Water Concern

[UrbanChameleon]

So I have a concern and figured you guys could help me out here.

I have a 6-7 month Ambilobe that's about the size of a 4 month old. He's a slow grower. Up until I bought my Mistking, (1 week ago) I'd been hand spraying his cage. Well I set the Mistking up and Loki absolutely adores it! He's always been really good when it comes to hydration. But he's never ran to the water like he has been doing.

My concern is that he loves it too much. During the multiple sprays throughout the day, at least once he runs as fast as he can to sit under it. He gets as close as he can and just soaks up every tiny drop. I have the nozzle on the outside of the screen in a corner. I'm worried that he might suck water into his lungs while breathing and aspirate. The longest mist goes for 1 min 30 seconds, which isn't long compared to what some of you do, but it still worries me.

Could he possibly harm himself? I haven't seen his nostrils become clogged, or any trouble breathing during or after misting. The Mistking has such a fine mist and I'm positive that's why he loves it so much. Is he going to commit suicide one day, or am I just paranoid?

 

[ReptileLover0423]

I wish my chameleon was as excited about the water as you describe. He's fine. LoL he's not going to kill himself.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Nah, dont worry. He wont aspirate. Hes probably just enjoying the mist and cleaning his eyes. They love to use the mist to wash out their turrets and drink too of course.

 

[Carlton]

So I have a concern and figured you guys could help me out here.

I have a 6-7 month Ambilobe that's about the size of a 4 month old. He's a slow grower. Up until I bought my Mistking, (1 week ago) I'd been hand spraying his cage. Well I set the Mistking up and Loki absolutely adores it! He's always been really good when it comes to hydration. But he's never ran to the water like he has been doing.

My concern is that he loves it too much. During the multiple sprays throughout the day, at least once he runs as fast as he can to sit under it. He gets as close as he can and just soaks up every tiny drop. I have the nozzle on the outside of the screen in a corner. I'm worried that he might suck water into his lungs while breathing and aspirate. The longest mist goes for 1 min 30 seconds, which isn't long compared to what some of you do, but it still worries me.

Could he possibly harm himself? I haven't seen his nostrils become clogged, or any trouble breathing during or after misting. The Mistking has such a fine mist and I'm positive that's why he loves it so much. Is he going to commit suicide one day, or am I just paranoid?

I think I would wonder just why he wants to drink every time the mister goes off. What's your cage humidity range like (especially the low level when the cage is driest)? It could be that he isn't getting enough to drink before the droplets evaporate after each cycle. If the room air is dry, the droplets will evaporate faster. Are you using an AC for summer heat? Maybe that's the difference.

 

[UrbanChameleon]

The humidity stays around 65% with the Mistking. I've got the gauge at the front of his cage, and the MK is in the back corner. He's the only Chameleon I've ever had that loves water. He doesn't care for it unless it's a fine mist though. He just likes to sit in it. I see him drink just about once daily, and his fecals are white as can be. I'll post a pic so you can check out his eyes. I've dealt with dehydration in Chameleons before, and this little guy is far from it. Thank god. I've never seen a Cham that loves it as much as he does. Granted, he doesn't always want to get wet. Just once or twice throughout the day, during his long mistings.

A woman down the road from me had the Exo Terra Monsoon in a baby female Chameleons cage. One of the nozzles fell and sprayed the poor baby in the face. She died 18 hours later. The Monsoons "mist" is more of a spray. Her husbandry was horrible anyways, but it still concerns me. Mostly because Loki is small for his age.

I'll post a pic as soon as I get to my laptop.

 

[UrbanChameleon]

Here is the most recent picture. It's an Instagram pic, so I apologize about that.

Here are some pics taken within the past month. I'm trying to upload pics with good views of his eyes.