Chameleopatrick
New Member
We have a lot of new members here. Watering and lighting is probably the most misunderstood aspect of long term husbandry. Enjoy.
"If you need drainage for indoor habitats, you're doing it wrong!" Over watering
- Thread starter Hoj
- Start date
vgaines
Member
I by no means am an expert.
I can just say what I have seen with my veiled Rebel. He LOVES his 4-5 minute misting sessions. I also hand mist so I get to watch him drink almost every time I mist. I have also seen him drink from his dripper. I never spray him directly but when I start misting he moves to a spot where the fine mist hits his face and he will drink his fill When he is finished he simply walks away. I could no way give him the water he wants without having drainage. I have two hibiscus plants in his cage and they would not thrive without the daily mistings. (my enclosure dries out between mistings and Rebel loves his fruits and veggies as well as the hibiscus leaves).
I can just say what I have seen with my veiled Rebel. He LOVES his 4-5 minute misting sessions. I also hand mist so I get to watch him drink almost every time I mist. I have also seen him drink from his dripper. I never spray him directly but when I start misting he moves to a spot where the fine mist hits his face and he will drink his fill When he is finished he simply walks away. I could no way give him the water he wants without having drainage. I have two hibiscus plants in his cage and they would not thrive without the daily mistings. (my enclosure dries out between mistings and Rebel loves his fruits and veggies as well as the hibiscus leaves).
Chameleopatrick
New Member
Please understand hydration needs versus total wash outs. The difference is healthy chams.
VigilantSpearIII
New Member
My 3 cents here... I don't use drainage trays. My chameleons are perfectly hydrated. I don't think over watering is bad, but it is unnecessary and may lead to mold problems that I see many other keepers battle with. The key is to pack enclosures with foliage...I'm not kidding, stuff it!
Chameleopatrick
New Member
The key isn't packing or stuffing plants at all. The key is balancing air flow and water. The key is to use enough water without saturating the environment. Your theory of more plants actually stagnates airflow and doesn't address excess water long term. Sure the plants can soak up one good watering, but what about twenty heavy watering sessions in a row?
After reading many of your posts vigilant, you need to take a big step back and acquire some knowledge when it comes to proper chameleon care. You are very quick to offer your opinions, but they appear to be developed from partial,or inaccurate info. There are a few experienced keepers in this forum that are trying to reduce the misinformation like you keep presenting.
Mike Fisher
Established Member
LOL, mine never start out that way, but they do get to the point where they block the lights and I have prune them back or propagate half of them into another enclosure. I use a fan near my enclosures, but not blowing directly on them. I feel this is hugely important especially if you automate your misting systems and use longer cycle times.
A lot of people say chameleons hate wind so you should never use a fan. Well, even on the calmest days, there is a slight breeze. They are never in a totally stagnant environment until we bring them indoors. Mine will actually move towards the breeze sometimes and the slight movement of the leaves makes their environment more like home. And it can help prevent URI's.
Chameleopatrick
New Member
Fans are almost as important as water and light in my opinion. Blowing air on a wet chameleon, probably isn't a good idea, but fans creating air movement is beneficial to say the least for many reasons. The moving leaves because of airflow stimulates your chams to move just as it does in the wild. The minimization of URI because of air movement can't be overstated.
Mike Fisher
Established Member
Agreed. I had one with a mild URI when he came in. I started the Reptaid but after a week it was not working as well as I'd hoped. After re-positioning the fan it was gone in a couple of days. He looked much better after a day and was symptom free in two. Good thing because he hated the taste of the meds and I felt bad giving it to him.
VigilantSpearIII
New Member
The key isn't packing or stuffing plants at all. The key is balancing air flow and water. The key is to use enough water without saturating the environment. Your theory of more plants actually stagnates airflow and doesn't address excess water long term. Sure the plants can soak up one good watering, but what about twenty heavy watering sessions in a row?
After reading many of your posts vigilant, you need to take a big step back and acquire some knowledge when it comes to proper chameleon care. You are very quick to offer your opinions, but they appear to be developed from partial,or inaccurate info. There are a few experienced keepers in this forum that are trying to reduce the misinformation like you keep presenting.
I'm giving advice, if you disagree...deal with it. I hate to burst your bubble kid, but the forum is full of people with varying ideas. You know, I even heard that there actually people that don't have the same opinion as you...gasp...I am as shocked too.
