hanging by tail?

[Debi]

We are new and have received great informationfrom this site. THanks so much,
Our cham is hanging from tail and hind legs until we approach then she resumes her spot on the branch and continues on her way. Is she just taking in her new invironment or is she ill?
We are going to begin the search for a mesh cage and misting system. Any suggestions would greatly help.
thanks,
debi

 

[Heika]

Hi Debi,

It sounds like you and the kids are really dedicated to making everything perfect for this chameleon! It sounds like your cham is probably just checking stuff out.

For a misting system, I have a recommendation on what NOT to buy. The Habba Mister is temptingly cheap.. but isn't a great mister for chameleons. It will only run for 1 minute at a time, which isn't long enough, and goes through a lot of water. Plus, it is noisy. I am sure others will have recommendations for some of the nicer misting systems. I use DIY automatic misting systems driven by a pump sprayer and a sprinkler timer.

Heika

 

[MWheelock]

Here are some websites for misting systems:
http://www.baskinglizards.com/automatedmistingsystem_free.pdf
http://www.chameleonsdish.com/hydration/wateringsystems.htm
http://www.pro-products.com/

1)How to do it yourself
2)Comparisons of the top misters (Promist, Mistking, Environmental Tech)
3)The one I picked

Everyone on this forum has their favorite. Check out # 2 to make your own decisions.
Matthew

 

[Will Hayward]

Debi, I don't recomend you buy a misting system this early on. Instead, I do suggest that you manke one on your own. Peices you will need are simple, some will need to be orderd online or bought from specialised stores however. It would run off a sink tap that has temperature control and threads to connect a hose. You will need:

A Splittler with ON / Off valves
A sprinkler timer.
A hose to 1/4" connector with a tube crimp
A length of 1/4" tubing
A misting nozzle assemple with 2nd tube crimp

Click each of the items to view a photo of an item that would work fine for doing this.

 

[RESGuy]

What I do is, I keep a WD-40 sprayer (filled with water of course!!!) and I put a special misting water conditioner in it. I spray his plant 3 times a day.

 

[Debi]

This is what we are doing now and she seems to be doing fine. Where should I look to find out more about the special misting water conditioner? Also, my children think the water droplets that are in the cage are to big. Any comments on that? We are just using a regular spray bottle as of now.

What I do is, I keep a WD-40 sprayer (filled with water of course!!!) and I put a special misting water conditioner in it. I spray his plant 3 times a day.

 

[lowendfrequency]

This is what we are doing now and she seems to be doing fine. Where should I look to find out more about the special misting water conditioner? Also, my children think the water droplets that are in the cage are to big. Any comments on that? We are just using a regular spray bottle as of now.

You don't need water conditioner, tap water is fine. Also, even if you created a finer mist, the properties of water tension will gather large drops in your cage, no matter what. Don't worry about it.

I'd say at this age your best bet would be a regular hand mister bottle. These have an advatage because you control how strong each spray is by how hard you squeeze. When dealing with young chameleons, pressure powered misters and systems can be too intense sometimes.

 

[RESGuy]

Well I use the conditioner becasue I got like 3 bottles for free at a Reptile Expo lol But I guess it makes sense for the chameleon to drink dechlorinated water ... Its called, "Mistimize Conditioner" and its from Exo-Terra. They are small one ounce bottles

 

[lowendfrequency]

Well I use the conditioner becasue I got like 3 bottles for free at a Reptile Expo lol But I guess it makes sense for the chameleon to drink dechlorinated water ... Its called, "Mistimize Conditioner" and its from Exo-Terra. They are small one ounce bottles

Those water treatments are useless unless when used with very delicate fish, and even then I doubt anything from exoterra would be effective. The thing is, during the chlorination process all the chlorine is actually expelled... so by the time the water reaches your house, there isn't any chlorine in it anyways. The problem is that extremely minute traces of chloroform are left over after the process. It's not enough to effect humans or chameleons. In fact, having chlorinated water is a benefit due to the fact that it is free of microbes. People with wells are the ones who have to worry.

 

[westcoastchameleons]

Those water treatments are useless unless when used with very delicate fish, and even then I doubt anything from exoterra would be effective. The thing is, during the chlorination process all the chlorine is actually expelled... so by the time the water reaches your house, there isn't any chlorine in it anyways. The problem is that extremely minute traces of chloroform are left over after the process. It's not enough to effect humans or chameleons. In fact, having chlorinated water is a benefit due to the fact that it is free of microbes. People with wells are the ones who have to worry.

This is absolutley true, i agree!Usless