Rodent bottle for Cham?

[Basilisk09]

Hey guys,
So I'm still trying to figure out a way to hydrate my male panther cham and get him to stop drinking water from the floor of his cage, and I was wondering if a rodent bottle would work. He used to follow the orange spray bottle around and lick the tip where the water sprayed out. I figured a rodent bottle give him water whenever he wanted it if he just licked the ball bearing. The only question I have is if he would be strong enough to push the ball bearing in? Anyone else try this?

 

[camimom]

Hey guys,
So I'm still trying to figure out a way to hydrate my male panther cham and get him to stop drinking water from the floor of his cage, and I was wondering if a rodent bottle would work. He used to follow the orange spray bottle around and lick the tip where the water sprayed out. I figured a rodent bottle give him water whenever he wanted it if he just licked the ball bearing. The only question I have is if he would be strong enough to push the ball bearing in? Anyone else try this?

No. it is called a rodent bottle for a reason. go to petco or petsmart, get a big little dripper. (yes thats what its called) set it up so that he drips slowly, but not a drip an hour, and set it so the drops from the hose land on a leaf.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Honestly, if he can figure it out I don't see any problem with using it! It doesn't take much strength at all to be able to push the little ball in.

However, if you did decide to try it make sure you watch him closely so you don't think he's drinking when he's actually not!

 

[camimom]

Honestly, if he can figure it out I don't see any problem with using it! It doesn't take much strength at all to be able to push the little ball in.

i wouldnt think theyd be able to figure that out, since they cant see that there is water there.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

My panther knows to open his mouth for a syringe even though he can't see the water. If he figures it out I don't see why he couldn't use it. Obviously if he can't then it won't be a good option. No harm in trying imo.

 

[camimom]

My panther knows to open his mouth for a syringe even though he can't see the water. If he figures it out I don't see why he couldn't use it. Obviously if he can't then it won't be a good option. No harm in trying imo.

Hmm. I guess. I just figured they wouldnt drink if they couldnt see the water was there.

 

[ShortStack]

No. it is called a rodent bottle for a reason. go to petco or petsmart, get a big little dripper. (yes thats what its called) set it up so that he drips slowly, but not a drip an hour, and set it so the drops from the hose land on a leaf.

Actually... it being a "rodent" bottle means nothing.. since mine drinks from hers (And his) daily...

 

[millerman6401]

if you pushed the ball in whith your finger the first few times to allow it to drip im sure hed get used to it. Also with almost every bottle ive had they always drip slowly to some extent, never had one that held every bit of water

 

[camimom]

if you pushed the ball in whith your finger the first few times to allow it to drip im sure hed get used to it. Also with almost every bottle ive had they always drip slowly to some extent, never had one that held every bit of water

I must be lucky then, cuz every rodent botttle Ive had has held water until it was being used.

 

[Elizadolots]

I was going to note that a number of people here have said they use them successfully. From my experience with rodents, the ones with an actual ball tend to drip less than those with a little "plunger". One nice thing is there are now a number with tops that open so they can be filled while still attached to the cage.

 

[Willardi]

Hey guys,
So I'm still trying to figure out a way to hydrate my male panther cham and get him to stop drinking water from the floor of his cage, and I was wondering if a rodent bottle would work. He used to follow the orange spray bottle around and lick the tip where the water sprayed out. I figured a rodent bottle give him water whenever he wanted it if he just licked the ball bearing. The only question I have is if he would be strong enough to push the ball bearing in? Anyone else try this?

If he is willing to drink water from the floor of his cage, why don't you just put a water bowl in his cage, elevate or don't, just keep the water clean. Just saying is all.

 

[SamanthaElle]

Hey guys,
So I'm still trying to figure out a way to hydrate my male panther cham and get him to stop drinking water from the floor of his cage, and I was wondering if a rodent bottle would work. He used to follow the orange spray bottle around and lick the tip where the water sprayed out. I figured a rodent bottle give him water whenever he wanted it if he just licked the ball bearing. The only question I have is if he would be strong enough to push the ball bearing in? Anyone else try this?

