I have had "Dipped in Butter", a male veiled, since July 3. When I got him, he was a tiny little guy maybe 2 and a half inches. He is now a strapping boy, with his adult colors, full of himself, huffing and puffing when anyone gets near his cage.

He is housed in a screen cage, 18x18x36 (I will be getting his 24x24x48 in January). He has a big umbrella plant, biovines, and some homegrown organic cherry tree branches (cut last year, dried in the house and clean of parasites). He has a uvb 5.0 and a uva heat lamp, and because our household temps fall into the low 50's at night, a ceramic heat lamp for the nights. His day time temps are 85 to 90, and night time at around 60.

He eats crix, dusted and gut loaded, some wax worms when I can get them, and I just ordered, but not recieved silk worms.

BUT IN ALL THIS TIME, I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE GUY DRINK. I hand spray the leaves in the cage with warm water in the morning, after the cage warms up, and again a few hours later. And then once again in the early evening. He hates getting wet, but I spray until the leaves are dripping.

So, He MUST be drinking, right? Is he like a weird alcoholic, who only drinks when no one is looking ? Any suggestions?

Although misting the leaves is necessary, your guy needs a drip system to drink from as well. I have 5 chameleons and all of them, except my male veiled will drink from misted leaves. My picky 9 month-old veiled will only drink from his dripper, which i keep dripping at all times.

-Cala-

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1.0 Nosy Be, 1.1 Bule Bar Ambilobe, 1.0 Jacksonii Xanthalophus, 2.0 Veiled.

my guess if he still alive, he must have been drinking, right?
even human will not survive dehydration for more than a week.
He probably drink when you are not around.
Check his poop. If it's moist and wet and the urates are white, then i say he has been drinking behind your back.

But you should provide a dripper just in case.
You cham will basically have access to water anytime he wants to drink when you are not around
try misting for more than 5 minutes... usually that's about the time a chameleon need to finally get an urge to drink.

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CARE FOR VEILED AND PANTHER CHAMELEON AT:
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My female veiled never drank water in front of me as well, silkworms will help a lot with moisture...
He probably is too shy it's normal..

David

mist her with a pressure sprayer n you will see her drink for sure.

Also what are you gutloading crickets with? If its with All-In-One Cubes then she is getting water from eating the crickets also.. 10 gutloaded crickets is like 10+ drops of water a day.

Should have also mentioned that if you make your own gutload and use such things as Oranges, Iceburg Lettuce, Cellery in your mix this also is a water source when consumed by crickets. About the same 1+ drop per cricket when they chow them down. Depends on the size of the cricket too and how full it is. But proper gutloading will indeed give your chameleon a water source aswell.

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Cheers!

TRI0N

I would assume that if your chameleon is not drinking water off the leaves, then it is probably getting enough from it's food intake. All food except potatoe chips has water in it. One thing for sure in biology is that all things fight for their own survival. If your cham needs something to live, it will get it if it's available.