Panther chameleon drinking from bowl.

[Arikemery]

I've had my sweet guy (1 year old) for 4 months now and I'm loving it! He has a good drip system and I mist multiple times a day. He eats well and is a very happy little dude. I have been noticing that every morning he is down by his bowl drinking from it, which I've heard from a few people is not normal. Seeing this, I've been changing it out with fresh water twice a day to avoid him getting any germs, but it's still been stressing me out a little. Does anyone else's Chams do this?

 

[Carlton]

I've had my sweet guy (1 year old) for 4 months now and I'm loving it! He has a good drip system and I mist multiple times a day. He eats well and is a very happy little dude. I have been noticing that every morning he is down by his bowl drinking from it, which I've heard from a few people is not normal. Seeing this, I've been changing it out with fresh water twice a day to avoid him getting any germs, but it's still been stressing me out a little. Does anyone else's Chams do this?

It's not common, but just means that at some point he learned that a bowl was a source of drinking water. Sometimes chams who haven't been kept correctly without access to dripping water learn this out of desperation. As long as you keep the bowl and water clean, it won't hurt him. If feeders and poop end up in the bowl that's when it could be a problem.

 

[fluxlizard]

IMO it shouldn't stress you out at all.

I used to use a drip system with catch bowls for all my chams (many years ago- I prefer misting and drainage now- no more filling reservoirs and dumping and cleaning catch bowls). Many- maybe most? veileds and panthers learned to drink from the catch bowls for the drips. Not out of desparation- they were drawn to the splashing at first when the drip filled the bowl, and over time many learned to drink out of the bowls even when no drip was going on. Drinking from the bowls made sense when it came to efficiency- far less effort involved in getting enough to drink from a bowl compared to water droplets.

Think about the rationale behind your stress for a moment- how many other lizards that are kept as pets drink standing water from a bowl? How many other lizards poop in their water bowls and still drink from them?

Not at all saying that you shouldn't change your water when it is fouled and shouldn't keep your bowls clean. I strongly encourage good hygene in your husbandry.

But chameleons are still lizards at the end of the day.

Magic doesn't happen in a bowl of water in their cage that doesn't also happen in any other lizard's bowl of standing water. The same stuff goes on in that bowl that goes in in a bearded dragon, leopard gecko, iguana, monitor lizard, collard lizard etc's bowl of water...

Just keep it clean and fresh and just in case, don't rely on him to always use it to slake his thirst- I never stopped dripping and providing a light misting morning and evening even when mine drank from the bowls.

 

[Psychobunny]

Dont worry about if it's normal or not, just be happy you are actually seeing him drinking. In many cases, cham hydration is very tricky, and it's not
unusual for them to get dehydrated.
Lots of ppl have NEVER even seen their chams drinking!!

Do what flux says

 

[rkruse3]

I would be thrilled if gizmo drank from a water bowl! Keep it clean and consider yourself fortunate