I'm sorry my chameleons should have died years ago according to you huh? Let me check...nope! They're still alive. Do not think because you have a sheep following of people that do it one way, that one way is the only way. Most books written by supposed pro keepers are wrong, a lot of the information I see online is wrong. I am not out to correct whoever disagrees here, but you are calling me out. Please be careful and cease your know it all attitude. You do not know it all. You are just another online member, and your heroic attempt to try and chastise my opinions are a fail.
If my opinion, that is based on my problem free experience of 9+ years, does not agree with you...Deal with it. This is a forum and we all have an opinion. Please take a step back and realize that you are not an expert authority, just another member.
Have a nice day.
Chameleopatrick
New Member
VigilantSpearIII
New Member
The irony....
It was meant as sarcasm, directed at you. If you want to continue debating, we can move this to 4chan or Reddit, I think you would feel more comfortable in that type of a forum. This forum is about offering advice for chameleon care. I will stop with my posts here, it is unfair to the OP.
My point of view on watering still stands, a good amount of plant matter in a cage allows humidity levels to maintain and keep chameleon hydration up. It does not become stagnant and I believe that it is perfectly fine for chameleons with little to no risk of respiratory infection. I do not use a fan, except on extremely hot days when it is 100+.
Chameleopatrick
New Member
Before thinking about drainage, stop, think about how and where water is used versus getting rid of the excess.
Hello.
I am new to Chameleons, even if I have kept other animals, including those living in rainforests, for 30+ years.
Now I have bought a couple of Jacksonii.
So, why keep the cage dry at night?
Presumably it rains as much during the night as during the day.
If this is true and if temperature is above freezing, the humidity should increase and not decrease during the night. Still noone has questioned this statement in 16 pages.
/ Fredrik
I am new to Chameleons, even if I have kept other animals, including those living in rainforests, for 30+ years.
Now I have bought a couple of Jacksonii.
So, why keep the cage dry at night?
Presumably it rains as much during the night as during the day.
If this is true and if temperature is above freezing, the humidity should increase and not decrease during the night. Still noone has questioned this statement in 16 pages.
/ Fredrik
TreeTopChameleons
Established Member
I think generally speaking, at night it is a fair bit cooler than your daytime temperatures. Your chameleon is sleeping, therefor is not active and does not require hydration. Also if you are constantly misting you could run the risk of mold or bacterial build up because your cage is never dry. A constantly wet environment can also increase the chances of respiratory problems for your chameleon.
I say this as someone who has housed many chameleons, tho I am not a vet, so my thoughts are basically just educated guesses. Maybe one of the forum vets can chime in and put your question to bed if I have not adequately answered it for you
I say this as someone who has housed many chameleons, tho I am not a vet, so my thoughts are basically just educated guesses. Maybe one of the forum vets can chime in and put your question to bed if I have not adequately answered it for you
In an enclosure inside the house, it would be extremely difficult to have high humidity all the time and not have mold issues. It is also possible for bacteria to breed in almost any conditions, but constant high humidity and temps above 41 degrees would make it ideal. For most of us, it would seem unreasonable to think we would have enough time to monitor our enclosures that intensely to prevent or fix these issues. In a zoo you could have a staff dedicated to monitor conditions, but in our homes we are the only ones, and we (unfortunately) have other priorities.
Also, I would think the heating of the day would generally cause rain to be more abundant (it does in Florida) but there is nothing that says having misting at night is wrong. I'm not sure if there would be any benefit, but not saying there isn't. Plenty of people have their chams outside, and they cant control when it rains
.
ridgebax1
Avid Member
It does rain at night but in the chameleon's natural habitat the temperatures are not like the environments in which an enclosure is kept. I do not (at least on purpose) keep my dripper going 24/7 nor do I mist at night. It gets cold in my house in the winter months so if the poor chameleon is trapped in this box with water dripping or blowing on him he has no where to go to get out of it. I think that is asking for problems, so no watering at night at my house. Omar's cage is heavily planted for the express purpose of using the excess water rather than having to drain it into a bucket. He also HATES getting misted, he runs from it every time. His urates are white so he seems to be getting enough moisture; if I am concerned about it I do mist an extra time or two during the day.
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