New Pygmy Arrival

[Brent]

Oh I know.

My room stays at room temperature at all times (and is low traffic I might add), so that won't be a problem... It's just the misting...

What if I set up a humidifier for those weekends that I go away, so that the petsitter doesn't have to do it in the morning, and then get them to do a heavy misting in the evening?

[JoseDepacos]

Misting before school should not be an issue. It only takes a minute to spray down the inside of the terra real good. Its not a big deal, really. I purchased a simple finger pump type misting bottle from a local pet shop for $4 that works great. You dont need anything fancy. I could see using a pressurized sprayer if you had 4+ enclosures to spray down. Otherwise its just a waste. And you dont need a huge terra for a few pygmies.

[Brent]

Haha, I was just going to say- "Wait a minute, I'll just set the light schedule to accomadate for my school schedule."

It's just when I go away...

I think a humidifier should do the job though when I do go on vacation. Then just one heavy evening spray down should do the trick.

[JoseDepacos]

Zilla makes very inexpensive power strips with timers. Digital and analog. Lights and or an automatic mister could be simply plugged into one and set up to whatever schedule you like.

[Brent]

Not a bad idea. I could get one from Home Depot though for less than $20.

The problem with the mister is: will it be too pressurized / will it drip too much?

[e]

If I could find a humidifier that did not prevent condensation that'd be best, IMO.

[kilofey]

brent- here is an automatic mister. http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CCQQ8wIwAA# id go with one of these over a humidifier because they also need to have drops of water to drink and it creates more of a "rain forrest" effect. (im sure you could find them much cheaper than this one, i just googled automatic reptile mister to find it. try ebay) these misters let you control how many seconds it will spray and how many times per day.

i have a timer for my cham habitat. they work great cause you dont have to worry about forgetting to turn on the lights. if you forget to turn them on or if their schedule is kind of crazy, their sleep patterns will get messed up which will stress them out and they could go on a hunger strike. (i have an extention chord plugged into mine that splits into 6 outlets so you can plug in everything you need with just one timer. which is way cheaper than having to buy like 4 timers lol).

those 2 things IMO are imparitive for a cham keeper with a busy schedule. the habitat becomes almost completely self sufficient. the only thing you would have to do is feed them. and if you REALLY wanted to make it easy on yourself, you could always get a cup thats tall enough so the crickets cant jump out *a double shot glass would probably work really well* you can put a few days worth of crickets in there, dust them, and put a few sprinkles of food at the bottom and theyll be good to go for at least a few days so you can spend more time enjoying them rather than taking care of them... work smarter, not harder lol. lots of people "cup feed" because it makes it easier for the chams, also you wont have to worry about the crickets biting the cham if they cant get out of the cup. my poor picasso has a scar from when a cricket decided to have some of his skin for dinner, i now cup feed

in response to recruiting another cham keeper..... hmmmmm.... i say lets recruit pufferpunk, though she might try teaching her pygmys how to swim

EDIT- ooooo look what i found on ebay! http://cgi.ebay.com/EXO-TERRA-TERRARIUM ... 5d2438b416 its a fog machine that helps cool down the viv on hot days (at least thats what i gathered from the discription) it would be great for you PPG if youre still having issues with heat. and i bet it would look so COOL. i guess it makes a little foggy layer on the bottom of the viv or something like that. and its the "mini size" it can raise the humidity upto 100%, im sure theres a regulator or something on it... this is so much fun finding all the cool bells and wistles for other peoples vivs lol... id love to have a few pygmys , i even considered trading picasso for a big pygmy sanctuary with one stud and like a bazillion lady pygmys

[pufferpuggirl]

Thanks kilofey, that was nice of you to find that for me .... I will take a look on our UK eBay to see how much they are over here. The weather here is very crazy right now. It was very hot yesterday and the day before, but today it's barely 70F and rainy, which I prefer. But I will take a look at the fogger and see if it's worth it to get one. So far I have to say that Burt & Kitty2 are doing very well. Kitty2 travels around the terrarium alot, but Burt tends to hang out in the plant or on the back wall most of the time. Unfortunately I've not seen any evidence of egg-laying, but perhaps I shouldn't be impatient.

[Brent]

You know, I wouldn't mind spending $50 for one. Many thanks! (:

Also a big thank-you for two other things-

The tip about the timer (I probably would have gone and bought 3 of 'em and then realize that I could've just used an extension cord), and the tip about the shot glasses (they'll work wonders when I'm not around to monitor the chams and such).

Well, I think you just solved every problem I had, Kilo!

Suzanne- I read on flchams that male Brevicaudatus tend to keep off the ground unless they are attempting to mate or feed.

[pufferpuggirl]

Thanks Brent, I suppose that explains why I don't see Burt cruising around the tank as much as I see Kitty2. I fed them tonight and Kitty2 was right there getting her fill. The bad thing is that I hit the tube too hard and a few crickets flung out and did not make it into the vivarium. So there will be crickets creeping around the house tonight, unfortunately.

To kilofey -- I just re-read what you wrote about your Picasso having a mark on him from a cricket bite. Can't you get the brown crickets where you are? I was told to use the brown crickets because they will not bite the chameleons, so maybe that's an option for you.

I'm still debating whether or not to get another female before the reptile show on the 20th. I just happen to have a little extra money right now, so that's why I'm thinking maybe to get one now, as I can't be sure how things will be on the 20th.

[Brent]

Haha. I like crickets though, so you know.

Something else I just realized is important that I need the answer to:

How often does the terrarium need to be cleaned?

Haven't found that tidbit of information anywhere online.

[pufferpuggirl]

Can't help you there Brent because I am unsure of this myself. I will email the guy I bought my first pair from, as he was very nice about answering any questions that I had. I bought a book on chameleons, but unfortunately it doesn't address the pygmies at all.

[JoseDepacos]

PPG- Male crickets will bite, regardless. They will also bite you if given the chance. Oh, and they also will live for a very long time if lost in your house. Lol. Just read that article yesterday.
Brent- As far as cleaning the terra, once a month for complete cleanings should be plenty. Otherwise just spot clean. See poop, remove it. Its pretty much that simple. Nothing in there to go bad or or really worry about other than a stray cricket or two. Dont leave dead crickets either if you can help it. They can cause some nasty bacteria breakouts if left to decay.
Miss Piglet leaves nothing to waste. She eats em dead or alive. Lol.

[Brent]

Spot clean and full cleaning once / month? Got it.

(:

That's a good thing isn't it (Miss Piglet's eating habits)?!

[pufferpuggirl]

Oh thanks for giving me those thoughts Jose! I didn't realise that there were crickets that would bite, that's horrible, and I feel sorry for my pygmies now that I know that. Also thanks for the thoughts of crickets roaming free in my home indefinitely, that will be nice to know when I'm in bed.
A couple of nights ago I was laying on the sofa and I felt something on me, and although I didn't see it, I am almost certain it was a rogue cricket. Thankfully the ones I'm feeding my chams are fairly small so it wasn't so bad, not like those huge things that we had back in the US.

[Brent]

Can't help you there Brent because I am unsure of this myself. I will email the guy I bought my first pair from, as he was very nice about answering any questions that I had. I bought a book on chameleons, but unfortunately it doesn't address the pygmies at all.

Sorry, I missed this post.

I daresay the reason the book didn't adress pygmies is because they are not true chameleons; rather noted as false chameleons.