Drippers - ACKKKKK

[BocaJan]

I bought 5 drippers, one for each of my cages and have spent 2 days on a stool trying to get the *#!~* things to drip. Either they drip really fast or not at all. I can't get the darn adjuster to work very well. Is there a trick??? Is there some way to make this better? I am going on a trip Friday and will be gone for 5 days leaving my hubby to take care of the critters. Since he works I figured drippers would be good to make sure they are adequately hydrated. The adults found the water right away but I walk away from them for a bit and come back and it has stopped dripping!

Pleeeeeease help.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Gosh its not supposed to be that hard to get them working! Im afraid Ive no help for you. I bought two "little drippers" back in my first days with a chameleon. One worked, one was much as you describe. I took the difficult one back. Since then I've always made my own.
maybe you got a bad batch?

 

[Lizardlover]

Is it the "Little" or "Big" dripper? if so, you turn the dial thing all the way until it stop dripping then slowly move it toward the drip side until you get the right amount you want, if its the one of those drippers than i cant help you I only have those kinds

 

[Nicodemayo]

Are the containers positioned high enough above the end of the tubes?

 

[Teresa]

I know how you feel. I turn my on and hour before I leave work just so I can make sure my guys have water all day. Please let me know if you can figure it out also I have been trying all week
Little dripper for me 4 of them.

 

[BocaJan]

I have the little drippers. Some have a piece of tubing and some drip right from the spout. Pretty much the water runs on top of the cage wherever it wants from the surface tension of the water. I have not put a hole in the cage for the tube because my hubby thinks I will be destroying the cage. ~sigh~ Any other hints?

 

[Cainschams]

You will have some fluctuation because of the wieght of the water pushing down and after there is less water you will get a slower and slower drip till nothing is there but there is still plenty of water in the container. IT IS A PAIN IN THE @$$ like you said and you cant get them perfect at least the ones I have tired. I used to mess witht he drippers untill I realized that all of my guys I own get enough water from 3 mistings a day. They all are sch good drinkers I have yet to see any orange in the urates but I do keep all of my drippers just in case I get a stubborn one.

 

[sandrachameleon]

You will have some fluctuation because of the wieght of the water pushing down and after there is less water you will get a slower and slower drip till nothing is there but there is still plenty of water in the container. IT IS A PAIN IN THE @$$ like you said and you cant get them perfect at least the ones I have tired. I used to mess witht he drippers untill I realized that all of my guys I own get enough water from 3 mistings a day. They all are sch good drinkers I have yet to see any orange in the urates but I do keep all of my drippers just in case I get a stubborn one.

True, the dripping does slow down. might start off with several dripps a second and slow to about one drip a second in the end. But mine run dry, rather than leaving water behind. could be placement of the hoses?

 

[Nicodemayo]

It is. The higher up you put the reservoirs the longer they'll drip and they'll drip dry.

 

[BocaJan]

I guess I can put a box on top of their cage to put the dripper on. That might help, at least the ones with the tubes. Do you all poke a hole in the top of your cages?

 

[Nicodemayo]

mine have holes for the misting nozzles but its about the same size hole. Just make sure you center the hole so it looks even (i even measured mine out so i was dead even) then if you get a misting system your holes will be ready for you lol

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Do you all poke a hole in the top of your cages?

Yup.
It can take a bit of fussing, but it shouldn't be too hard to get them working.

-Brad

 

[OntarioLizardman]

Boca Jan, i have the exact problem with my little dripper, didnt come with tubing, but basically i just keep playing and keep playing with it untill i get the right amount

 

[nick barta]

Darned Drippers

Can you place the dripper on your fluorescent light fixture? The fluorescents don't put out enough heat to melt the plastic of the dripper, where a box and heatlamps could be a hazard.Then keep the hose above the pool, and you should be able to get continous flow.
That all being said, misting systems have their advantages!

 

[BocaJan]

I'm going to try some of the suggestions. Thanks all.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I guess I can put a box on top of their cage to put the dripper on. That might help, at least the ones with the tubes. Do you all poke a hole in the top of your cages?

I dont use screen cages. Coated wire or hardware cloth type tops, hence lots of space for hoses and no blockage of UVB

 

[jojackson]

If your dripper has tubing, be sure there is no air in the tubing and the resevoir has no air bubbles that can enter the tube. keep the tube line full of water with no bubbles and you should be ok.

I made my own and spent most of a day messing about with it. Length of tubing can also be a factor, the shorter and more direct the better, but it must be long enough to
contain enough water to keep pressure up.

my 200ml resevoir last all day on slow drip. Im just using a dinky cup (childs trainer cup) as a resevoir, it has a hole in the top of the lid that straws go in, that is perfect size for standard aquarium tubing.

 

[chameleonneeds]

Ok, you should go to the petstore and ask them for aquarium tubes for pumps or something like that, and then ask them for a tap.
Attach the tap to the tube and then you can adjust the water flow.
The tighter it is the less the water comes out.
Good luck.

 

[blackbetty]

Yea. let me know too!!

My husband and I were just talking about these! I got a little dripper and it seems to either pour or nothing at all! There is no left for slow, right for fast..it just keeps turning and turning! We are actually thinking of making out own out of simply orange individual bottle and a valve from Lowes.

 

[BIGGUN]

Boca Jan,

To break the surface tension on the screen position the point that the drip falls from (end of hose or end of nipple) a few inches above the screen. When the drips falls onto the screen it kind of forces it's way through without having to cut the screen.

The only problem is that the higher the hose is, the higher the container needs to be to generate suction to draw at a more even rate. Then, when you do this, the container won't drip right until the hose is full. It's a real balancing act.

Kevin