Chameleon is excessively drinking and I'm worried...

faith.j.p

faith.j.p

Member
There was a puddle of water on the bottom of the floor in my chameleons cage (not a huge one) and my cham went to the bottom of the floor and started licking the floor and drinking the water off the floor. She sat their for a good while drinking too to the point that I had to interrupt her. I then sat their and spoon fed her water with a syringe until I felt like shed had enough water. A few minutes later after I put her back in her cage she proceeded to go back to the cage floor and do the same thing. She has drank SO much water its insane, like it feels like an unhealthy amount... She has access to water, she has an automatic mister and a dripper and I also mist her regularly with a spray bottle 2 times a day. I also thought that chameleons couldn't drink non-moving water and that's the reason they don't drink from bowls and such. So I am thoroughly confused and concerned, does anyone have any advice?
 
Kam0408 said:
What is your misting schedule?
Click to expand...

I mist at 9am for three minutes and I mist at 5pm for 3 minutes. I also have my automatic mister that i use purely just to make sure she gets water (The water comes out in droplets not really mist) and that goes off every 3 hours for 30 seconds.
 
Smileys Cage.PNG

Her cage is 2ft by 2ft by 4ft
 
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:


  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:


  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful
 
Kam0408 said:
  • Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:


  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:


  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful
Click to expand...
Sorry I am asking so many questions
What kind of UVB?
 
this is the type of UVB:
1610056900801.png

I'm not sure about the humidity in my house, but i have a hygrometer and my humidity level varies from 40%-50% in my chameleons cage.


Questions:

My Chameleon is a female veiled chameleon and she's been in my care for about half a year.

My chameleon is actually really friendly and shell scratch on her cage every so often when she wants to come out, I have a little tree in my room that I put her on that she loves to climb, so I take her out maybe every other day.

I feed her a variety of crickets, dubia roaches, horn worms, wax worms, super worms, earthworms/red wigglers. I usually put about 3-6 bugs in her bowl (depending on the type) and put it in her cage. I don't have an exact time I feed her but I always feed her early in the morning. I only gut load my crickets and I gut load them with carrots mainly.

I use zoo med repti-calcuim and zoo med repti-vitamins, I do dust my feeders and I use calcuim without d3 for every day of the week except one and on that one day I use calcium with d3. I dust the vitamins once every month. When i feed her snacks to lure her out of her cage I do not dust them with anything.

I mist her two times a day for 3 minutes, I use a spray bottle to mist, I have an automatic mister that goes off for 30 seconds every three hours and I use a dripper. I don't see my chameleon drink super often but I know she does.

Her poops are brown/black and are soft but firm, they don't smell at all, her urate is white.

no she has not been tested for parasites.

My Cage is a screened 2ft by 2ft by 4ft repti-breeze cage. I have two dome lights that include a basking bulb and a UVB bulb, I also have a long strip UVB bulb that is shown in the photo above.

The temp in the cage is 80 degrees in the basking spot and 74 degrees at the bottom of the cage. My lowest overnight temp is probably 65-68 degrees. I measure these with a thermometer.

My humidity levels are 40%-50% I maintain these by misting. I measure the humidity via a hydrometer.

I do use live plants I string up collards around the cage that she can eat and I replace them once they go bad.

My cage is located by the window in my room and it is about 4 ft above the ground. There are fans nearby by I don't turn them on often.

I'm located on the east coast of the united states.
 
CasqueAbove said:
No body gonna mention the bright gold. She is likely receptive with those colors. Doesn't mean much, except you need a lay bin very soon.
Pleas fill out the form. There are excellent people here to help you get it all right. I do see issues.
Click to expand...
I am aware of this, I have a laying bin made I just havent put it in yet but will do :)
 
@MissSkittles @AmandaS can assist you with your husbandry for your girl.

So then the picture of the cage is an old one? Because all I am seeing on the top is two double dome fixtures no linear fixtures.

Put the lay bin in she is showing her colors which means she will start looking for it. You really want to leave these as a permanent part of their enclosure. So they have it when they are ready. Take pics of your lay bin so it can be reviewed as well.
 
There’s husbandry changes that need to be made. My comments will be in red. What dimensions does your lay bin have, and what substrat did you use in it. Where is it placed? Since she is a female, her care needs are a little harder than a male veiled.
this is the type of UVB:
View attachment 288097
I'm not sure about the humidity in my house, but i have a hygrometer and my humidity level varies from 40%-50% in my chameleons cage.


Questions:

My Chameleon is a female veiled chameleon and she's been in my care for about half a year.

My chameleon is actually really friendly and shell scratch on her cage every so often when she wants to come out, I have a little tree in my room that I put her on that she loves to climb, so I take her out maybe every other day. How long do you keep her on the tree? Does it have a linear uvb bulb over it? Is she coming out of her cage because her enclosure is uncomfortable for her?

I feed her a variety of crickets, dubia roaches, horn worms, wax worms, super worms, earthworms/red wigglers. I usually put about 3-6 bugs in her bowl (depending on the type) and put it in her cage. I don't have an exact time I feed her but I always feed her early in the morning. I only gut load my crickets and I gut load them with carrots mainly. ABSOLUTELY NO RED WIGGLERS/EARTHWORMS! Every single feeder should be properly gutloaded before being fed off with gutload that is varied and healthy! I’m attaching some care pictures and links below. Waxworms should rarely be used only as a treat and only feed superworms sparingly. Variety is key for gutload and types of feeders!

