Training to drink from a water dish?

T

The Dribbly Midget

New Member
Hurro!

My first post here, so be kind, hehe! :p

I recently bought a 4 month old male Veiled cham, called Pascal. I sometimes have to go for shortish periods of time, a maximum of 2 weeks in a go, be it from a family holiday to a coursework field trip. I already own a royal python, 2 green tree frogs and a leopard gecko and during these away periods, my neighbour happily comes over, feeds and waters them for me, then I clean them out when I get back. She is also a busy woman, so to save her having to spray the chameleon to ensure it drinks (which I'll happiky do when I am around) is there any way I can train mah lil' Pascal to drink from a water dish?

Alternatively, is the big dripper a good idea. I've been told by many people that they are a waste of time and do not work; they also run out of water far too quickly to be a help, but a hindrance. As a timescale, they'd be refilled once per day, should my neighbour be able to assist!

Thanks!!!
 
No chameleon will ever drink from standing water. Your best bet is a temporary water fall in a flower pot or something, splashing on leaves, for $30-40. Either that or bite the bullet and get a $125 misting system (aquazamp or bigwater). With the mister systems they only have to be filled once a week or so.

Or make a BIG drip that can last all day, splash on leaves, and fill a screen catch can underneath it.
 
If I were you, I'd get an automated misting system like AquaZamp or Mistking, and set up a drainage system. Then you won't have to worry, because all your neighbor would have to do is fill the fill bucket and dump the drainage water. I use an AquaZamp and a big dripper, that way my chameleons can choose how they want to get their water. You can even set up your system to fill the dripper when it sprays by using a T fitting and an adjustable nozzle.
 
You can't train a chameleon to do anything :)- Your best bet is to get a automatic misting system - aquazamp is the one I have (I had a monsoon - it broke the first month I got it and I'm not the only one who's had problems with them the timer is the first thing to go and usually ends up soaking everything)
 
The majority of chameleons will not drink from standing water unless they are forced to, and you cannot train them to do it. A misting system is going to be your best bet, though you can make a very large dripper using some airline valves (they sell them for fish stuff.)
 
while some chameleons will drink from a water bowl (standing water as a droplet on leaves isn't that dissimilar from a small pool of water in a bowl) this is NOT recommended or natural.
Chameleons who do drink from bowls are often not well hydrated overall and can suffer from bacterial exposure (from the chameleon pooping in the water, bugs pooping or drowning in the water, algae growth etc).

So, your pet sitter will need to visit at least once daily to fill a large dripper (make your own rather than buy one) or you will want to invest in a automated spray system. While the chameleon is young, under 10 months, you will want to provide water more than once a day.
 
Sort of... When I first bought my Jacksons I tried making his cage more of a vivarium with plenty of live plants including aquatic frogbit which floated above the water dish surface(originally going to be apart of a waterfall). Xenon (my cham) would see the wet leaves and on occasion head down to lick them but because they were floating in the water he would end up drinking strait from the dish. That being said water dishes aren't really appropriate, I still misted him daily so he could drink off of leaves higher up in his cage. Also if you are leaving for such long lengths food will become and issue as well, just dumping a ton of crickets into a chameleons cage is just asking for a chewed up lizard.
 
The Dribbly Midget said:
Hurro!

My first post here, so be kind, hehe! :p

I recently bought a 4 month old male Veiled cham, called Pascal. I sometimes have to go for shortish periods of time, a maximum of 2 weeks in a go, be it from a family holiday to a coursework field trip. I already own a royal python, 2 green tree frogs and a leopard gecko and during these away periods, my neighbour happily comes over, feeds and waters them for me, then I clean them out when I get back. She is also a busy woman, so to save her having to spray the chameleon to ensure it drinks (which I'll happiky do when I am around) is there any way I can train mah lil' Pascal to drink from a water dish?

Alternatively, is the big dripper a good idea. I've been told by many people that they are a waste of time and do not work; they also run out of water far too quickly to be a help, but a hindrance. As a timescale, they'd be refilled once per day, should my neighbour be able to assist!

Thanks!!!
Click to expand...

Even if your cham did learn to drink from a bowl it wouldn't solve your bigger problem of relative humidity. The cage won't stay humid enough on its own without regular misting (unless you happen to live in the tropics). This is what you have to solve, not just providing water for a drink.

It's not unheard of for a cham to learn to drink standing water but its usually out of desperation or simple chance. I've owned chams who learned that a cupped hand did hold enough water to drink from directly, but they were not the majority. And, they usually needed a short "teaser" of misting to get the idea that water was available.
 
Ok thanks guys.

The humidity and feeding is fine for her to do - she offered to do it as a favour.

Would her spraying the tank for humidity combined with a big dripper help? I already have a live plant and 2 pots of mud and moss that I spray daily to hold humidity. Would this encourage him to use the dripper on the leaves?
 
nightanole said:
No chameleon will ever drink from standing water. Your best bet is a temporary water fall in a flower pot or something, splashing on leaves, for $30-40. Either that or bite the bullet and get a $125 misting system (aquazamp or bigwater). With the mister systems they only have to be filled once a week or so.

Or make a BIG drip that can last all day, splash on leaves, and fill a screen catch can underneath it.
Click to expand...

Mine do.
See my posts about the dripper caps I made for them,
The water drips directly into a orange Gatoraid cap, which fills, and water cascades down from the overflow.
Even when the dripper is not on, but the cap is still full of water, they will
drink the standing water inside it.
 
Mine do.
See my posts about the dripper caps I made for them,
The water drips directly into a orange Gatoraid cap, which fills, and water cascades down from the overflow.
Even when the dripper is not on, but the cap is still full of water, they will
drink the standing water inside it.
Click to expand...

I had a very similar experience.

Many years ago I used drip cups for water. The water was caught in a glass salad bowl on the floor of the enclosures. The drips splashed in the bowls and attracted the chameleons to drink. I emptied and cleaned the water bowls the next day before dripping again. Many many of my chameleons eventually learned to drink right out of the bowl even when the drip wasn't going (drip only lasted 20-30 minutes).

That said- I would never count on a chameleon drinking from a bowl without a drip running. Even one that drank regularly (I had an oustalets that would tank up at the bowl). Use a drip along with, just in case.
 
I have a really smal reptile water dish raised up in some of the branches in my terrarium. I put the smallest bubbler available on market in it so it's moving and not still (a bubbler made for fish tanks). Change the tip monthly and clean the bowl morning and night.
 
A automated misting system is a must if you live in a dry climate, or
during the winter, when house heat is on.

A MistKing system (starter set) may cost some $$, but it gives you piece
of mind knowing your cham is being misted while you are gone.

Unless you are home, a can mist every few hours (as needed), then you need
one of these, in combination with a drip system.
 
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