Water

[Jaxonii]

Hey guys,

My new jackson's chameleon gets very stressed and shows his really dark patterns when I mist his cage. Is this normal? Should I be misting in a non-invasive way?


Also, I am concerned he is not getting enough water. when I mist and drip, the water dropping from leaves drys very quickly and I have never actually seen him drink. How can I make sure he is hydrated? Thanks,

-Nick

 

[xeonic]

Sounds like you need a better drip system. How is your drip system setup?
As for the misting's try not to mist the chameleon itself. If it can't be helped it wont hurt your chameleon any. Most chameleons don't like being misted.

 

[Jaxonii]

I use the little dripper (found in most reptile stores) it is basically a jug with a slow drip valve put in. I also use an empty plastic tub with some pinholes in the bottom. How often and for how long should I have water dripping?

 

[Solid Snake]

Most chameleons are going to "freak" when it starts raining, or they are misted because it effects their body temp. They are always aware of their body temp, and are always regulating it. So sudden changes bother them.
The cham will relax after a few moments though, and enjoy it.

I would recommend having a dripper going, anytime the chameleon is awake.

You may need to mist longer and/or more often, if things are drying out quickly.

To make sure he is hydrated, you should keep an eye on his urates.
It should be white, the whiter the better. (in this case)
If it is orange, or yellow, it is an indication that he is dehydrated.

 

[Miss Lily]

Using hotter water can make misting time more enjoyable. I use hand hot water in my mister which cools to room temps and is not such a shock to them as cold water is. Nobody likes a cold shower, and chams are no exception!

 

[blackhawk007]

I kinda pieced my misting system together with parts form all over. My first mist nozzle came from Mist King and it sprays nicely. The other two came from LLLReptile and are slightly different and spray completely different. The ones from LLL require full pressure or they just kinda drip. When they are under full pressure they create a very very fine mist that Memphis seems to like. I say that he likes it because he goes climbing and running towards those nozzles each time the turn on. The mist king nozzle he has always stayed completely away from. I hope this is of some help.

 

[Jaxonii]

Thanks guys, I'll try all these things. I like the idea of warm water

 

[alex arango]

i use water fauntains from target, they are about 30 bucs each.
i find these WAYY better than the ones they sell at pet stores like petsmart or petco.
i have 2 waterfalls that i purchased from petco and i didnt really see them drink out of them that much. i have used these fpr about 2 years now and i see them drinking all the time.
i hang mine to almost the top of there cage. when i was using the waterfalls from petco i couldnt hang them so they would be at the bottom off there cage witch could be why they wernt drinking much also.
i highly suggest you try one of the water fauntains from target i have seen them drink alot more than the petco ones and i know alot of cham owners also use these water fauntains or from another store except for petco or petsmart.

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

i use water fauntains from target, they are about 30 bucs each.
i find these WAYY better than the ones they sell at pet stores like petsmart or petco.
i have 2 waterfalls that i purchased from petco and i didnt really see them drink out of them that much. i have used these fpr about 2 years now and i see them drinking all the time.
i hang mine to almost the top of there cage. when i was using the waterfalls from petco i couldnt hang them so they would be at the bottom off there cage witch could be why they wernt drinking much also.
i highly suggest you try one of the water fauntains from target i have seen them drink alot more than the petco ones and i know alot of cham owners also use these water fauntains or from another store except for petco or petsmart.

If you get water fountains you need to clean them EVERY day, they harbour bacteria very easily especially because chameleons view them as toilets.

 

[alex arango]

oh really? i didnt know that. i clean them once a week, could they have gottin sick by anychance for not cleaning them everyday? is once a week really that bad? even if they dont drink one day or there is no poop that i can see i would still have to clean them everyday?

 

[Elizadolots]

alex, would you be able to show us a picture of the "target" waterfall? I can't find it on their website. If you have them hanging high in the cage, it's possible the chameleon does not see them as toilet opportunities. I think when most of us read "waterfall" we think of one on the bottom of the cage.

 

[alex arango]

alex, would you be able to show us a picture of the "target" waterfall? I can't find it on their website. If you have them hanging high in the cage, it's possible the chameleon does not see them as toilet opportunities. I think when most of us read "waterfall" we think of one on the bottom of the cage.

they are not target "waterfalls" they are target water fauntains. the waterfalls i was talking about and that i used to use befor i started using the target water "fauntains" are the ones they sell at pet stores not target.
the water fauntains i buy from target arnt ment for hanging them but they are square so they are easy to hang.
the first pic is kinda dark to i took a closer one.
if your woundering what the orange stuff under the rocks is, it's what i used to glue down the rocks because my male xanth would climb all over them and they would fall all the time so i glued them.

 

[JackP308]

I'm big fan of ultrasonic cool mist humidifiers. Cheap $25 ones from lowes. They will even leave droplets on the leaves from the cool mist.

 

[alex arango]

I'm big fan of ultrasonic cool mist humidifiers. Cheap $25 ones from lowes. They will even leave droplets on the leaves from the cool mist.

is that your only water source? so you dont need to spray them anymore or have a water fauntain/waterfall in there cage? how many time does it mist a day? does it mist automaticlly more than once a day? i have never used one so im not sure how it works but sound pretty cool

 

[JackP308]

I use it in addition to me either manually spraying , misting system or dripper which I rarely use.


I like to use humidifier for cooler species that like humidity and extra moisture.

 

[Elizadolots]

Thank you Alex. I still can't find that on the Target site, but the pictures are very helpful. Using that the way you do, I don't think it looks as much like a biohazard as what we typically think a fountain or waterfall will be. Can I assume you add water every day and then clean it once a week? It's a pretty creative idea.

 

[alex arango]

yes it runs low every day or so mostly every other day i add water and clean them all once a week, im starting to think i should clean them everyday or every other day cause of what KarmaChameleon1337 said.

 

[Elizadolots]

If you could do that it wouldn't be bad. I do think your set up is less likely to be a problem than the typical "I have a waterfall" or "I have a fountain" situation. But the more you can clean, the better.

Do you ever find poop when you clean? If the answer is yes, then definitely clean as often as possible.