Did you contact the breeder to ask how they administer water? There is a lady up here that breeds chameleons that actually waters them through a little bubble water machine in the base of the cage. She was at a local show. Of course, there were several chameleons in the cage, and excrement and urates in the water bubbler. Very odd method. And didn't want to hear anything about it. And, yes, her chameleons have parasites and other health problems. Go figure.
You did get some chams from us, but not Doodlebug. Hopefully the guys you got from us are doing well. Their clutchmates here all drink heartily.
What were the signs of dehydration? The urates, the eyes, or tenting skin, or all 3?
Has anyone ever experienced a panther chameleon who refused to drink on his own even when in good health? I have an 11 month old Sambava male who will not drink from dripping or misting water sources. I have to literally sit there and mist his face with a water bottle and get water into his mouth when he opens it. I installed a misting system last month and all the others appear to enjoy the routine. Doodlebug is the exception. He Stiffins up and closes his eyes and just hates it. I had to administer sub-cue fluids this weekend and just do not know what to do to stimulate the drinking response. This has been ongoing since 6 months old. This is the second panther from this same breeder (unnammed) that I have dealt with this type of behavior. Any thoughts?
We tried everything to get them to drink on their own, but they still prefer to be bottle-fed. Ha ha ha.
