Dripper

[CharlieCharmingo]

I just saw my chameleon do the strangest thing. Ever since I got him a dripper it falls on the leaf and he drinks the drips from the leaf, obviously. But today when he was coming out of his cage I saw him stop underneath the dripper, lift his head up, and open his mouth to let a few drops go in, swallowed them down and kept on going. Lol. I thought it was impossible to teach them to drink like this. Any thoughts? Is my son a genius should I put him in private school haha.

 

[Fiona's Mom]

My female veiled does that all the time. she would rather catch the drips than drink from a leaf.

 

[KapitalJ]

I still have yet to see my boy drink.... I see him go close to the leaves that the water is dripping on, but with his back to me I cant tell whats going on and I don't want to disturb him if he is drinking . Urates are white, so I know he is drinking. but damn... I want to see!!

 

[CharlieCharmingo]

My female veiled does that all the time. she would rather catch the drips than drink from a leaf.

That's so weird. I wonder what's going through their head. Maybe it's like a game to them? My dad thinks Tony does "abnormal things" in hopes that he'll get a tasty treat from me for being impressed.

 

[CharlieCharmingo]

I still have yet to see my boy drink.... I see him go close to the leaves that the water is dripping on, but with his back to me I cant tell whats going on and I don't want to disturb him if he is drinking . Urates are white, so I know he is drinking. but damn... I want to see!!

Lol. Maybe he doesn't think you're ready to see his awesomeness in full action. He's testing the force within you lol.

 

[KapitalJ]

 

[jtimen]

The general consensus seems to be that waterfalls are bad due to the bacteria factor. Is it possible to set up a dripper in such a way that it will also water the plants, or is there going to be too much overflow? I'm interested in knowing if there's a way to avoid drilling into the bottom of the enclosure, or having to set up some kind of catch basin.

 

[Fiona's Mom]

That's so weird. I wonder what's going through their head. Maybe it's like a game to them? My dad thinks Tony does "abnormal things" in hopes that he'll get a tasty treat from me for being impressed.

That's what makes chameleons so much fun...you never know what they will do next or what cooler they might turn next.

 

[Carlton]

I just saw my chameleon do the strangest thing. Ever since I got him a dripper it falls on the leaf and he drinks the drips from the leaf, obviously. But today when he was coming out of his cage I saw him stop underneath the dripper, lift his head up, and open his mouth to let a few drops go in, swallowed them down and kept on going. Lol. I thought it was impossible to teach them to drink like this. Any thoughts? Is my son a genius should I put him in private school haha.

Though we know our beloved chams are not rocket scientists, they do learn where sources of water are in their habitats, especially if its moving. Completely normal to sit under a dripper as you describe. Not all chams do this...some never do go to drippers so we usually suggest misting in addition to a dripper just in case. I've mostly kept wc chams so maybe its a lot more normal for them to search for water on foliage as they would in the wild. Captive bred chams may have had drippers from day one, so maybe they make that jump more easily. I love to teach mine to take water directly from a hand held syringe too. Its a nice way to interact with them, helps teach them I am a source of good things, and makes it a little easier to slip a med or a supplement into them occasionally.

 

[KapitalJ]

Though we know our beloved chams are not rocket scientists.

Mines a fuggin Ninja!!

 

[CharlieCharmingo]

The general consensus seems to be that waterfalls are bad due to the bacteria factor. Is it possible to set up a dripper in such a way that it will also water the plants, or is there going to be too much overflow? I'm interested in knowing if there's a way to avoid drilling into the bottom of the enclosure, or having to set up some kind of catch basin.

I wish I knew the way myself dude. I tried having my dripper go into my ficus but there always ends up being too much water at the bottom. What I do is let the dripper drip off two leafs and then I place a container that used to be used for potato salad to catch the drops. I place a lid over the top and poke holes into so the water still gets into the container but I don't have to worry about bugs drowning or a freak accident where Tony himself might fall in. I was told there is a way to reuse the caught water and filter it back into the dripper, but I never tried it. Depending on how fast you drop your water I only ever have to dump the water once or twice a day (morning and maybe night). Helpful?

 

[CharlieCharmingo]

Though we know our beloved chams are not rocket scientists, they do learn where sources of water are in their habitats, especially if its moving. Completely normal to sit under a dripper as you describe. Not all chams do this...some never do go to drippers so we usually suggest misting in addition to a dripper just in case. I've mostly kept wc chams so maybe its a lot more normal for them to search for water on foliage as they would in the wild. Captive bred chams may have had drippers from day one, so maybe they make that jump more easily. I love to teach mine to take water directly from a hand held syringe too. Its a nice way to interact with them, helps teach them I am a source of good things, and makes it a little easier to slip a med or a supplement into them occasionally.

I thought it was unsafe to have wild caught chameleons? How do you feel about them personality wise?

 

[CharlieCharmingo]

Mines a fuggin Ninja!!

Should your ninja do battle with my Tony because I'm pretty sure he's batman?

 

[jtimen]

I wish I knew the way myself dude. I tried having my dripper go into my ficus but there always ends up being too much water at the bottom. What I do is let the dripper drip off two leafs and then I place a container that used to be used for potato salad to catch the drops. I place a lid over the top and poke holes into so the water still gets into the container but I don't have to worry about bugs drowning or a freak accident where Tony himself might fall in. I was told there is a way to reuse the caught water and filter it back into the dripper, but I never tried it. Depending on how fast you drop your water I only ever have to dump the water once or twice a day (morning and maybe night). Helpful?

I hadn't thought of that. Not a bad way to go. Thanks!

 

[Carlton]

I thought it was unsafe to have wild caught chameleons? How do you feel about them personality wise?

Well, the reality is that chams we see for sale other than veileds or panthers are most often wildcaught imports. A few people have occasionally had success breeding a few others such as jackson's, pygmies, carpets and quadricornis but don't assume so unless you buy them directly from the breeder. Not sure what you mean about being "unsafe". Unsafe for people? Unsafe for the wild populations?

Personality-wise it is still pretty individual. I've had mellow wc melleri and nasty wc melleri, very shy F. verrucosus and jackson's, quite calm T. deremensis, totally spooked fischeri...so it just depends. Obviously a wildcaught cham has to get used to more of a new world than a cbb cham does, but the ones that are healthy enough to handle all the stress and strain of importation and sale can acclimate if they are set up correctly.

 

[CharlieCharmingo]

Well, the reality is that chams we see for sale other than veileds or panthers are most often wildcaught imports. A few people have occasionally had success breeding a few others such as jackson's, pygmies, carpets and quadricornis but don't assume so unless you buy them directly from the breeder. Not sure what you mean about being "unsafe". Unsafe for people? Unsafe for the wild populations?

Personality-wise it is still pretty individual. I've had mellow wc melleri and nasty wc melleri, very shy F. verrucosus and jackson's, quite calm T. deremensis, totally spooked fischeri...so it just depends. Obviously a wildcaught cham has to get used to more of a new world than a cbb cham does, but the ones that are healthy enough to handle all the stress and strain of importation and sale can acclimate if they are set up correctly.

Well you sort of answered it. I thought that it was unsafe to have wild caught chameleons because of how stressful the situation is for them with the whole importing and make sure they stay well hydrated etc.