# waterfall's in chameleon enclosures ?



## luckyy15 (Sep 16, 2009)

Hi 

I have read conflicting advice regarding waterfalls in chameleon enclosures and just wanted some advice. I have a medium exo terra waterfall and fogger and had it in with my baby chameleon as read this helps with the humidity but have recently taken it out because was worried about it making my cham get ill after reading that they not as good as i first thought due to the build up of bacteria. What would you recommend ?

I mist him twice a day and was considering getting a little dipper ? is misting enough on its own ? When i mist his favorite plant he drinks droplets of water off the leaves, but just thought if i brought him a dripper this might help keep the humidity up throughout the day? Was also considering a misting system but wasnt sure if this also could cause bacteria ?

Any advice much appreciated

Thanks for your help Lizzie


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## lnrak (Apr 19, 2007)

_I have a small waterfall in my Cham's viv. It's a shop bought one, not exo-terra. I give it a good scrub everyday, with hot water and fairy liquid, then clean water runs through it for a bit, and then I fill the base with fresh water. He does poo in it sometimes, which obviously isn't good, and it's sometimes cleaned out twice a day in that case!!! Hard work but looks nice and to my knowledge is as clean as a water dish. With regards to a fogger/mister, I haven't got one. I spray his cage morning and afternoon, after each spraying it's allowed to dry thoroughly before the next spraying, so no mould gets to grow anywhere. I think lots of people just mist instead of using the foggers, and I would say that a lot would use a dripper as opposed to a waterfall. As long as it's kept really clean, I can't really see a problem, and he does use it. _

_Hope this helps - Lee._


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## lnrak (Apr 19, 2007)

_Waterfall (and Cham!!) circled in red_


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## lnrak (Apr 19, 2007)

_I leave the glass doors open about 1/4 of an inch to let the airflow through. Along with the vents at the back/bottom of the viv, this provides adequate airflow and dries out nicely after a spraying. No stale air._


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## ginnerone (Aug 2, 2009)

i have tokays which also require very high humidity, i get round this by putting a heat mat on the floor and putting a ceramic water bowl directly onto the mat, if it's a deep bowl you might wanna also put some rocks and stuff in to prevent accidental drowning, this keeps my viv at 70%-80% all the time, clean water everyday and a top up at night along with misting, it's the best and cleanest way i've found for humidiying a viv.


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## luckyy15 (Sep 16, 2009)

*waterfalls*

Thanks for your quick reply, i think i might try a drip system as to get the waterfall out every day to clean is a bit of nightmare at the mo because he is only a baby, and is in a smaller enclosure. I have to take almost everything out to get the waterfall out and i think this might stress him out if i do it everyday.

I mist in the morning before i go to work then when i get in from work which allows the enclosure to dry out in the day in between mistings is this ok ? he is in a exoterra at the mo whith a mesh top for air flow and ventilation the temp gets up to between 80-85F in the day and and drops to 70-75F at night but when he gets bigger will be moved to larger enclosure.


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## luckyy15 (Sep 16, 2009)

thats a good idea i have a heat mat in there at the mo and he has a ficus plant which is placed on a ceremaic plate if i get a ceremic dish and cover it over so he cant fall in it but allow the humidity still to rise do you think that could work ?


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## ginnerone (Aug 2, 2009)

My drippers never really aided humidity when i had my cham, they were just for him to drink from really, i suppose if you position them right though they could work to aid humidity, like near the heat lamp but you would shurley need to take the lid off and stuff for the mist to get out.


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## ginnerone (Aug 2, 2009)

luckyy15 said:


> thats a good idea i have a heat mat in there at the mo and he has a ficus plant which is placed on a ceremaic plate if i get a ceremic dish and cover it over so he cant fall in it but allow the humidity still to rise do you think that could work ?


That would work spot on, i have seen in bigger viv's people using dog bowls, putting the water and gravel in and sitting the plant on top, anything ceramic and fairly shallow on the heat mat will evaporate water very well.


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## luckyy15 (Sep 16, 2009)

thanks for your help ill do that tonight, just was really worried he would get ill if i left the waterfall in but didnt want the humidity to drop to low at the same time. might just get the dripper for him to drink then . What humidity should it be at for a baby panther ?


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## Btolcher (Oct 28, 2009)

I have mine in a exotera, she is a baby to and have found I havent had a problem with humidity dropping misting twice daily and having a dripper running


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## ginnerone (Aug 2, 2009)

luckyy15 said:


> thanks for your help ill do that tonight, just was really worried he would get ill if i left the waterfall in but didnt want the humidity to drop to low at the same time. might just get the dripper for him to drink then . What humidity should it be at for a baby panther ?


Err not sure mate if i'm honest, i had a veiled and it was many moons ago, best to check the lizard care sheets at top of the lizard main page..


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## luckyy15 (Sep 16, 2009)

brill im definantly going to get a dripper then and try putting the plant in a ceramic dish with water and gravel see how it goes. You havent got a waterfall then in your exo terra ? How old is your baby ? they are adorable as babies arent they


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## luckyy15 (Sep 16, 2009)

yea found the correct humidity now thanks


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## Btolcher (Oct 28, 2009)

No waterfall no, thought about it but got put off by having to clean it so much. I have only had mine a few weeks now and she was little when I got her, not sure of exact age but still very adorable!


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## luckyy15 (Sep 16, 2009)

yea i had one but heard so many bad things ive taken it out, and its a alot of hardwork having to clean it all the time. Yea ive had mine 9 weeks and he was surpose to be 4 weeks when we brought him but i think he was younger because he was so tiny, he is still little but growing and eating well


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## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

Put my waterfall in the dishwasher with no soap twice a week.
The water in it evaporates in the viv so its constantly topped up with fresh.
my male veiled is about 5 and 22" now so doing OK but still wont come to me the little beast.


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## luckyy15 (Sep 16, 2009)

ohh so you have used your waterfall all this time with no problems ? i was just worried about the bacteria and having to clean it everyday to make sure the cham doesnt get ill


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