Living in Colorado presents quite a challenge in maintaining humidity in our Basin cages. The typical year round humidity in our facility ranges from 20 to 30 percent. The range we need to maintain for the Basins is in the 60 to 90 percent range. Consequently, we designed a misting system using misting heads from Kimist, programmable digital timers from Intermedic with multiple zones and pumps from Pro-Products. We generally mist twice a day; once for 3 minutes at 8:00 AM when the lights come on and the Basins start (actually end) their day and once for 3 minutes at 8:00 PM when the lights go off. Each cage has its own digital hygrometer/thermometer for visually checking the humidity level and double checking the temperature against the Helix thermostat readout. We use a range of Kimist nozzles that are tuned to the individual cage. Some cages require a higher flow (gpm) nozzle to maintain humidity in the desired range.

In order for the misting system to perform consistently over time, we use a reverse osmosis system to filter out any minerals or particulates in the water. The processed water is held in 44 gallon reservoir tanks where it is heated to 80 degrees and continuously charcoal filtered and UV sterilized. It is critical that the water is heated in order not to shock the animals when the misting system comes on. The shock of cold water in a misting system can actually cause some of the animals to fall off their perches. Since the water is heated, provisions need to be made through filtration and UV sterilization to prevent the growth of bacteria. Removing the minerals and particulate matter through reverse osmosis prevents the nozzles from becoming clogged and will provide several years of maintenance free operation.

Humidity is maintained in the cages through constant evaporation from the water absorbed during the misting in the disposable underpads used on the cage floor as a substrate. The disposable pads should be changed approximately twice a month or whenever any signs of soiling are present.

Every morning when the misting system turns on, the Basins become very active and begin drinking water droplets from their coils and from the perches and vegetation in their cage. It is fascinating to watch. After the animals drink, they settle into their favorite positions and sleep throughout the day. Rectangular water bowls are also placed on the floor of the cages to supplement the hydration of the animals. High mounted water bowls are used for gravid females.

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