Veiled Chameleon Questions

[bvaughan22]

hello i am new to this site as well as owning a chameleon and had a few questions! first and foremost i will provide a little background information.. i have a 5 month old veiled chameleon which i acquired from a friend who can no longer keep him. ive read multiple chameleon care sites as well as talked to the previous owner and pet store attendants. my main concern is with the dripping system/humidity. I have a "little dripper" that allows water to run through a hose down the artificial leaves in the cage, however, it creates quite a mess at the bottom and has in turn completely soaked the carpet underneath a few times. I inquired about putting a bowl under the dripper to catch the water so it doesnt soak the bottom and overflow onto the floor but ive seen many sites saying that bowls/standing water are not good to have in the cage. if a bowl is not optimal what should i do about the water being soaked int the bottom? (my base flooring is an eco mat, somewhat similar to the green of a golf course) also, will purchasing a misting system be ideal? im not sure as to how much of a mess that makes either. im not worried about taking the time to clean up but when im gone for the majority of the day i dont want water just soaking into my walls or carpet. any advice at all would be appreciated!

 

[camimom]

welcome!
Mist systems are great.
I have a mistking that goes off every 2 hours for 30 seconds, and have no drainage problem.... and it makes it easy to be gone at work and not have to worry.

What cage is he in?
What supplements do you have?
got a uvb bulb?
what is your basking temp?

 

[CLP]

I assume what you were reading about bowls of water being bad has to do with the posssibility of them drowning? I put a square tupperware container on the bottom of my enclosure to catch the dripping water, but what I did was cut almost all of the lid out (just left the edges so the lid would still snap into place), then placed a piece of window screen over the top of the container so the lid snaps over the screen to keep it in place. Allows me to catch the water, but ensure my cham can't get in. Just make sure you empty it every day.

 

[Decadancin]

Welcome! I currently have a monsoon system for misting. For my veiled I have the humidity levels around 40% to 60%. It goes off about 5 times a day for about 40 seconds. I do not have any drainage in my enclosure and have no issues with standing water. As for drinking, my guy does drink from the leaves after it "rains" and has no need for a dripper now. He is in a custom enclosure with 2 sides and top screened, and the back and door are acrylic. Temps are about 80 to 83 during the day with basking areas about 87 and 93 degrees. Temps vary at night depending on the house temp. Careful with the carpet! you want to clean it often and make sure there is no mold or bacteria growth. I have a mat that I change out and clean and while it dries I use another one. Don't want to take any chances! Best of luck and feel free to ask if you have any questions!