crosscutts
Chameleon Enthusiast
Don’t be silly you’re fine@crosscutts forgive me for stepping in haha I literally thought I was in a thread for a new member asking for help, didn’t realise I was in the middle of your conversations
Conflicting hydration info
- Thread starter Wumbo
- Start date
Throwingstones
Avid Member
The ceiling fan is prob 10ft away and it’s black and my ceiling is painted black too. But you could be right about the visible fog, I just ordered those kasa smart plug things and I’ll change my fogger to start later. I’ve seen a few posts about PC fans. Is it just literally a fan for a computer that you plug in? I was thinking about maybe adding that when I get the new enclosure because it will be hybrid. Also I’ve been leaving the heat lamp on all day and it gets to maybe 75-80ish at the basking spot. Lights are 7-7.Well, here’s my schedule and advice . I wouldn’t listen to anything on Reddit. No Chamaeleon drinks from standing water. If they do, they’re desperate. My fogging gets up to 95 to 100% at night. Fogger runs from 11pm at night to four in the morning. Just before fogger goes on. Mister for one minute. so the fog. Sticks to the leaves. My Mister comes on again, five minutes after Lights go on. Heat lamp runs till about 10 o’clock. 11 o’clock. Computer fan kicks on. And runs until five. Dries entire habitat out humidity never drops below 50. Misters come on again at 5 o’clock they run for 10 minutes lights go off at six cycle continues again at 11pm . My Chamaeleons don’t drink. On very rare occasions I will see them. Opening and closing their mouth as the Mister are spraying in the afternoon but I wouldn’t really call it Drinking All of my Chamaeleons are well hydrated. I’ve been running the same schedule for over a year now. So I’m pretty confident. In my opinion. Which I’m sure you’ll find 100 different ones out there is they get the majority of their hydration from the fogging at night . And if you watch the humidity levels in Madagascar you’ll see that it’s quite similar . As for hiding from the fog. What I’ve observed is, if they can actually see it. It bothers them. That’s why mine don’t go on till late at night. They have already been asleep for a while. They don’t wake up to move away from it. Generally, once the lights go off cams don’t move. So what I think you’re observing is the Chamaeleon is actually intimidated by the fog itself not what it’s doing same thing with ceiling fans . To a chameleon a ceiling fan is a giant bird flying around the room. This may also be causing an issue. Sure hope this helps.
Throwingstones
Avid Member
Reddit and Facebook are dumpster fires sometimes
I’m noticing there’s so many different ways people are doing things and it just makes me second guess myself sometimes. I appreciate your input!
Action Jackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
I see and hear the conversations about hydration and fogging all the time on the internet, live feeds and podcasts. I very rarely comment and usually click off because I don’t usually agree with what’s being said.
I’m very lucky to live in a place where humidity and temperatures are just about ideal year round for keeping chameleons. I have housed chameleons outdoors extensively for many years and also spent quite a few nights hiking in the rainforests of Madagascar.
High humidity at night with cool temperatures is a good thing, no doubt about it. Obviously it’s not an easy thing for most keepers to achieve due to the environment and area they live in.
Using a fogger at night helps keep humidity high and keeps your chameleon from losing moisture from breathing dry air. That said, having a cage filled with dense fog is not natural. From what I’ve seen, fog does not occur like that in the wild or if it does, it happens rarely and seasonally and depends on weather conditions. Also fog in the wild isn’t made up of such fine water particles from what I’ve seen. If you fill your cage with dense fog and droplets form on your chameleons head and roll down to its mouth, it will drink. People who say they only fog and their chameleons never drink during the day are probably fogging heavily at night and this may be what’s happening.
Typically on very humid nights in the rainforest it’s heavy mist like a drizzle. Water droplets form on the chameleons heads and they drink the droplets that roll down to their mouths. This certainly doesn’t happen every night. You can have high humidity in the wild at night without fog or mist which in my experience is how most nights are in the summer rainy season.
I have a lot of chameleons and all the species I keep are from rainforest habitats, usually at higher elevations. These higher elevations seem to have more misty/foggy nights than lower elevations where chameleons like Panthers live.
