Water Problem

[joeandsoph]

Hello again guys,

I know some of you have drainage systems in your enclosures, but we haven't. We're having a problem with the water in our enclosure. We have a small pot which collect the water from the dripping leaves but when the cloth over it gets wet it obviously goes on the floor. now we tried newspaper, but nothing seems to be soaking up the water. I was just wondering if you can recomend anything as we don't have a drainage system.

 

[Jevin]

What type of system are you using?

 

[Pure]

This has been a problem for me as well. What I've resorted to doing was I removed the newspaper substrate so now I have just bare glass and the flower pots in the bottom. After my misting session, I just use some paper towels to soak up the spots where it has pooled. I don't worry about the rest as it drys fast enough with the addition of the small fan I added on top of the cage.

Here is a pic of the top of the cage to show you what I mean. http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/xyshannen/Chaca%20the%20Chameleon/ChacasHabitat006.jpg

I'de love to hear what others who have no drainage have done.

 

[skyedog]

Hello again guys,

I know some of you have drainage systems in your enclosures, but we haven't. We're having a problem with the water in our enclosure. We have a small pot which collect the water from the dripping leaves but when the cloth over it gets wet it obviously goes on the floor. now we tried newspaper, but nothing seems to be soaking up the water. I was just wondering if you can recomend anything as we don't have a drainage system.

Do you have a pic of your enclosure that you can post? It may be easier to help figure out a solution for the drainage for you.

 

[Docility]

This has been a problem for me as well. What I've resorted to doing was I removed the newspaper substrate so now I have just bare glass and the flower pots in the bottom. After my misting session, I just use some paper towels to soak up the spots where it has pooled. I don't worry about the rest as it drys fast enough with the addition of the small fan I added on top of the cage.

Here is a pic of the top of the cage to show you what I mean. http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/xyshannen/Chaca%20the%20Chameleon/ChacasHabitat006.jpg

I'de love to hear what others who have no drainage have done.

lol...why do you have a fan on it?
ok so this is what i did to manage my drainage problem, and im using about 1.5 liters a day

i also added a small little waterfall pump to easily remove the water from the tray

 

[Dunnigan]

lol...why do you have a fan on it?
ok so this is what i did to manage my drainage problem, and im using about 1.5 liters a day

i also added a small little waterfall pump to easily remove the water from the tray

Where did you buy that tray!!! I do the same thing with my smaller cage but haven't been able to find a try large enough for the big cage yet!

 

[Docility]

amazon washing machine pan i got it for 32$ including shipping

 

[Pure]

lol...why do you have a fan on it?

Because It's a glass cage. I assumed the OP had something similar since drainage shouldn't be an issue in a screen cage.

 

[Docility]

Because It's a glass cage. I assumed the OP had something similar since drainage shouldn't be an issue in a screen cage.

not true drainage in a screen enclosure can be just as bad, but in a different sense. IE water sitting in the pan the enclosure may be in, or its draining, but all over the stand/ floor. those are the main drainage issues for screens.

just my opinion if you need a fan for his cage you may want to switch to a screen cage if your using it to add in fresh air, or use a smaller Watt bulb if you regulating temps like that.

 

[joeandsoph]

This has been a problem for me as well. What I've resorted to doing was I removed the newspaper substrate so now I have just bare glass and the flower pots in the bottom. After my misting session, I just use some paper towels to soak up the spots where it has pooled. I don't worry about the rest as it drys fast enough with the addition of the small fan I added on top of the cage.

Here is a pic of the top of the cage to show you what I mean. http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/xyshannen/Chaca%20the%20Chameleon/ChacasHabitat006.jpg

I'de love to hear what others who have no drainage have done.

Looks like you have a very very similar or if not the same cage as me. But we have no fan. Have been looking at them though. I wasn't sure weahter we should leave the bottom (glass) bare or if we definately needed something. Would be nice to have a drainage system but I'm worried it will wreck the cagebeing as it is glass.

 

[CNorton]

If you're running low on the cash (which might be all of us) you can let good ol' gravity do the work for you and do what I do! I set my screen cage on top of a PAINT TRAY. You can the really cheap way and get a paper, cardboard, or tin tray but I wanted mine to last longer than a week so I bought a huge plastic paint tray called a WOOSTER.>>>get one at any Lowe's or Home Depot

Since the WOOSTER doesn't fit the cage perfectly I just used some scrap wood to hold it up. Since the tray itself is slanted, all the water will flow down and pool in one spot. Since my big dripper that I bought came with two valves I decided to put the spare to good use. I used a wood boring bit to make a hole at the lowest point in the tray.

After installing the valve, I now have full control of the water level in the tray. If my humidity is running too low, I can just let the water stand for a little longer. I'll open that valve wide and have a bucket to catch all the excess water. Remember to close the valve when you go to empty the water bucket as you might get a wet carpet if your tray is still full of water.

Let me know what you guys think!

-Chad

 

[joeandsoph]

Great idea but I have no hole in the bottom of the glass cage? Will definately bear this in mind for when we get the mesh cage though.

 

[jojackson]

I think you will find any measures you use for drainage, or rather water collection in a glass cage will only be a bandaid solution and prove a nuisance to keep up with.
Glass can be drilled with the right tool, but I think it would be much easier to simply accelerate your plans for a screen cage. A screen cage is much preferred and gives you almost unlimited options for convenient drainage and collection.

That said, If your prepared to be emptying containers constantly, using something like a tupperware tub with a lid, under your dripper can work for you. Just cut away the inside of the lid, leaving an inch of rim all round and place some insect screen under the lid.
You still catch the water but bugs cant drown and neither can your chameleon.
constant emptying will still be nessesary though.

 

[Docility]

I think you will find any measures you use for drainage, or rather water collection in a glass cage will only be a bandaid solution and prove a nuisance to keep up with.
Glass can be drilled with the right tool, but I think it would be much easier to simply accelerate your plans for a screen cage. A screen cage is much preferred and gives you almost unlimited options for convenient drainage and collection.

That said, If your prepared to be emptying containers constantly, using something like a tupperware tub with a lid, under your dripper can work for you. Just cut away the inside of the lid, leaving an inch of rim all round and place some insect screen under the lid.
You still catch the water but bugs cant drown and neither can your chameleon.
constant emptying will still be nessesary though.

only way to do it in glass ^