Some lizards will not drink from a still bowl. Chameleons, anoles, water dragons and many day geckos are cued by movement and droplets, and an animal that only drinks when you happen to mist is an animal that spends most of the week mildly dehydrated. The Pebble Waterfall is a pebble-textured resin basin with a concealed return and an Exo Terra Repti Flo pump included, so water runs continuously and there is something to drink from at any hour.
Three sizes. Before you buy, the honest limitation: this is a mains-powered appliance sitting in a warm box, and moving water evaporates all day. It will push terrarium humidity up and hold it there — which is exactly what a rainforest species wants and exactly what a desert species does not. For a bearded dragon, a uromastyx or anything kept dry, use a plain water dish instead and mist rather than run a waterfall. It also needs a power point near the terrarium and a cable route through the lid. Full range in our Exo Terra collection.
Features
- Repti Flo pump included — nothing else to buy; it runs from a standard mains outlet and sits submerged in the basin.
- Stimulates drinking — the reason to run one at all: moving water gets fluid into species that ignore a static bowl.
- Stable, low-tip design — broad base, so a larger lizard climbing on it does not put it over.
- Dismantles for cleaning — the unit comes apart into several pieces so you can reach the pump and the water path.
- Takes gravel in the basin — Exo Terra suggests adding small stones to the collection tank, which also keeps small animals out of the deeper water.
Specifications
Three sizes: Small (PT2910), Medium (PT2912), Large (PT2914). Exo Terra does not publish basin dimensions, pump wattage or flow rate for this range, so we have not quoted figures; shipping weights are 2.18kg, 2.44kg and 4.45kg, which is a fair guide to the step between sizes. Requires mains power.
Running it
- Never let the level drop below the pump inlet. A submersible pump run dry overheats and fails, usually within hours. Top up daily; evaporation in a heated terrarium is faster than most people expect.
- Noise. Exo Terra publishes no sound rating. With any small submersible unit the audible part is the water dropping into the basin rather than the motor, so keeping the level high and the fall short runs quieter. A pump that starts rattling is normally running dry or has debris in the impeller.
- Water. Treat tap water to remove chlorine before it goes in, and change it regularly — a warm recirculating basin with waste in it fouls quickly.
Care
Unplug first, then take the unit apart and scrub the basin and water path under hot running water with a brush kept for the terrarium. Rinse the pump foam separately. Do not use detergents or disinfectants unless every trace can be rinsed off — residue in a recirculating system ends up in the drinking water.
Exo Terra pumps and waterfalls range on the manufacturer's site