Showers?

[Matt.B]

Would it be a good idea to give my chams a shower the day they get home to rehydrate or should I wait a couple of days? Also how do you shower them on a plant without the dirt goin everywhere? Cut a plastic bag to size and stretch it over?
Matt

[Collide]

if your cham is comming from a breeder a nice havy misting is prolly great, if its a WC cham its usually recomended to heavily hydrate them on arrivial. But i alwas give nice long mistings to my new chams. Just my thoughts anyway.

[marisa]

Gus had a hard time keeping water in....I gave him a few showers....he loved them.....

<img src="http://8snakes.myftp.org/marisa/Reptiles/gus/gusshower3.jpg">
<img src="http://8snakes.myftp.org/marisa/Reptiles/gus/gusshower4.jpg">
<img src="http://8snakes.myftp.org/marisa/Reptiles/gus/gusshower2.jpg">

Marisa

[meow_mix450]

It all depends on the condition of the chameleon, if its eyes are sunken a little and looks like it needs water then yes its a good idea to give it a shower, but if his eyes are bluging and it looks very healthly i would rather mist him and wait a few days before i give it a good shower, it all depends on the stiuation

Meow

[dank7oo]

I probably would. You don't know how the chameleons is feeling, so allowing it to drink what it wants is probably a good idea. If you have a cage like marisa, then thats even better. You could leave the cham in there for a few without having to sit there watching ... just make sure no one flushes the toilet while shes in there.

Jason

[Matt.B]

but how do I keep the water from washing the dirt all over the tub and down the drain?
Matt

[DragnDrop]

I made up a 'shower perch' for the chams. All it took was a large plastic jug like the kind kitty litter is packaged in. Add a few long branches (from hardwood trees preferably), various heights and angles. Fill the jug with gravel to hold the branches and add some stability. Pea gravel works since it won't pack down like smaller grades and dries faster. Punch a lot of drainage holes around the sides and bottom of the jug to allow for faster drying.
Stand it in the shower, add the cham and he's ready. No soil, no mess to clean up. If you have some angled branches, the cham can get out of the shower if he feels like it, but still benefit from the humidity.

Cleaning is easy, just let it dry, or even remove the gravel to let it air dry. I've never had any problems with the contraption, it works well. If the branches get a bit yucky, get new ones.

[marisa]

The cage I used was simply some hardware cloth wrapped together. Mind you I painstakingly clipped and covered each and every sharp edge/end...

This cage allowed me to leave Gus alone for short periods in the shower, and move the cage in and out very quickly....making giving him a shower easier which means I had enough time to do it often.

As for the dirt washing in the tub, my cage had no bottom. So I would simply put Gus in, and place it on the tub floor.

Marisa

[Ethan1]

If its WC you would probably have to hydrate it pretty well. Maybe 25-40 minutes. Also, what I do is take a real plant that is not poisonous to a chameleon put him on the leaves and put a towel over the top of the soil and the water should be lukewarm.

[jalkema]

Just wondering what the ideal temperature for the shower would be.

[Collide]

luke warm is good i think

[dank7oo]

Yeah. You obviously dont want too cold or hot.

Jason