In a really weird way, this seems like it could work. The cheaper rodent bottles drip constantly...so maybe it could work like a dripper and also provide water readily?

I don't know! Your cham might just catch on to it!

 

[Stanly]

Seems some have done it, tho I would think a dripper would create a more natural drinking response, tho for my panther all I've used is a mister (my jacksons is more stubborn about drinking so I resorted to a dripper along with misting for him)

I've also heard if you put a full rodent bottle near a light the heat will cause it to drip due to the expansion.

How much are you misting? I would think he would drink off the leaves, maybe try longer misting sessions (some times helps to stimulate drinking).

Drinking standing water off the cage floor sure doesn't sound healthy (glad your fixing it), with crickets and poop it's prime breeding ground for nastiness.
Have you considered making some holes and setting up some sort of drainage/ catch basin?

 

[Basilisk09]

Hey guys, thanks for all the responses. I thought about the rodent bottle since he chased the spray bottle around before I even sprayed water out of it, and he would even lick it before I sprayed. It has a large orange tip so I think he recognized it as water. I think I'll try it and see how it works out. hes been on superworms that I monitor, so there are never lingering insects in his cage. I also try to keep the base clean, but I am worried about how clean it can really be, which is why i wanted to keep him away from it. I figured a bowl, but I don't think it would be good long term since I have 3 more to change already lol. Thanks for your responses, if I get a dripper, I'll post it's success.

 

[burnedrose]

I've taken a regular ol plastic container, poked a few pin holes in it and filled it with water. It drips out slowly and keeps up humidity nicely, as it drips at the rate of maybe 1 drop every 10 seconds or so. The chams loved it because it helped keep a nice area moist and another area dry, so they had a constant water supply. The container would last the whole work day. I used a mister now, but I always have a plastic container ready, just in case my mister breaks or we get a power outage.

 

[dreamforthedead]

My panther knows to open his mouth for a syringe even though he can't see the water. If he figures it out I don't see why he couldn't use it. Obviously if he can't then it won't be a good option. No harm in trying imo.

Both my chams and my beardie have also learnt to drink from a syringe so i think he could pick it up pretty quickly.. All the bottles i've had have dripped tiny bits of water when not being used too so im sure he'd see the drip.

 

[Carlton]

I've had issues with the typical drippers, even back before they were commercially available (do some of you remember working with IV bags and tubing?). Always struggled to get the drip rate just right and fiddling around with valves that leaked or clogged every day or so. That's why I rely on either hand or auto misting, syringes, and a humidifier instead. However, for my leaf frogs I tried attaching perforated aquarium tubing to larger dripper reservoirs and looped it through plants so it formed lots of drips in a small area instead of just one (sort of a small scale rain bar). You'd need more cage drainage of course but it might stimulate more drinking over time, especially for a cham that prefers staying under cover.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

(do some of you remember working with IV bags and tubing?)

I still use it! Plenty available and it's free. Tubing hotglued to a plastic cup works really well. I was considering using bags too when I had a bunch of empty ones the other day...

 

[sandrachameleon]

I dont imagine a rodent bottle would hold as much water (or be as cheap as) making your own dripper container. But if you observe that he drinks from it sufficiently, isnt likely to hurt. Make sure you clean the tube and bottle periodically.

 

[Elizadolots]

I dont imagine a rodent bottle would hold as much water (or be as cheap as) making your own dripper container. But if you observe that he drinks from it sufficiently, isnt likely to hurt. Make sure you clean the tube and bottle periodically.

The term "rodent bottle" is inaccurate. This type of "water dispensing bottle" is used with substantially larger animals than typical pet rodents. We have one on our dogs' cage (yes, we crate them at night) that holds 32 ounces of water. This one holds a half gallon.