Rodent water bottles?

[amanda509]

Tonight I was reading "Essential care of chameleons" part of the Herpetocultural series and some of the information seemed bias and outdated. But one thing caught my attention, does anyone have any experience using rodent water bottles in their chameleon's cages? From what I read, they quickly adapt to using them as a source of water...Experiences? Thoughts?

 

[lilychams55]

I have never heard of that sorry. I just spray for water!

 

[FlChamMom]

I have heard about doing that too, but every time usually the person has said something like "20 years ago before automatic misters we used to use hamster bottles for water." But if it works... Keep us posted if you try it. I cannot see a problem if you clean the tip every day or two.

 

[Psychobunny]

I also have heard of cham owners using those water bottles.
They had to train their chams to use it by showing them what happens when
the end of the water tube is tapped with a finger, and water runs out.

Dont know how much success they had, but it's worth a try.

 

[Carlton]

Tonight I was reading "Essential care of chameleons" part of the Herpetocultural series and some of the information seemed bias and outdated. But one thing caught my attention, does anyone have any experience using rodent water bottles in their chameleon's cages? From what I read, they quickly adapt to using them as a source of water...Experiences? Thoughts?

It could certainly work for some chams. But, finding a water bottle that happens to create a water drop that attracts the cham's attention initially isn't all that easy. So many of them drip constantly until empty, don't drip at all, corrode, etc. it might take a lot of trial and error.

Yes, that pub is outdated...time and technology moves on. Some of you probably remember using medical supply house IV bags, valves, and tubing to make drippers right?

 

[Bush baby]

I was just about to make thread about this very subject.

I trained my Jackson's to drink from a $3 Petco rodent bottle, i acquired a month ago. It wasn't easy. First he was hesitant to even go near this new foreign object that just showed up in his enclosure, lol.

The trick is getting them to associate the bottle with being a source of water. I did this by simply misting the areas of the enclosure directly around the bottle, so he had to venture near it to quench his thirst. Large amounts of droplets tend to accumillate on the outside of bottle and the metal tip, so mine soon learned to lick the water off several parts of the bottle. Once he noticed that every time he licked water from the tip more water would come out, he now independently goes to it every time he wants to drink.

It's also good to note that the bottle i have leaks from the tip, slightly - which in this case, is good as it helped him recognize the water source. The leak is not bad enough to cause water to accumulate on the cage bottom…i would say a drop or two would leak out every 30 minutes or so, unless he's drinking from it.

So just to make the training easier, you may want to find a bottle that has a reputation for leaking.

 

[qdude46]

It would work very well as a dripper. I haven't tried it but from owning rats for many years I've learned it's almost impossible to find a bottle that doesn't drip because the sawdust always get super soggy in that area! But yeah I would say to try it.

 

[reptilover]

Yea I've heard it mentioned before but haven't seen proof it's possible. Bush baby is the first testimonial on it I've seen. But if u try keep us posted. Sounds like it would be very interesting to watch.


Ps. Hi Amanda

 

[fluxlizard]

On a related note-

Anyone ever see the poultry nipples? LOL that sounds wrong.

I used one on a gallon jug to make a waterer for my chickens. It is a little nipple that leaves a drop of water hanging on a thick pin where it shimmers and attracts the birds. The chickens peck at the water droplet and the pin is knocked as a result and more water comes out.

This kind of nipple comes requiring pressure on the water line to release the droplet, as well as the kind that I got for my chickens which can be hooked up to something like a bucket.

My father was a vet who did all kinds of research on birds in his lab at a the vet school where he taught. He was always trying to get me to try the nipples that require the pressure line for my lizards but I never did. You could lay out a pvc line with a nipple ( or two or three) every cage.

I still kind of wonder if this system would work. I think for many lizards it would... I never did it because of the initial expense to try it. And maybe the lizards would have to get really thirsty first time out. And I kind of like the mist washing the chams every day...

 

[amanda509]

I was just about to make thread about this very subject.

I trained my Jackson's to drink from a $3 Petco rodent bottle, i acquired a month ago. It wasn't easy. First he was hesitant to even go near this new foreign object that just showed up in his enclosure, lol.

The trick is getting them to associate the bottle with being a source of water. I did this by simply misting the areas of the enclosure directly around the bottle, so he had to venture near it to quench his thirst. Large amounts of droplets tend to accumillate on the outside of bottle and the metal tip, so mine soon learned to lick the water off several parts of the bottle. Once he noticed that every time he licked water from the tip more water would come out, he now independently goes to it every time he wants to drink.

It's also good to note that the bottle i have leaks from the tip, slightly - which in this case, is good as it helped him recognize the water source. The leak is not bad enough to cause water to accumulate on the cage bottom…i would say a drop or two would leak out every 30 minutes or so, unless he's drinking from it.

So just to make the training easier, you may want to find a bottle that has a reputation for leaking.

I'll deff have to try it!

Yea I've heard it mentioned before but haven't seen proof it's possible. Bush baby is the first testimonial on it I've seen. But if u try keep us posted. Sounds like it would be very interesting to watch.


Ps. Hi Amanda

Hey you! Long time no text! We gotta catch up...

