Thrive Tree Stump Fogger Review

I bought the Thrive tree stump fogger with my own money; this is not a sponsored review. I unboxed it, ran it on the table, then tried to fit it into two of my day gecko cages.

What's in the box

A USB power cable, the fogging unit and a decorative tree stump that slides down over it. There is a notch in the bottom of the stump so the cord can run out of the cage to a plug outside.

The fogger itself is unusual. Usually the ultrasonic element sits at the bottom of a reservoir under 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) of water. This one has a full reservoir with a wick, and the element sits at the top.

What I liked

• It looks good. It's a better-looking system than the foggers I have used before, and it doubles as a decorative piece inside the cage.
• The material. The stump is a hard resin, so it's easy to clean and doesn't encourage bacterial growth.
• It's safe for animals. Ultrasonic elements can hurt if you touch them while they run. This one is very small and recessed about 6 mm (1/4 in) under plastic, so a gecko walking across the top can't get a foot down onto it.
• It works. It started fogging as soon as I filled it.

What I didn't like

• The reservoir is small. A bigger one wouldn't fit under a stump that suits most cages, but it will run out fairly quickly.
• Refilling is a chore. You have to take it out of the cage and fully apart to refill it. In a cage of small day geckos, opening the big door every 2 or 3 days to do that would be a real escape risk.
• No built-in timer. You can plug it into a timer, but I would like one built in so it runs for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day on its own.
• The power button is confusing. The button is the mouth of a little smiley face. Solid green means off; flashing green and blue means on.

It needs flat ground

My first cage, a Thrive corner terrarium, was too full of grapevine bridges to fit it. My 45 × 45 × 60 cm (18 × 18 × 24 in) Thrive cage had room, but the stump didn't sit right. The fogger and the stump only line up on a flat, hard surface. On the sloped, mossy ground of a bioactive vivarium, the base sits crooked and the stump won't seat over it.

That is a problem, because a bioactive vivarium is where I think this is most useful. Run it for 15 minutes a couple of times a day and it fills the cage with fog, which settles and soaks into the moss: a humid morning and a humid evening. I'm going to build a flat spot into the next cages I make.

Verdict

I like it a lot in the right setup. It looks good, it's well made, it runs well and it's a good way to add humidity. Plan a flat spot for it, and expect to refill it often. For crested geckos, day geckos, mourning geckos or any gecko that isn't very small, it's a great option.