Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been using distilled water since I got my Veield but have read that it can be ok to use tap water. I just wanted to get some of yalls opinions on what you use.
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0.1 Veiled Chameleon (Lola)
1.0 Great Dane (Hercules)

if you use tap water,like i do,you should pick up zoo meds reptisafe..it will last you awhile,cause it doesn't get used up fast.tap water also is less expensive incase your tring to save some money
jon

it has had all the minerals and trace elements removed so your cham is not getting any of these as he would in natural rain water. Bottled spring water is fine. Even though there are no standards (meaning your neighbor could buy bottles, make labels, fill from his tap and then sell it!) just get it from a reputable company.

If you have city water, which would be treated with chlorine, you can fill a gallon jug, leave it open for 24 hours so the chlorine dissipates and use that - unless there are other problems with your tap water. If you have a dug well (like we do, but that's in the boonies of NH) get it tested. Even Artesian well (deep) can have naturally occurring arsenic and mercury in it depending where you live, what the bedrock is, etc.

The repti-safe that was recommended, well, it's a matter of opinion if you are wasting your money or not. If you look at the ingredients: Water, dechloraminating agent, synthetic organic polymers (colloids), chelating agent, electrolytes well, let's see: Water you can provide, leaving the cap off your bottle will take care of the chlorine, the chelation & colloids may have some minimal filtration effect and electrolytes he will only need if dehydrated and you can make your own or buy generic pedialyte. As for filtration, i think Brita filters would make more sense.

So it really depends where you live, what you know about your water, what you want to spend your $$ on. We have a dug well, but I use bottled water for dripper, humidifier and misting. My cats and I drink bottled water, too and so far everyone is alive. I live in the Northeast and buy one of two local springs.

Aren't you glad you asked? Just MHO
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
1.1.1 Side-blotched lizards - Ana and Stan
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skippy
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh, Died 4/21/06
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha, donated to science 4/4/06
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

thank you for the reply lele, i appreicate the detailed input. I think I will switch to the bottled spring water as it is plentiful down here in Texas. I was simply using distilled because I knew it couldnt hurt her, plus the guy at the pet store i bought her at recommended it because it wouldnt leave spots on the glass aquarium I was using to house her at first. (I have since transfered her to a wire cage, thanks to this forum) This forum has been a huge help for a first time cham owner and I thank anyone who helps us new owners out. Gracias
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0.1 Veiled Chameleon (Lola)
1.0 Great Dane (Hercules)