HELP / INPUT needed from all forum members

[Klyde O'Scope]

What about type of water? Could minerals stimulate hunger or some other need?

 

[kinyonga]

I don't use misters...I water every other day, 1/4 gallon water each viv, my plants are orchids, ficus, pothos, my furcifur purdalis males & females all ages from newborn-adult do not eat the plants

Do they nibble the branches like most Panther chameleons are known to do though?

 

[Sonny13]

What about indoor/outdoor/seasonal?

The red line for question is based on my own observations, because the sudden shifting from eating all plants, to none. And hoped the find in relation in the answer from others. Off-course you can always add parameters, hoped that wasn´t needed.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Didn't you eat pie on Pi day (March 14th)?

Yeah, but that was over 2 weeks ago!
I like pie, but pie doesn't like me. Too fattening.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

The red line for question is based on my own observations, because the sudden shifting from eating all plants, to none. And hoped the find in relation in the answer from others. Off-course you can always add parameters, hoped that wasn´t needed.

So much for "always open for input."

 

[kinyonga]

The red line for question is based on my own observations, because the sudden shifting from eating all plants, to none. And hoped the find in relation in the answer from others. Off-course you can always add parameters, hoped that wasn´t needed.

Might not only be seasonal...could be to do with their cycle. I've found that veiled females strip pothos plants bare when they are gravid.

 

[kinyonga]

I think this study goes deeper than we all might think!
It's something I would like to see answers to. I think they eat vegetation and maybe fruit in some cases for more than one reason.

 

[Sonny13]

I figured that was why you were asking...or maybe you wanted to know if the water on the leaves made the chameleons eat them sort of by accident....but then maybe they eat some of them because they're trying to get a bug that is on the leaf and their sticky tongues grab the leaf too?

No....i believe a bit if they´re fully hydrated, they want eat leaves, this in combination with their mental state (husbandry wise). I only mist 3 times at night for 1 minute and fog 6 times 15 minutes, and around 09:00am there´s visible any more. And I don´t use a dripper.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I've found that veiled females strip pothos plants bare when they are gravid.

My beardie strips pothos plants when they're there. He's a stinker.

 

[Sonny13]

So much for "always open for input."

Needed a starting point

 

[kinyonga]

No....i believe a bit if they´re fully hydrated, they want eat leaves, this in combination with their mental state (husbandry wise). I only mist 3 times at night for 1 minute and fog 6 times 15 minutes, and around 09:00am there´s visible any more. And I don´t use a dripper.

You said you think if they're fully hydrated they won't eat the leaves....then veiled females must need water from the leaves in addition to the water from the misting, etc?

 

[kinyonga]

I'm glad you started this whole thing @Sonny13 ...one way or another we may learn a lot from this all!

 

[Sonny13]

You said you think if they're fully hydrated they won't eat the leaves....then veiled females must need water from the leaves in addition to the water from the misting, etc?

Just a quote from this interesting article, which really start believing, because I´ve noticed the same. https://archaius.eu/_files/200000207-7672376725/Archaius 1 4 2020 Fog-Drinking 8-28.pdf

I have seen them thousands of times drink in captivity. Many people would swear chameleons are heavy drinkers. like Yemen chameleons ,Meller’s chameleons, and Parson’s chameleons. Even myself, with all my experience have not seen chameleons drinking so much in captivity like the others have reported. So, I must have done something different than all the others, right?.Finally, I came to the extreme conclusion: CHAMELEONS DO NOT DRINK IN THE WILD(of course, they do,but much, much less, than we think).And, my colleagues confirmed my observations: JAN STIPALA IN LITT.:CARL CATTAU IN LITT:NICOLA LUTZMANN IN VERB.;CHRIS ANDERSON IN LITT.;with the remark, that especially the montane species are almost never observed to drink in the wild.Then, the logical question arises, How they do it?They seem not to drink liquid water, and despite this stay perfectly hydrated. With very few exceptions, and this al-ways only towards the end of dry season in the savanna, I have almost never seen a chameleon heavily dehydrated.

 

[kinyonga]

Just a quote from this interesting article, which really start believing, because I´ve noticed the same. https://archaius.eu/_files/200000207-7672376725/Archaius 1 4 2020 Fog-Drinking 8-28.pdf

I have seen them thousands of times drink in captivity. Many people would swear chameleons are heavy drinkers. like Yemen chameleons ,Meller’s chameleons, and Parson’s chameleons. Even myself, with all my experience have not seen chameleons drinking so much in captivity like the others have reported. So, I must have done something different than all the others, right?.Finally, I came to the extreme conclusion: CHAMELEONS DO NOT DRINK IN THE WILD(of course, they do,but much, much less, than we think).And, my colleagues confirmed my observations: JAN STIPALA IN LITT.:CARL CATTAU IN LITT:NICOLA LUTZMANN IN VERB.;CHRIS ANDERSON IN LITT.;with the remark, that especially the montane species are almost never observed to drink in the wild.Then, the logical question arises, How they do it?They seem not to drink liquid water, and despite this stay perfectly hydrated. With very few exceptions, and this al-ways only towards the end of dry season in the savanna, I have almost never seen a chameleon heavily dehydrated.

