Zoo Med ReptiFogger Review

Crested geckos like higher humidity, and a fogger raises it without a spray bottle every day and without water spots on the glass. Better humidity helps your geckos shed and stimulates their appetite. I bought the Zoo Med ReptiFogger at a local chain pet store for $45 and opened it for the first time on camera.

What comes in the box

• A 1 liter reservoir bottle, which screws onto the base. A spring valve stops it leaking until it is seated.
• The base, with an ultrasonic disc that makes the fog, a float that shuts it off when the water runs out (these discs burn out if they run dry), and a dial for fog output.
• A hose that stretches from about 25 cm to 81 cm (10 in to 32 in).
• An instruction booklet.

There is no fan, and I was curious whether the fog would reach the top of a fully extended hose. It did, with no trouble.

Things I like

• Easy to clean. If you have hard water, calcium builds up on the disc and output drops until it stops. The base is one solid piece you can get a sponge into.
• Simple. Very few parts.
• Safe water. The ultrasonic disc doesn't add anything to the water, so your gecko can drink the condensed fog.

From my research, it runs about 12 to 14 hours on maximum. The instructions say not to touch the disc, and they are right: I have done it before and it zaps your finger.

How I would run it

Don't run it full-time. A few seconds on high filled a cage with fog. A cage that stays that thick means your gecko can't see across it and is breathing heavy moisture. A few minutes of fog that then settles is fine.

Use a $5 wall timer from a hardware store. Start on the medium or low setting for 10 to 30 minutes every 4 to 6 hours, then watch your humidity. If it is too much, cut the run time; if it isn't enough, run it more often. Within a week you will have it dialled in. Zoo Med makes a humidity controller for it, but it is expensive and I have heard it doesn't work well.

Downsides

• No clip or bracket to hold the hose over the cage, so it falls off if bumped.
• The hose is flimsy and doesn't lock onto the machine.
• The reservoir should be bigger, so you refill it less often.
• It isn't attractive next to a display vivarium. You can hide it behind the cage.

My verdict

I recommend it. I can't speak to how long it lasts, but the build, the fog output and the way it works all seem solid. It is especially useful if you travel or aren't home much. I'm setting this one up for my daughter's gecko, because our house in Colorado is very dry.