I think y'all might be wrong

[Cassielynnco]

I think y'all might be wrong about chameleons drinking from still water sources. I've seen mine drink from the dish that catches the run off water of the dripper I have plenty of times! She also drinks the droplets but I've caught her drinking from the dish also. Maybe she's just a little different but who knows. Does anyone else's Cham do this?

 

[szpond]

I've seen it also! I just feel as though it is /very/ rare. Perhaps they've seen the water move before (moving the cage, an accidental step in it, etc) - I feel like that's why my baby veiled does it sometimes. Otherwise I feel like he doesn't even see it's there.

 

[Hoj]

I have also seen veileds do this on occasion, I think the fact that they come from more arid region they may have a better grasp on getting any water left available. Just a thought

 

[Kate]

They do drink from standing water but unless you are observing 24/7 how do you know what has landed in it. Poop, feeder and how long has it been there? There is also the danger of drowning. Best to play safe IMO.

 

[TyggyToo]

I saw a clip on youtube of a veiled drinking from a bowl. If I thought Mort would do it, I'd have a drip bowl in there and not worry about issues. Clean it once a day, and more often if they decide to poop in it. The trick is to clean it daily.

My opinion is worth what you pay for it.
Tyg

 

[Cassielynnco]

I thought it was so funny and just wanted to see if anyone else has seen this! Thanks for the comments!

 

[JonRich]

I have also seen veileds do this on occasion, I think the fact that they come from more arid region they may have a better grasp on getting any water left available. Just a thought

Exactly my thoughts...

 

[kinyonga]

I have seen many chameleons drink from a water dish. My concern about using one is that the dish needs to be kept clean....and needs to be shallow enough that the chameleon won't drown unit,of course.

 

[Kamillion]

My cham has pooped in the dish that catches the water... Why do they do this?

 

[TreeTopChameleons]

To hear the splash? lol

 

[ataraxia]

LMAO! hahahah!

 

[chameleonkev]

My cham has pooped in the dish that catches the water... Why do they do this?

The dish is probly under there basking spot, they normaly have a spot were they like to poop as higher temps help with digestion

 

[mrfixit01]

I think y'all might be wrong about chameleons drinking from still water sources. I've seen mine drink from the dish that catches the run off water of the dripper I have plenty of times! She also drinks the droplets but I've caught her drinking from the dish also. Maybe she's just a little different but who knows. Does anyone else's Cham do this?

This post received some very funny responses. Thanks for the question. I am not an expert by any means, but from what I have been told and have seen it is not a good idea to let them drink 'standing' water. Bacteria can grow in it very quickly and they will become ill very, very fast. It's just not worth taking the chance of making them sick. I have a catch pan in the bottom of my cham's home for humidity but it is covered with a mesh wire. He poops in it and bugs land in it. Make them drink from dripping or sprayed water just to be safe!

 

[JackP308]

I never thought they didnt drink from still water but Why would you want stagnant water source is the way I look at it. Ive had panther walk to bottom of cage and start lapping up puddles.

Usually not the most sanitary way to get water but hey its a lizard. So all in all misting and drippers I feel deleiver more fresh and natural hydration. Yes if there is water a chameleon will probably use it one way or another. Feeders get in water and die , as well as fecal so its just nasty bacteria haven and more work to maintain.

 

[Swayne8998]

My veiled drinks like that all the time from the cups that catch the drips from his mister. I keep them clean and wash them every day. I even hand-water him sometimes. Of course, he likes to drink from leaves when I'm not watching. I know this because he has no signs of dehydration when the cups are not in there. I also agree with hoj's statement.

Edit: I never let the water in the cups go over 1/2 cm. My veiled is almost 16 months old too, so for younger cham's I would definitely not let it get that high.

 

[Chameleonic]

As long as the water source is not dangerous for drowning and is cleaned daily there is very little chance of a problem. I also expect that readily drinking from a bowl varies between species but i've only ever had veileds. I think part of it is that wc chams when first kept will have very regularly been dehydrated if there was just a bowl. If they have been raised in captivity to get used to a bowl then what is the difference to giving a dog a bowl?
Some people state that no cham ever drinks from still water, those people must have just read it somewhere and repeated it. Anyone who has experience knows that there are exceptions to every rule.