 

[kplatvoet]

I used a water bottle with my first chameleon back in the 70's in his nighttime cage - he spent most of his time on a big plant which my mother would spray and he seemed to prefer that though he did drink from the bottle (most likely because his night time cage would have never measured up to today's standards.)

 

[Bush baby]

My boy quenching his thirst!

[URL=http://s149.photobucket.com/user/indirav1/media/DRINKING_zps26fabfe0.jpg.html] [/URL]

 

[broderp]

My boy quenching his thirst!

[URL=http://s149.photobucket.com/user/indirav1/media/DRINKING_zps26fabfe0.jpg.html] [/URL]

This is awesome. I've read all the negatives about water falls and water dishes etc. Some say they don't recognize the dish as a water source. I never responded to this claim in the other post, but my wife told me I should put a water dish in his enclosure to avoid the spray bottle. I told her that chams don't see standing water in a dish as a water source. She called BS on the forum and so I thought I would prove her wrong.

Boy was I surprised when I put the bright yellow water dish in there he went straight to it and drank out of it for about 5 minutes.

I'm going to see if I can train him to use a water bottle as you did.

I do have a question: Does your bottle leak a little or does he recognize the tip and push it to get the reward?

 

[qdude46]

I hope that doesnt mean you stopped misting, the other cons about bowls to is that they breed bacteria and seem to serve as a toilet.

 

[Bush baby]

I do have a question: Does your bottle leak a little or does he recognize the tip and push it to get the reward?

It leaks..ever so slightly. I wrote a short blog entry on how i trained him, but basically i spray the bottle itself and the water runs down and forms on the tip; once he licked the tip, he soon learned that whenever he licked/chewed the shiny ball bearing tip more water would come out..and voila!

@qdude46 - i have a humidifier running twice a day which puts fog/humidity/mist into his enclosure.

 

[qdude46]

Oh no I meant that towards broderp.

 

[broderp]

I hope that doesnt mean you stopped misting, the other cons about bowls to is that they breed bacteria and seem to serve as a toilet.

Please clarify. (noob here) I "mist" now with a spray bottle so he drinks. When we gave him water from a bowl, we only had it in the terrarium and held it up at his high perch for him. When he lost interest, we took it out. As far as moisture, I have a humidifier on a timer that can turn his terrarium into Dagobah in like 2 minutes.

It leaks..ever so slightly. I wrote a short blog entry on how i trained him, but basically i spray the bottle itself and the water runs down and forms on the tip; once he licked the tip, he soon learned that whenever he licked/chewed the shiny ball bearing tip more water would come out..and voila!

@qdude46 - i have a humidifier running twice a day which puts fog/humidity/mist into his enclosure.

@qdude46: I think this answered my question, but just in case I'm open to suggestion!

@Bush baby: Thanks..I just came back from the pet store and bought the smallest bottle (for positioning high up in the terrarium near his favorite perch). It's also green, so maybe it won't shock him as much as it sort of blends with the green in his enclosure. lol I'll follow your method and see how it works out. I have high hopes, as my little guy is so far very tame and like people as well as drinks out of a bowl if we give it to him. (which we don't, as I mist his leaves most of the time.)

 

[broderp]

Success

Just an update for those who may care:

This worked far better than I ever expected.

I placed the water bottle as high up as I could (not as high as I wanted) and kind of buried it behind some of the shrubbery in his terrarium. It may help that it's also a green color.

Jackson is familiar with the water bottle, so as soon as I opened the door he perked up from his basking spot and walked toward the other side of the cage I usually spray.

This time I didn't spray the leaves, but the water bottle and the tube as previously posted.

To my surprise (I thought it would take more coaxing then this) he went straight for the water dripping down on the water bottle pipe. I removed the spray bottle, and grabbed my camera. He stayed there at the water bottle drinking!

Here's a few images I took of him enjoying a nice cool drink:

Now lets see how many times I have to do this before he remembers to go there on his own for water.

 

[amanda509]

This is soo neat! I haven't tried on my chams yet, but will here soon! I think I just brought back an old trend but it's a good one. I wonder why it never stayed. It's almost a surefire way that if your away for a day and don't have a mister, that your cham won't get dehydrated ( as long as it knows how to use it ).

I wonder if other reptiles could use it as a source of water as well...Maybe ill try on my crested gecko too! Lol

 

[Bush baby]

Just an update for those who may care:

This worked far better than I ever expected.

I placed the water bottle as high up as I could (not as high as I wanted) and kind of buried it behind some of the shrubbery in his terrarium. It may help that it's also a green color.

Jackson is familiar with the water bottle, so as soon as I opened the door he perked up from his basking spot and walked toward the other side of the cage I usually spray.

This time I didn't spray the leaves, but the water bottle and the tube as previously posted.

To my surprise (I thought it would take more coaxing then this) he went straight for the water dripping down on the water bottle pipe. I removed the spray bottle, and grabbed my camera. He stayed there at the water bottle drinking!

Here's a few images I took of him enjoying a nice cool drink:

Now lets see how many times I have to do this before he remembers to go there on his own for water.

Glad it worked.