How to get a Jackson's to drink?

[torreyakatoe]

Hey all, I noticed my Jackson's Loki was a bit dehydrated (orange urates, the first time ever), but I didn't know why.
I use a handheld spray bottle to mist him off every morning for three minutes or so, have a continual dripper througout the day, and handspray him for 5 minutes when I get home.
I noticed that he only drinks water off of the leaves while he still feels water falling onto his head. If I stop spraying, he will look up with his mouth open even is there are large fresh, glistening droplets right in front of him. If he drinks no water other than in the couple minutes a day I squirt him, no wonder he is dehydrated.
How do I get him to drink?

 

[KrazyZen]

Add a water drip line on top a gallon container should last awhile . doing this will give you a little more insurance just in case you are not around and your jackson is very thirsty also check the humidity since these lizards are not a dry climate type reptile but more tropical. if you are only misting it when you get home from work then it sounds like you are not giving it enough water ... i myself mist the cages alot specially when my humidity is low since misting the plants and walls should bring it back up. the reason your jackson drinks off of leaves is because that's what they would do in the wild ... avoid leaving a water dish use a dripper instead allowing it to trickle on a leafy branch it can go to . cost pennies to make .

 

[leedragon]

maybe a rain system? so there would be droppes on the leaves while ha is feeling water dripping down on him

 

[KrazyZen]

Leedragon i forgot to mention depending where you are from you might wanna test your water if you just use tap water for it's hardness and atleast treat it with water conditioner to remove not just chlorine but also chlorimine or buy distilled water if you want or use R/O water if you happen to have a R/O unit hooked up. good luck

 

[KrazyZen]

oops i mean torrey ...sorry lack of sleep lol

 

[torreyakatoe]

Thanks guys. The humidity where I live is pretty high, and he drinks a lot while I'm misting him. He just doesn't register water droplets on leaves if there isn't water falling on him in the moment.

 

[Carlton]

Thanks guys. The humidity where I live is pretty high, and he drinks a lot while I'm misting him. He just doesn't register water droplets on leaves if there isn't water falling on him in the moment.

It sounds as if something like the Aquazamp or multiple drippers running at different times might work well for this guy, as he's stimulated by actively dripping water over a longer time. If he'll drink directly from a hand held syringe at least once a day you can keep closer track of how much he's getting. Let him drink until he tips his head straight up and turns away from the syringe. That's a sign he's "full".

What is the cage humidity level? If its high enough it will keep him from dehydrating between opportunities to get a full drink.

 

[LilBlue]

Check this out for a dripper. Just ran across this last night. They also have all other misting components, and at a great price.



http://www.leevalley.com/en/Garden/page.aspx?p=45922&cat=2,2280,54307&ap=2

 

[Lathis]

Check this out for a dripper. Just ran across this last night. They also have all other misting components, and at a great price.



http://www.leevalley.com/en/Garden/page.aspx?p=45922&cat=2,2280,54307&ap=2

That's really awesome! A very easy way to run multiple drip line. I might get one of those....

 

[torreyakatoe]

That's really awesome! A very easy way to run multiple drip line. I might get one of those....

That looks great. And it's super cheap, unlike Mistkings.

 

[Carlton]

Check this out for a dripper. Just ran across this last night. They also have all other misting components, and at a great price.



http://www.leevalley.com/en/Garden/page.aspx?p=45922&cat=2,2280,54307&ap=2

What a great idea!!! I know at least one terrestrial frog this would be perfect for. Malaysian leaf frogs absolutely hate fogging or pressure spraying, but they will come out and sit under a drip that mimics the rain filtering down through the rainforest understory quite happily. And, I bet if you aim a spotlight on the black bag it will warm the water too.

One of many things I love about cham keeping is that it forces you to get creative. Roaming the isles in hardware, general household, and gardener suppliers trying to get ideas to solve husbandry problems. You never know just where you'll find something brilliant. Sort of like the early days modifying ultrasonic room humidifiers with pvc or vinyl tubing so they fog cages, using appliance drain pans or hydroponics flood tables for cage pans, shower curtains on screens, etc.

I remember walking into a local medical supply store back in the 1980s to buy an IV bag setup including the pole. When the clerk asked me for my medical insurance info and I said its for a chameleon you should have seen the look on her face! Total disbelief.