Exo-Terra Waterfall and drinking

[VeiledOwner87]

hey, i have in captivity a 6 month old veiled and in her cage i have a small exo water fall. now i heard and believe these things are garbage because of the easy bacteria growth inside. i know you have to keep up in cleaning it. my question is, how often should i bother to clean it if 1) i know there are NO crickets that get inisde (i cup feed her). 2) i thirst her with a dripping system aswell as leaf spraying. in these times, i know she drinks from there. i mainly use my waterfall for humidity, constant minimum when im not home to spray, it is right next to my orchid. also i use it cause its a neat little decoration. but yes if some could give opinions about how much i should clean it, that would be great. i have a waterfall in my crested gecko tank as well, but i know she drinks from it, so a more constant cleaning is needed for sure. thanks guys

 

[draetish]

Can you set the waterfall outside the cage next to it?

 

[VeiledOwner87]

nope. its sitting on a stand that snugggly fits both my veiled cage and my gecko terranium. i love it for show as well. im a neat freak and a show man as well lol i cant help it, im ocd when it comes to that lol

 

[ChamOh]

have any pics?

 

[sandrachameleon]

I would get rid of the waterfall.
If you insist on keeping it, cover it with a screen to ensure the chameleon doesnt drink from it.
or, clean it every day, thoroughly, including the inner tubes, with a heavy disenfectant and/or boiling water.

 

[VeiledOwner87]

its that intense eh? even if im positive they DONE drink from it? i was thinking of putting a screen before

 

[Rosie42892]

Unfortunatly not matter how much you clean they will be a breeding ground for bacteria. Plus if you want it for show, and you have to cover it with screen, whats the point right? I too wanted one but they just aren't worth it (in my opinion) for the chams.

 

[VeiledOwner87]

have any pics?

yes but how do i post them on a thread?

 

[draetish]

yes but how do i post them on a thread?

When you post your reply, click on the paper clip. If it's not there look at the bottom and click on advanced.

 

[VeiledOwner87]

sry for the late View attachment 21499

 

[Todnedo]

Unfortunatly not matter how much you clean they will be a breeding ground for bacteria. Plus if you want it for show, and you have to cover it with screen, whats the point right? I too wanted one but they just aren't worth it (in my opinion) for the chams.

If you clean it twice a day it will be fine. Make sure you use a disinfectant and rinse it good.

 

[VeiledOwner87]

wow.. thanks guys for the inputs. i dont know why exo-terra doesnt fix this problem. i seen on an other post that some guy did some mods to his water fall running the hose to an aquarium or pale of water with a turtle filter, i forget where though. do you guys think this would be sufficient? it would be a nice little project as well

 

[Elizadolots]

You can buy screen that's virtually invisible. It's sort of pricey, but it might fit your budget.

http://tinyurl.com/y4watwb

That site requires you to buy 15 square feet. It might work out though, because maybe you could rig a way to hang the screen like a curtain, have at least 2 curtains so you can remove one for cleaning, and replace with another.

I'm fairly certain you'll get poop on the screen.

 

[VeiledOwner87]

she poops in the dish that catches water from the dripper. haha but sweet prod. too bad i live in canada (n) ill come up with a resolution draetish recommended i go and see if theres aquuarium solution i may be able to use, thanks for write though. wish they would have retail distributors

 

[sandrachameleon]

its that intense eh? even if im positive they DONE drink from it? i was thinking of putting a screen before

If you think the risk is negligable in your circumstance, Well, really it is up to you. Maybe its okay for your particular chameleon.

I have chameleons that I can confidently say would never, ever, drink from a water dish so I dont worry if the drip collection pan is covered for them even if I leave it in there for hours. I still wash it often. I have other chameleons who might be less discerning, or who might think a glisten of water is a bug and try to zap it, or who might walk in the water bowl. These ones I take extra care with.

Only you can know what's best for you and your chameleon.

Hydrogen peroxide makes a good cleaner.
Vinegar is pretty good too, for surfaces.
Boiling is pretty good.
I'd not use bleach.