Waterfalls: /

In my experience it will help them drink because they like the moving water but in the long run its not worth it because they like to poop in them. It will be verry difficult to keeep clean. Its like the waterfall is target practice or something :D (Although I do like the way they look especially with the fogger) Thats just form my experience see what others say.
 
LOL That's funny, I was just asking because I bought one for my bearded dragon but shes WAAAY to big for it now and it's just sitting in my room collecting dust :p So I was going to use it for my veildy Draven, but I wanted to get opinions on it first. :)
 
Along with what ^^ said, i would like to add in, that still water atracts bacteria. When your chameleon drinks from it, he will in turn, pick up the bacteria. This is why most do NOT recomend waqter falls.

thanks,
Jake
 
Yeah, right now he has a water dish but it only have no more then a teaspoon of water in it :p I usually just mist his ficus a few times a day then he drinks the drops of the leafs.
 
that's why you install a drain hole on the bottom of the cage. The water will go down the drain and into a bucket. I usually pump up the sprayer and let it run without no worries. Water never builds up on the bottom. The drain hole has wire mesh glued over it so that nothing but water goes down it. Alot of people here prefer it that way.
 
Then another option could be to make or buy a dripper. let the dripper drip on top of leaves and down to a small bowl with a net covering it. Then you would need to empty out the bowl everyday. The net would be there to make sure that no bugs get in the water and the cham doesnt drown. In my opinion it would be more work to do. But one day of hard work installing a mist set up and drain hole, would reduce the amount of work you would need to do everyday. I usually empty out my drain water bucket once a week. Both methods work well.
 
Reptilegirl,

You consistantly respond to very excellent husbandry practices and suggestions from people trying to help you and your new chameleon with:

"No, that's too much work" or "That's too much to think about" or "that's too hard"
making me wonder why you got a cham in the first place.

These are without question the most specific and difficult reptiles to care for in captivity. If it's too hard for you maybe you should re-think owning an animal like this.

I for one am done responding to your questions...you do not seem interested in really learning about how to care for these animals, and I have only found frustration in trying to help you.

One last thing though: water dish???

-Brad
 
Wow. I do respond with that because it's like people don't think ahead before doing stuff with there chameleon cages. Even though everyone has given me a lot of useful information, a lot of it I have already thought of doing... but since I am a first time owner of a chameleon of course I don't have as much experiance as some of these people in this forum. I really do appreciate every reply, but you have to remember no one is making you reply except yourself.:rolleyes:
 
OMG. Wow, thanks brad you make me feel like a piece of shit. It's amazing how fast it goes from a friendly convo. to a hm... whats the word im looking for... First of all how'd it go from "waterfalls" to "I wanna pwn you in the face" ???
 
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Cant we all just get allong :D . If you want your chams to drink easier try the bubble stump from pmart for like $11. It should stimulate your chams to drink it won't be standing water and as long as you keep it clean and your chams take to it you'll be fine... and maybe this scuffle will go away too. :p
 
In my opinion, this is nonsense.
There seem to be too many people posting threads these days saying things like "You're so rude for attacking me or criticising my posts" or "Who are you to tell me I am wrong", yet the posts being referred to were just trying to give valid, decent information, and trying to correct wrong assumptions and bad practices.

The purpose of these forums is to allow new and experienced chameleon keepers to share ideas, and to share tried-and-tested best practices with each other.
"Bubble-stumps", waterfalls and water-bowls are not by any stretch of the imagination considered best practices for chameleon keeping.
If it is too much work to follow the recommended guidelines of thorough misting and proper drainage, then perhaps it would be best for the chameleon if you kept a simpler pet.

For some great chameleon keeping information, please read as much information as you can from the following sites:
http://www.chameleonnews.com
http://www.chameleonsdish.com

Please don't think anyone is attacking you personally by these statements. All everyone really wants here is the best for your chameleon/s.
 
If a chameleon drinks from it and it is clean and sanitary what's wrong with it. How is it "by no stretch of the imagination" sufficiant. Not trying to sound rude but do these chams have water purifiers and cricket dusters in the wild? I have kept many different pets and alway keep them in the absolute best health possible. I think all my animals have it allot better off with me than the wild or most other hobbyists. Again i'm not trying to be rude or sound angry just kinda confused.
 
Quikksilver, you have some valid points and I understand your confusion.

You are correct that they don't have water purifiers or cricket dusters in the wild. But you must remember that in the wild, the average life expectancy of a chameleon is much shorter than those kept in captivity. By providing them with the best care we can, we certainly enhance their health and prolong their lives (I personally don't use water purifiers, but we have pretty good quality water where I am).

And as for the cricket dust, in the wild they have evolved eating bugs that we can't provide them with in captivity, and these bugs are eating foodstuffs that we also don't have access to, to gutload them with. So the cricket dust, gutloads and supplements we use are an attempt to enhance the food and ensure that any trace minerals and vitamins that they may normally have access to in their natural environment is provided to them in captivity as well.

Back to the waterfalls/water bowls: I can understand your logic when you say that if the cham is drinking from it, why change?
Well, firstly, in nature most chameleons live in trees and rarely (if ever) leave those trees to drink from pools of standing water. They obtain most of their drinking water from the droplets that form on the leaves of trees due to rainfall or condensation/dew.
The best way to simulate this in a captive environment is by misting/spraying a cage, or by drippers.
Another reason, and a far more practical one, is the one regarding hygiene. It has already been mentioned that chameleons often seem to prefer letting their droppings fall into standing pools of water, and also feeder insects in the cage often drown in water bowls/waterfalls. This, in conjunction with the favourable climate in the cage leads to rapid bacterial growth.
Now, as you said, you can keep it clean, but that's a lot of work.
In fact, if you set up a proper misting system and proper drainage in your enclosure, even though it is a bit more work up front, you will find that in the long run there is far less cleaning and maintenance than having to empty out and sanitise water bowls each day.
And that's why misting systems and proper drainage are considered better practice. It's not only better for the cham, but better for the keeper too.
 
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