I've heard this many times. Petr Necas says they hydrate from the fog at night as well...but they still eat leaves for some reason. Petr says it's as fiber to move the food through the digestive system.

I don't think the female veileds eat the leaves to hydrate, so IMHO there has to be another reason for them eating the leaves. Does it make sense that they would need to eat so many leaves only when gravid to be used as fiber?

 

[Beman]

BUMP.........it started okay, then it crashed. Input at the moment is 6 members and 8 animals. Thanks for the input......we need more it only takes a minute
@CasqueAbove @Beman @JacksJill @jannb @AmandaS @redhorse @kinyonga @jamest0o0 @Multivitamins @ERKleRose @Shanar808 @Pickle-cham @PabloTheCham @GrayMadder @nightanole

ok so number 10 has two answers because I have larger cages too. My min is 24x24x48, and I have a 30x24x48 and 48x24x48.

121321113(2&3)21

 

[Ambilobe123]

male: 221411212322
female: 211(other- 30x16x32)11112322

 

[AmandaS]

111221212221
121221212221

 

[AmandaS]

BUMP.........it started okay, then it crashed. Input at the moment is 6 members and 8 animals. Thanks for the input......we need more it only takes a minute
@CasqueAbove @Beman @JacksJill @jannb @AmandaS @redhorse @kinyonga @jamest0o0 @Multivitamins @ERKleRose @Shanar808 @Pickle-cham @PabloTheCham @GrayMadder @nightanole

Hey, sorry. I never got a notification for this tag.

 

[Sonny13]

I've heard this many times. Petr Necas says they hydrate from the fog at night as well...but they still eat leaves for some reason. Petr says it's as fiber to move the food through the digestive system.

I don't think the female veileds eat the leaves to hydrate, so IMHO there has to be another reason for them eating the leaves.

I true believe in it, I fog the complete tree she sleeps in, therefore she sleeps in a cloud of fog from midnight till the lights go on. And since I´ve been doing this she stopped for 85% with eating plants, last 15% was for the larger enclosure with massive foliage.

Does it make sense that they would need to eat so many leaves only when gravid to be used as fiber? That I don´t know, she´s now receptive for the first time, maybe in a couple weeks I´ve noticed the same.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Just a quote from this interesting article, which really start believing, because I´ve noticed the same. https://archaius.eu/_files/200000207-7672376725/Archaius 1 4 2020 Fog-Drinking 8-28.pdf

I have seen them thousands of times drink in captivity. Many people would swear chameleons are heavy drinkers. like Yemen chameleons ,Meller’s chameleons, and Parson’s chameleons. Even myself, with all my experience have not seen chameleons drinking so much in captivity like the others have reported. So, I must have done something different than all the others, right?.Finally, I came to the extreme conclusion: CHAMELEONS DO NOT DRINK IN THE WILD(of course, they do,but much, much less, than we think).And, my colleagues confirmed my observations: JAN STIPALA IN LITT.:CARL CATTAU IN LITT:NICOLA LUTZMANN IN VERB.;CHRIS ANDERSON IN LITT.;with the remark, that especially the montane species are almost never observed to drink in the wild.Then, the logical question arises, How they do it?They seem not to drink liquid water, and despite this stay perfectly hydrated. With very few exceptions, and this al-ways only towards the end of dry season in the savanna, I have almost never seen a chameleon heavily dehydrated.

What I'm wondering is, where is all this water/hydration going?

Birds, reptiles and desert dwelling animals excrete uric acid as a semi-solid material in their gut excreta, by a complicated, high energy-demanding process. Yet this has the advantage of conserving much-needed water.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5512146/

I've seen my chameleon drink, and his excreta are relatively dry—just enough moisture (I'm guessing) to pass comfortably.

OTOH, my bearded dragon, who has never drunk a drop of water in his entire life, excretes a veritable pool of water along with his excreta—every single time.

So how is it that an ostensibly arid-dwelling lizard excretes excess water, while a rainforest dweller who drinks (and ostensibly absorbs) so much water, doesn't excrete one extra drop? Hmmm?

Where's it all going?