Turningdoc
New Member
Noob question. How do you set up your drippers. How long do you run them and how long do you let dry out between? (yes, I did use search fxn. Believe it or not thread were all weak on info)
Dripper
- Thread starter Turningdoc
- Start date
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
It's a bit hard to answer very specifically because so much depends on your individual setup, your cham species and age, the temps and humidity you are trying to maintain in your location. I think most of us use a combination of drippers and hand or auto misting to regulate cage moisture. You want two basic things...to provide moving water for the cham to drink directly, and to raise the cage air humidity. Personally, I never got along all that well with drippers starting years ago with medical supply IV setups to the drippers sold by herp stores. I just never got the drip rate or duration I wanted. They either dripped too fast and emptied the jug before the cham decided it wanted to get a drink, or they dripped too slow and never captured the cham's attention or clogged completely. If your cham happens to be thirsty it may notice the dripping and take action sooner than one that isn't. The dripper may not last long enough for a thorough drink if your cham doesn't happen to learn that's where to go for water. Not all chams take to a dripper so don't assume yours will.
Once you start the dripper let it run until the jug is empty. The drip rate you'll have to experiment with yourself as every setup and every dripper is going to behave a little differently. No dripper is going to create so much splashing that it drowns the cage as long as you have the right sized catch pan below. If your dripper jug is a quart size you'll need a quart size catch pan below.
You want to arrange the dripper tube so the droplets splash the surface of a leaf or clump of leaves and even get partially held there, partially pool on the top, or at least create motion to attract the cham's attention. It seems simpler to just aim the drip into a plant pot, but you can end up rotting and killing the plant. Don't bother trying.
Many chams tend to start drinking if you mist the cage first, then set the dripper going once they have the idea that its time for a drink (like during or right after rain in the wild...I think of it as priming the pump).
A dripper alone in a screen cage won't usually be enough moisture to maintain cage humidity on its own. There isn't enough water volume evaporating all over the cage surfaces.
My own watering preference is still hand misting (or auto misting depending on where I live, work schedule, and the climate) with some extra ultrasonic fogging as necessary during drier seasons.
Once you start the dripper let it run until the jug is empty. The drip rate you'll have to experiment with yourself as every setup and every dripper is going to behave a little differently. No dripper is going to create so much splashing that it drowns the cage as long as you have the right sized catch pan below. If your dripper jug is a quart size you'll need a quart size catch pan below.
You want to arrange the dripper tube so the droplets splash the surface of a leaf or clump of leaves and even get partially held there, partially pool on the top, or at least create motion to attract the cham's attention. It seems simpler to just aim the drip into a plant pot, but you can end up rotting and killing the plant. Don't bother trying.
Many chams tend to start drinking if you mist the cage first, then set the dripper going once they have the idea that its time for a drink (like during or right after rain in the wild...I think of it as priming the pump).
A dripper alone in a screen cage won't usually be enough moisture to maintain cage humidity on its own. There isn't enough water volume evaporating all over the cage surfaces.
My own watering preference is still hand misting (or auto misting depending on where I live, work schedule, and the climate) with some extra ultrasonic fogging as necessary during drier seasons.
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Jac1582
New Member
Simplest method is to poke a tiny pin hole in the bottom of a plastic cup and fill it with water setting it ontop the screen and letting it drip down into the cage and have a dish to catch the water under the drips. I use a fog machine myself to keep humidity up and the water collects on the screen and drips down automatically, 2 in 1
Elizadolots
New Member
You can buy commercially made drippers, they aren't really expensive. If you want to go "home made" you can, as noted, just poke holes in a cup. Or you can get tubing and a valve from an aquarium store and use a plastic milk jug. Poke a hole smaller than the tube and shove the tube into the hole. You can get some control of the flow using the screw top but not a lot.
I think you should try to have a dripper going as much of the day as you can. I would say 2 hours is a minimum. I drip right onto the upper leaves of a plant, the drops then drip in different directions around the cage. My plant drains and it doesn't mind being wet so it works for me. As Carlton says, sometimes it works best to prime the pump. I tend to reverse the process, I start the drip then mist, mist, mist...I think either way works as well.
They can take quite awhile to decide it's okay to drink. I don't know why that is. Maybe in the wild the first rainwater is dirty from the upper leaves so a delayed reaction is actually healthier? I don't know....we could spend our lives trying to rationalize what they do.
I think you should try to have a dripper going as much of the day as you can. I would say 2 hours is a minimum. I drip right onto the upper leaves of a plant, the drops then drip in different directions around the cage. My plant drains and it doesn't mind being wet so it works for me. As Carlton says, sometimes it works best to prime the pump. I tend to reverse the process, I start the drip then mist, mist, mist...I think either way works as well.
They can take quite awhile to decide it's okay to drink. I don't know why that is. Maybe in the wild the first rainwater is dirty from the upper leaves so a delayed reaction is actually healthier? I don't know....we could spend our lives trying to rationalize what they do.
