Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, how much time should system of drip be working ?, thanks

There may very well be some people who say 20 minutes once or twice a day is plenty, but I'll tell you what I do. Eight hours a day standard. Generally from lights on to lights off I have drippers going. 4 hours a day should be adequate though. Just because you give a chameleon water for 20 minutes that day does not mean that is when the animal will be ready to drink. Or, maybe it will drink then, but you will never be sure if it wanted more water later. Some of my chameleons spread their drinking throughout the day, taking a little bit here and there, or just enjoying the water dripping on them so they can clean their eyes out, etc. They would not have that opportunity if they only were given the chance to drink during certain windows. The more options you give your chameleons, whether in this circumstance or others, the more you will learn about their patterns through the choices they decide to make, and not the ones that are decided for them.
Eight hours a day is not a necessity to keeping the animal alive, but its just another example of things that can influence the quality of life.
Kevin

hey kevins,
just curious, what method do you use to keep the dripping going?
-----
2.1 Pogona vitticeps "Duke" "Glomp" "Pussy"
1.0.0 Cockatiels "Sunshine"
1.0.0 Bourkes Parakeet "Kerpal"
0.1.0 Eublepharis macularius "Claire"
1.0 Chameleo calyptratus "Bruno" (eggs due to hatch any day now)
0.1 Python reticulatus
0.1 Python molurus bivvitatus
2.0 Canis domesticus
A bunch of chickens
Misc. Saltwater Fish

Email

Hi,
I use gallon Arizona Ice Tea jugs with dripper nozzles I buy at the pet shop (so far I've only seen them at Petco but they probably sell them elsewhere). I had a problem trying to keep them going any longer than an hour or two before I switched to this method. I keep the drip pretty slow so that it doesn't empty too quickly. I install the control nozzle towards the bottom of the jug after drilling the appropriate size hole to place it in. I know it is easier to see it than to visualize it, so I will take a picture and post it later tonight if you like.
Kevin

much appreciated
-----
2.1 Pogona vitticeps "Duke" "Glomp" "Pussy"
1.0.0 Cockatiels "Sunshine"
1.0.0 Bourkes Parakeet "Kerpal"
0.1.0 Eublepharis macularius "Claire"
1.0 Chameleo calyptratus "Bruno" (eggs due to hatch any day now)
0.1 Python reticulatus
0.1 Python molurus bivvitatus
2.0 Canis domesticus
A bunch of chickens
Misc. Saltwater Fish

Email

Here is the dripper. If you keep the cap on it you must drill a hole in the cap so that the airflow is there. Otherwise the water will stop dripping after a little while even though the nozzle may be turned on.
I'll post a picture of the catch basin also. It is a simple 1 gallon milk jug with the top part cut off. Then I attach screening over it to keep it from becoming a pit-fall that the chameleon could potentially fall into. It also keeps leaves, insects, etc. out of it.
Kevin

The catch-basin.

in that picture do you just let the water drip on top of the cage or is the tubing inside. thanks matt

It depends on the cage and the ability to aim it into the bottom catch-basin. I do have some drippers that have tubing that goes through the cage by way of a small hole. That is in the taller style cages. Others, such as the one in the picture, only have a little tubing attached, or none at all and are aimed through the screen onto a leaf. Whether inside or out with tubing or w/out, they all aim onto a leaf (usually an artificial one) specifically for that purpose.
Kevin