Can we talk about Senegals?

[LLLReptile]

So I ended up only keeping one. She's settled in well and is eating and drinking... including drinking out of a water dish.

I know it's hard to make out, but twice now she's climbed down to the bowl and taken a drink. The water in there evaporates by the next morning, so every time there's water in there, it's fresh. At first I thought she was trying to go for the drowned cricket, but no, the second time she was clearly just going and dipping the tip of her mouth in to drink.

Just thought it was neat. I've misted the cage down a few times today already, but clearly she didn't think that was enough.

-Jen

 

[chameleonowner32]

You should not have a water dish in at all. a dead cricket causes bacteria in the water. read the caresheet. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/senegal/

 

[poison]

You should not have a water dish in at all. a dead cricket causes bacteria in the water. read the caresheet. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/senegal/

Hi, for all we know the cricket just jumped in the water. I'm sure she changed the water out regularly. A shallow waterd ish won't cause any harm to a cham and as you can see the cham is benefiting from it.

Edit: Read what she said under the pic. She mentioned the water is always fresh

 

[DanSB]

You should not have a water dish in at all. a dead cricket causes bacteria in the water. read the caresheet. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/senegal/

In general this is commonly accepted as true, however, with the limited success people have with Senegals in general this may or may not be a good source of water for an animal notoriously prone to dehydration.

It is obviously recognizing standing water as a source of water.

The whole bacteria argument is ridiculous. As with any animal that requires a water bowl it is an issue and regular cleaning mitigates this.

 

[DakotaB]

In general this is commonly accepted as true, however, with the limited success people have with Senegals in general this may or may not be a good source of water for an animal notoriously prone to dehydration.

It is obviously recognizing standing water as a source of water.

The whole bacteria argument is ridiculous. As with any animal that requires a water bowl it is an issue and regular cleaning mitigates this.

Agreed.

The main reasoning behind not having a water dish with chams is most species do not recognize it a source of water. Thus it has been carried over a common practice for all species. But, just because it's an accepted practice that does not make it the correct practice in all cases.

Now that being said, and as Dan pointed out, Senegals being highly susceptible to dehydration this fantastic.

On a side note and I don't mean to start anything here. Really, no one truly knows how to properly care for chams. If they did then we would not be seeing such a decline in life expectancy in captives vs wilds. Were still learning and with time we'll better understand them and that will change. But doing the same as everyone else is not to accomplish that.

All in all though the enclosure looks great. I would personally add just a bit more "brush", but trying not to overcrowd the enclosure might be a challenge. Hope all ends up working out. Good luck with the new residence.

 

[LLLReptile]

Sorry I didn't respond sooner!

Yes, I did end up removing the cricket and cleaning out the bowl. After refilling it this morning and adding more crickets, there's already another one in there... life of a reptile owner!

The purple-ish leaved plant in the back corner (which may or may not be visible in the pic) is already growing in well, and filling up the back of the cage. Half the day now I often can't see her at all.

I've heard a few anecdotal stories of chams learning to drink from water bowls, but those keepers often dedicated quite a bit of effort to establishing a routine and dripping water into the bowl to get the drinking response going. I was super surprised to see my senegal drinking without any attempt to teach her about the dish at all.

Like you guys said, still a ton to learn... maybe a helpful trick for easily dehydrated species is to offer a water source? Worth considering, at least!

-Jen

 

[kplatvoet]

My first cham had a hamster water bottle and drank out of it all the time - but that was back in the 70's - I can imagine the look my panther would give me now if I tried to use a rodent bottle instead of a raindome-

 

[LLLReptile]

Just the cutest thing.

-Jen

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

She is sooooo cute! keep us posted and keep the pics coming!

 

[LLLReptile]

So the little girl is still doing well, and she now routinely drinks out of her water dish. She just walks right up, calm as can be, takes a couple drinks and then goes about her chameleon-y business.

Now just waiting for another shipment to come in so I can snag a male.

-Jen

 

[LLLReptile]

Another update, as now the vivarium is well planted

She happily eats crickets, roaches, and occasionally regular mealworms. While she used to drink every couple days from the water bowl, I haven't seen her do so in a few weeks. I mist the cage a couple times a day, and she usually drinks in the morning but rarely later in the day.

The cage (you can just make out her tail in the basking area in the back)

She sleeps in the back left, and is usually impossible to find until she wakes up and cruises over to the warm side of the cage. She'll spend the first few hours of the day on the right side, moving between the front of the viney plant to the wood directly under the heat light. I still use the ExoTerra Sun Ray bulb.

She's a neat chameleon, and doing quite well in the vivarium style enclosure. I think the live plants and solid sides help immensely with humidity, and alleviate the worries of keeping her hydrated.

I'm working with my dad on a similar style enclosure, but much, MUCH larger, for his panther chameleon. I'll share pics once that's complete.

-Jen

 

[werecat]

She's beautiful! Glad to see she's doing well.

 

[Kath44]

She's adorable. Kath.

 

[l0u1ss]

she's very pretty. Good luck with them