Water dish

[blschultz]

So I was wondering if this was wierd... both of my chameleons drink outta a water dish. Both of the dishes have fish tank bubblers in them. I was just wondering if this was normal. I had just read everywhere that they wouldn't even understand what a water dish was but mine do.

 

[reptilover]

So I was wondering if this was wierd... both of my chameleons drink outta a water dish. Both of the dishes have fish tank bubblers in them. I was just wondering if this was normal. I had just read everywhere that they wouldn't even understand what a water dish was but mine do.

U are the luckiest person on earth. Can we see a pic of your setup? if so make sure ur water is AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE. changes once to twice perday

 

[zjuckett]

Maybe because it's bubbling? Could you possibly tape it? That'd be a cool thing to watch.

 

[Carlton]

So I was wondering if this was wierd... both of my chameleons drink outta a water dish. Both of the dishes have fish tank bubblers in them. I was just wondering if this was normal. I had just read everywhere that they wouldn't even understand what a water dish was but mine do.

Sure it can happen, but it's not very common. Chams have to learn to recognize water sources just like anything else. Water that moves is the key. Just as they have to learn how drippers work and that they can drink after the cage is magically sprayed with water droplets. If they happened to be attracted to the bubbling (shiny and moving), tested it, and realized it was water, they could certainly decide to drink that way. That's also one reason many newbies think fountains are a good idea.

I had a wc verrucosus who would lick water off everything including my hand or a plate once he was "primed" by a heavy misting session. I also rescued a nearly dead female jax who kept herself hydrated by perching on the rim of a tabletop fountain in the path of the splatter for hours at a time.

Just keep your dishes super clean (as you would your misters or drippers anyway) and enjoy the show.

 

[KylieT]

I've been dealing with my cham having huge dehydration. Ive tried showers, misting directly, drippers, and a syringe. Today I put a bowl in and she's been drinking regularly all day. You're not the only one out there. Uhura (10 mos) was raised by a woman who only used a dripper caught in a bowl and the pet store only used a dripper and bowl as well. We all have special babies.

Mine doesn't have a bubbler in it.

 

[Carlton]

I've been dealing with my cham having huge dehydration. Ive tried showers, misting directly, drippers, and a syringe. Today I put a bowl in and she's been drinking regularly all day. You're not the only one out there. Uhura (10 mos) was raised by a woman who only used a dripper caught in a bowl and the pet store only used a dripper and bowl as well. We all have special babies.

Mine doesn't have a bubbler in it.

What is your cage humidity (right after spraying and right before) and how do you measure it? If the overall cage and room air is dry (you are in Montana right?), your cham can still get quite dehydrated even with lots of spraying. Evaporation can be fast enough that the cham simply can't get enough to drink before each misting dries out again. Also, as they are adapted to humid environments their physiology is not very good at conserving water...for example, they lose a lot of body moisture through digestion and respiration. Desert critters tend to have more complex nasal passages that trap water vapor before it is exhaled. If she's drinking all day from a bowl she is still losing ground. If her hydration level is stable she probably won't drink from the bowl very often. Chams who venture down to the ground to search for water are taking risks so they prefer not to do it given a choice.

 

[KylieT]

I live in a basement and have to have a dehumidifier to keep the mold growth at bay. It registers 50-80 RH depending on the time of year. The cage humidity stays at 80 for awhile after misting but only drops to about 60 I have a hygrometer for measuring it. The plants stay wet for 3ish hours after misting.
I don't think that she sees it as taking a risk because up until I had her she was raised in a 50 Gallon aquarium and she was always close enough to get to it. She has weird habits that I have attributed to her raising. I've only had her for about 3 weeks.
Today is also the first day that I have had a bowl in there. it is my last resort. she may be just taking today as an opportunity to get the water she needs. I plan to watch her and keep an eye on it so that I can monitor how much she is relying on it.

 

[blschultz]

U are the luckiest person on earth. Can we see a pic of your setup? if so make sure ur water is AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE. changes once to twice perday

Maybe because it's bubbling? Could you possibly tape it? That'd be a cool thing to watch.

I'll def try to get some pics up of the setup later today and video of one of them drinking.... might take a while before I'm able to get video tho, they almost never do anything that I want them to do, at least not when I have my camera on my, lol