I use zoo med repti-calcuim and zoo med repti-vitamins, I do dust my feeders and I use calcuim without d3 for every day of the week except one and on that one day I use calcium with d3. I dust the vitamins once every month. When i feed her snacks to lure her out of her cage I do not dust them with anything. Your supplement schedule should be phosphorus-free and D3-free calcium every feeding (like the Zoo Med Repti-Calcium without D3 that you have). Once every 2 weeks, use Zoo Med Reptivite with D3. It’s easier than using calcium with D3 and multivitamin without D3 together.

I mist her two times a day for 3 minutes, I use a spray bottle to mist, I have an automatic mister that goes off for 30 seconds every three hours and I use a dripper. I don't see my chameleon drink super often but I know she does. Her mister should ideally go off for a minimum of 1 but preferably 2-5 minutes each time. If your humidity allows it, only mist in the morning and late afternoon/night. Does the dripper drip onto leaves or is it dripping straight to the bottom?

Her poops are brown/black and are soft but firm, they don't smell at all, her urate is white.

no she has not been tested for parasites.

My Cage is a screened 2ft by 2ft by 4ft repti-breeze cage. I have two dome lights that include a basking bulb and a UVB bulb, I also have a long strip UVB bulb that is shown in the photo above. She would only have one uvb bulb. It needs to be a linear bulb (like the one you pictured but isn’t on her cage). Is the linear uvb bulb and fixture a T8 or T5 High Output? That determines the strength of uvb you need. She needs more branches, vines, and live plants in her cage, as well.

The temp in the cage is 80 degrees in the basking spot and 74 degrees at the bottom of the cage. My lowest overnight temp is probably 65-68 degrees. I measure these with a thermometer. That seems fine to me, but I’ll let the veiled experts determine that. It could get colder at night for a better temp drop if you wanted to. Is your thermometer digital, analog, or a heat gun?

My humidity levels are 40%-50% I maintain these by misting. I measure the humidity via a hydrometer. That humidity is fine. Usual humid levels are 30-50% during the day and up to 100% at night (using a fogger or humidifier). Is your hygrometer digital or analog?

I do use live plants I string up collards around the cage that she can eat and I replace them once they go bad. Veileds don’t need anything except insects to eat, so I’d take the collard greens out. What live plants do you have. Do you have any fake plants or fake vines with leaves on them?

My cage is located by the window in my room and it is about 4 ft above the ground. There are fans nearby by I don't turn them on often. Is your window energy efficient? Does it cast off a reflection of your cham?

I'm located on the east coast of the united states.

https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/
https://chameleonacademy.com/choosing-and-arranging-branches/
https://chameleonacademy.com/april-6-female-veiled-chameleon-feeding/
1610061716145.jpeg
1610061727650.jpeg
 
Folks, I'm wondering what's different about the water pooling in the drain pain than the water on the leaves of the live plants. Something is attracting this girl to this water source—what is it?

I notice that vitamin supplementation may be half of what it should be (monthly instead of twice monthly) but is that enough to cause a deficiency that would cause this behavior?

Salts? Does the runoff contain salts (not necessarily NaCl) from the plants or other features? Salts can stimulate thirst, and create a vicious cycle if the contaminated water "tastes" better.

faith.j.p What kind of water are you misting with (tap, distilled, RO, other)?

For the time being—or until this mystery is solved—I would put a layer of stainless steel (not aluminum; aluminum can make salts) on the bottom of the enclosure, and elevate the branch bottoms to get them out of any pooled water. The intent here is to prevent the cham from reaching and ingesting the pooled water.

Long term, I might replace that pan with one that can be drained via gravity—preventing any water from pooling and attracting the behavior.

I'm just guessing/spitballing here. Personally, I'd prefer the input of a qualified herp vet.
 
Klyde O'Scope said:
Folks, I'm wondering what's different about the water pooling in the drain pain than the water on the leaves of the live plants. Something is attracting this girl to this water source—what is it?

I notice that vitamin supplementation may be half of what it should be (monthly instead of twice monthly) but is that enough to cause a deficiency that would cause this behavior?

Salts? Does the runoff contain salts (not necessarily NaCl) from the plants or other features? Salts can stimulate thirst, and create a vicious cycle if the contaminated water "tastes" better.

faith.j.p What kind of water are you misting with (tap, distilled, RO, other)?

For the time being—or until this mystery is solved—I would put a layer of stainless steel (not aluminum; aluminum can make salts) on the bottom of the enclosure, and elevate the branch bottoms to get them out of any pooled water. The intent here is to prevent the cham from reaching and ingesting the pooled water.

Long term, I might replace that pan with one that can be drained via gravity—preventing any water from pooling and attracting the behavior.

I'm just guessing/spitballing here. Personally, I'd prefer the input of a qualified herp vet.
Click to expand...
Smaller droplets completely evaporate sooner compared to a pool at the bottom of the enclosure. My bigger concern would be how often this pool is cleaned up, or if it sits stagnant for periods of time 💩

does the dripper drip directly onto the plant leaves, or does it just drip directly to the bottom of the enclosure?
 
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