I personally don’t use foggers although I have in the past. I have automatic misting systems and all my chameleons get misted. Although I often hear people say “chameleons don’t like to get misted” none of my chameleons show any signs that it bothers them and in fact many of them move into the mist and seem to enjoy it. Chameleons in the wild (depending on where they live) get rained on fairly frequently depending on weather patterns and the seasons. From what I’ve seen, they don’t mind the rain at all and I’ve observed them drinking during the rain as one would expect.
Chameleon do drink standing water. I’m not sure I’d offer standing water to my chameleons but if it works….
I’m very lucky to live in a place where humidity and temperatures are just about ideal year round for keeping chameleons. I have housed chameleons outdoors extensively for many years and also spent quite a few nights hiking in the rainforests of Madagascar.
High humidity at night with cool temperatures is a good thing, no doubt about it. Obviously it’s not an easy thing for most keepers to achieve due to the environment and area they live in.
Using a fogger at night helps keep humidity high and keeps your chameleon from losing moisture from breathing dry air. That said, having a cage filled with dense fog is not natural. From what I’ve seen, fog does not occur like that in the wild or if it does, it happens rarely and seasonally and depends on weather conditions. Also fog in the wild isn’t made up of such fine water particles from what I’ve seen. If you fill your cage with dense fog and droplets form on your chameleons head and roll down to its mouth, it will drink. People who say they only fog and their chameleons never drink during the day are probably fogging heavily at night and this may be what’s happening.
Typically on very humid nights in the rainforest it’s heavy mist like a drizzle. Water droplets form on the chameleons heads and they drink the droplets that roll down to their mouths. This certainly doesn’t happen every night. You can have high humidity in the wild at night without fog or mist which in my experience is how most nights are in the summer rainy season.
I have a lot of chameleons and all the species I keep are from rainforest habitats, usually at higher elevations. These higher elevations seem to have more misty/foggy nights than lower elevations where chameleons like Panthers live.
I personally don’t use foggers although I have in the past. I have automatic misting systems and all my chameleons get misted. Although I often hear people say “chameleons don’t like to get misted” none of my chameleons show any signs that it bothers them and in fact many of them move into the mist and seem to enjoy it. Chameleons in the wild (depending on where they live) get rained on fairly frequently depending on weather patterns and the seasons. From what I’ve seen, they don’t mind the rain at all and I’ve observed them drinking during the rain as one would expect.
Chameleon do drink standing water. I’m not sure I’d offer standing water to my chameleons but if it works….
Throwingstones
Avid Member
We call that heavy mist “heavy marine air” on the oregon coast
What is your misting schedule like? I have an auto mister I can set. My house inside is typically around 45-50% all the time so that’s partially why I took out the noon mist. Plus my enclosure just wasn’t fully drying out.
Action Jackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well I breed and keep Parson’s and other Calumma species along with some Uroplatus all of which come from areas in the wild that see a lot of rainfall. My indoor misting which is mostly for babies and juveniles is 3 minutes after lights on. 1 minute at noon and 10+ minutes before lights out. Misting right before lights out help keep humidity up during the night. Outdoors, this time of year I normally mist for 15+ minutes around 4:00 pm. I change up my outdoor misting throughout the year. During winter I may only mist a couple times a week. During the summer when it gets hot I may mist several times a day.We call that heavy mist “heavy marine air” on the oregon coast
What is your misting schedule like? I have an auto mister I can set. My house inside is typically around 45-50% all the time so that’s partially why I took out the noon mist. Plus my enclosure just wasn’t fully drying out.
crosscutts
Chameleon Enthusiast
Don’t be silly you’re fine@crosscutts forgive me for stepping in haha I literally thought I was in a thread for a new member asking for help, didn’t realise I was in the middle of your conversations
Flick boy
Chameleon Enthusiast
I mist 5 minutes before lights on but have been told I should be misting after lights on as the uk has different humidity levels than the us ? The person that told me this said that chameleon academy agreed so I don't know if I'm doing it wrong I don't mist during the day only a dripper, and mist after lights off , just want to do the right thing but conflicting info
Throwingstones
Avid Member
Maybe log your humidity for a day or two and see if that is enough? I got a cheap one that’s almost like a tiny weather station and I put the little readers in 3 spots and check the screen all the time and see where it’s at in all locations.
