My chameleon is "eating" her water?

[Sir Rutherford]

I recently got a female panther chameleon who is about four months old. She has a strange habit of what looks like she is "eating" her water. By this I mean that after I mist the enclosure, she will climb to the droplets and and take a big chomp on whatever they are on (usually a plastic leafy vine on the side of the enclosure). It is unusual because there is a dripper going over a hibiscus tree in the center of the enclosure and she does not use this for hydration. I have not noticed her ingesting any of the plastic yet, but I worry as she grows stronger she will be able to bite the plastic off and she will end up ingesting some of it. I have had 6 panther chameleons over a period of fourteen years and have never seen any behavior like this before. Anyone have any suggestions to change this behavior? If i remove the plastic vine I am worried this will stress her out as it is her primary "source" for hydration. Attached is a photo of the current enclosure. She likes the viney thing on the viewer right hand side. Thank you

 

[camaleonte82]

i would personally take out the plastic and put in live plants like pothos or something that is cham edible. that way if she does eat it by accident or anything then it wont hurt her.

 

[camimom]

Add real plants, or mist more so more water droplets form.

for some chams, thats just how thye are.

 

[chameleonkev]

Plus a big positive to live plants is humidity and they hold water alot better were as with fake plants it just runs strait of after misting

 

[pssh]

Definitely get more safe live plants and take out the fake ones since you know she is prone to chomping on them. If she accidentally pulls off some fake plant and eats it, it can cause some serious issues like impaction. Impaction can be deadly and will most likely require a vet visit to attempt to fix it. Note the word attempt.

I like pothos and umbrella plants. They grow fast and are easy to care for.

EDIT: Also move the UVB so that it shines down on her. Its more natural so she will more easily recognize it as a UVB source.

 

[Sir Rutherford]

I am taking the plastic out now and replacing it with an umbrella tree. Thanks for the advice!

 

[carol5208]

what kind of lighting are you using, a combo?? I only see one light

 

[pssh]

what kind of lighting are you using, a combo?? I only see one light

The UVB is on the side of the cage.