the timer to kick in.
6. Tighten up and/or retape any leaky joints- but understand that overtightening plastic joints makes them leak more.
You can upgrade the system by replacing the sprayer head with misting heads and some new tubing.
1. Get a good, clean pump-style garden sprayer with a locking trigger. The bigger it is, the less often you'll have to refill it.
2. Get a battery-powered sprinkler timer at a home and garden store. Look for one that allows lots of watering sessions of very short times. You should be able to find a decent one for less than $40. (The one I was using was WAY too noisy for nighttime use, and I have not replaced it yet, otherwise I would post photos. Yeah, I should have just turned it off at night, but I kept forgetting.)
3. In a decent hardware store, get a male and female hose-threaded fitting with barbs on the other end that would fit the tubing of the sprayer. Get the staff to help you, and grab a roll of Teflon tape as well.
To make it,
1. Tape the male threads of the fitting and timer. Screw the fittings into the timer.
2. Cut the sprayer tube in a convenient place. Soak the cut ends in hot water for a minute and push onto the barbs. If you got the right size, it will fit tight. If it is not a tight fit, take them back and get the right size.
3. Program the timer.
4. Fill and pump up the sprayer, set it to the spray pattern you want (I prefer very fine and gentle).
5. Point the sprayer head, secure it in place as needed, and wait for the timer to kick in.
6. Tighten up and/or retape any leaky joints- but understand that overtightening plastic joints makes them leak more.
You can upgrade the system by replacing the sprayer head with misting heads and some new tubing.
I would also look into your ambient humidity levels in the room/house your in. I have a humidifier running in my apt. running all the time and it's also good for my skin during the winter months. If the environment is super dry it may be ok for you but it will steal humidity a lot faster than normal from your enclosure. Just a thought for something easy. I have an automatic mister as well but only use it if I leave for the weekend. Also the top of my enclosure is probably a good 80-90% closed.
Shawn
Shawn
I know what you mean Shawn. I have dry heat vents here in NY and every morning I put a BIG pot of water on and let it boil down. I do have a very big humidifier attached to my heat unit, but it isn't enough. If I didn't do this my skin wiould look like a prune....not to mention my hair. When I see the window's steam up, I shut it off.
Thank you so much Anja. Against all advice....Izzy and Pio, living together for well over a year now.....and looking pretty good so far..............please don't yell...........Everything will change in the Spring.....Izzy goes outside.
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