Distilled Water

[garrettt331]

I have seen a few people say that they use distilled water to hydrate their animals. I have always been told that distilled water lacks minerals and will actually leach minerals out of an animal. Same thing goes for humans-we aren't supposed to drink it. When the water is passed in the urine or urate, it will have a lot of minerals the animal could have used. I was hoping to get some incite from someone who is a dietitian or molecular biologist. I hope this thread takes off so anyone can chime in.

 

[zlew]

I'm no dietician, but I don't use distilled water. I just use my tap water. As long as you can drink it, your chameleon can too.

 

[Sanababit]

I use purified water which still contains a little bit or minerals, i use it because i have noozzles and they will clog up if i use tap water and i drink too

Sana

 

[BobS346]

I was trying to respond very early this morning, but after typing in a fairly large comment, the entire thing disappeared and I decided it could wait until I was more awake. I have read a lot of different articles and "studies" which have been done over the last 30-40 years. Most of the studies have really boiled down to opinion pieces in spite of their title. This is a question that has a lot people supporting both sides, and don't think there is a clear answer to it. Most of the research indicates that we (can't find anything specifically about chameleons) get most of nutrition, vitamins, and minerals, from the foods we eat. I think most of us here would agree with that, which is why we make sure to gutload our feeders. Therefore, I don't think we really need to worry about nutritional deficiencies because out water has had it all removed (distilled). As far as the leaching of our minerals and so forth from our system, I find this highly unlikely, as most of what we need is intercellular (within the bodies cells), and our kidneys are remarkably good at filtering toxins and leaving fluid behind, which is why when we are dehydrated, our urine gets very dark, it is concentrating the things our body wants to get rid of into a small amount of water, to conserve the water our body still needs. I can't see how whether what we put in is distilled water or just a lot of tap water, is going to make a huge difference. Our military people out at sea drink almost exclusively distilled water during long deployments, with no significant health issues.
Ultimately, as far as chameleon health goes, I don't think it makes much of a difference. Where it can make a difference is in the maintenance of our equipment. Tap water can leave a lot of sediment behind in misting systems, which can mess them up, especially nozzles, as pointed out by a prior poster.

I live in the country and have well water that has some arsenic in it. Because of this, we have an RO system, which removes a lot of impurities (not distilled, but more than just a basic filter). This is what we drink and what I use for all of my animals. I have had some very long lived pets, that have stayed healthy their entire lives, so feel very comfortable with it. Curious to see if anyone has had a different experience or has found any recent research that indicates problems with distilled water!

 

[Decadancin]

I use distilled water for my misting system so I do not have clogged nozzles. You could also use reverse osmosis water, as this produces some of the purest water.
If you are considering using tap water, check with your local water authority to see what is added to your water supply (ie, fluoride, chlorine, etc.) because there are some things that I would like to keep away from my animals. If using well water, have it tested.

As for the next part of my answer, there is no actual research that backs it up, just my thoughts...

I think that a well hydrated animal will have toxins removed from the body as well as any unused minerals. I don't think it is necessary or even beneficial for an animal to have excess vitamins or minerals in its system. If you are gutloading and dusting your feeders properly and if possible getting some outside time or a great UV bulb, there should not be any nutrient or mineral deficiencies due to the use of distilled water. The well balanced diet should offset any potential issues.

 

[Decadancin]

I'm no dietician, but I don't use distilled water. I just use my tap water. As long as you can drink it, your chameleon can too.

I'd get a report from your local water authority to see what they add. If just chlorine, you can simply let the water sit uncovered for a day and the chlorine should dissipate. If things like fluoride are used, I'd try to filter it or use something else.

 

[Carlton]

I have seen a few people say that they use distilled water to hydrate their animals. I have always been told that distilled water lacks minerals and will actually leach minerals out of an animal. Same thing goes for humans-we aren't supposed to drink it. When the water is passed in the urine or urate, it will have a lot of minerals the animal could have used. I was hoping to get some incite from someone who is a dietitian or molecular biologist. I hope this thread takes off so anyone can chime in.

As has already been said, I doubt using distilled water will be harmful as long as your nutritional needs are met by dusting and gutloading correctly. If we were talking about an animal that is semi-aquatic, one with more permeable skin such as amphibians, or drinks a lot more than a cham every day, it might be different. This comes up so often in water discussions. The take home message should really be that there isn't a NEED to buy or use only distilled. I also have a well with very hard water full of tannins, iron, and a bit of naturally occurring arsenic. Foggers, misters, plants all end up with major water deposit buildups pretty fast so I filter it. I installed a small RO unit years ago and have used the water for my birds and herps ever since.

 

[garrettt331]

Thanks for all your responses. I may make the switch to distilled as the tap water leaves everything covered in a white film (plants, screen, pan). I assume this is an electrolyte of some sort.

 

[garrettt331]

Carlton, nice green jay!

 

[garrettt331]

Or is it a Blue-crown motmot?

 

[Carlton]

Or is it a tanager?

Good guess! Its a blue-crowned motmot. I owned a pair several years ago. They lived in an indoor aviary and flew free in my house when I could supervise. I adored them!!! Unfortunately a newly adopted dog ripped through the aviary door and killed them while I was splitting firewood outside. Motmots are burrow nesters and in a panic they tend to drop to the ground instead of fly up. Of course I had been training the dog to leave them alone, but I always shut them in the aviary when I wasn't right in the room, so he cornered them. If they had been loose they would probably still be here. I trusted the dog too soon, and can't forgive myself.

 

[Carlton]

Thanks for all your responses. I may make the switch to distilled as the tap water leaves everything covered in a white film (plants, screen, pan). I assume this is an electrolyte of some sort.

Probably calcium carbonate (aka lime scale). BTW, you can remove this fairly easily with vinegar, but have to do it regularly.

 

[GCash]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned that rain is distilled water. Granted, I'm sure it can pick up certain elements and even pollution from the atmosphere as it condenses, falls and then running over leaves and branches before reaching chameleons in the wild, but I'm sure it's TDS remains quite low. That being said, I use RO.