Flick boy
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yes all data is logged with a govee and evo pro thermostat thanks
Action Jackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
Here’s an example of what my temps and humidity levels are like currently.
Beppo
Chameleon Enthusiast
100 percentReddit and Facebook are dumpster fires sometimes
I’m noticing there’s so many different ways people are doing things and it just makes me second guess myself sometimes. I appreciate your input!
Why do you think there is such a disparity in observation between what you are seeing and all those people doing podcasts and live sessions?
Throwingstones
Avid Member
Was just on Reddit and there’s a post about one passing and they said part of the reason was the person was watching Neptune videos.100 percent
@crosscutts said…”No Chamaeleon drinks from standing water. If they do, they’re desperate.”…in my experience, this is not true….some species do drink from standing water…and they aren’t doing it because they are desperate. Back in the old days, when i first started keeping chameleons and didn’t know any better, I used to put a peanut butter jar lid of water in the cages (it was intended to be for the crickets, etc.) and species like chamaeleo chamaeleons, (just to name one), would readily drink from it. I was misting the cages and also providing a dripper, but they seemed to still like to use the lid (which, BTW, was scrubbed clean and filled with fresh water every day).
Those were WC chameleon chamaeleons…and then later, the hatchlings from their eggs did the same thing. The adults almost all lived for over 5/years with me and were sexually mature when I got them. The hatchlings also lived with me for 5 or more years.
BTW, just because they did it and it worked for them doesn’t mean that I think we should provide dishes/glasses/containers of water in cages for them…I just wanted to clarify that they do recognize standing water.
I‘ve also had hatchlings of a few species drink from tiny puddles of water on the floor of the cage, which I totally try to prevent because it can choke them at times. (Hard to explain how it happens, but it does.)
Those were WC chameleon chamaeleons…and then later, the hatchlings from their eggs did the same thing. The adults almost all lived for over 5/years with me and were sexually mature when I got them. The hatchlings also lived with me for 5 or more years.
BTW, just because they did it and it worked for them doesn’t mean that I think we should provide dishes/glasses/containers of water in cages for them…I just wanted to clarify that they do recognize standing water.
I‘ve also had hatchlings of a few species drink from tiny puddles of water on the floor of the cage, which I totally try to prevent because it can choke them at times. (Hard to explain how it happens, but it does.)
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Beppo
Chameleon Enthusiast
Oh lawrdWas just on Reddit and there’s a post about one passing and they said part of the reason was the person was watching Neptune videos.
Beppo
Chameleon Enthusiast
That’s why I like the forums. People can have different opinions but everyone’s main goal on here is to share knowledgeable and what worked for them and be helpfulOh lawrd
Flick boy
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yeah right lolWas just on Reddit and there’s a post about one passing and they said part of the reason was the person was watching Neptune videos.
crosscutts
Chameleon Enthusiast
Seems like that’s your experience . I most certainly won’t question it but back in the old days I too had zero information on Chamaeleons except for a small book Felipe de Vosjoli put out ,no Internet, no other resources at the time I kept several Chamaeleons loose in a sunroom I tried every advantage from Drippers to misters to standing water All of them were wildcaught , not a single one would drink from standing water. It did attract the bugs though .Over the next 10 years I tried it many more times with zero success. also being afraid of the possibility of bacteria, etc. growing in the water Occasionally, they will drink from wet leaves, but never from standing water in a bowl. So I think your occurrences rare. Because in the couple of decades of doing this less than a handful of people have told me of this type of experience… But I respect your experience and knowledge I would never take anything away from that. I just don’t think it’s wise to even mention it, especially with so many inexperienced keepers Due to the rarity of it .
Flick boy
Chameleon Enthusiast
I agree
