Dehydrated? Help!

[Rango_TheManEater]

I’ve been informed that my juvenile veiled chameleon has MBD, and I will be taking him to a reptile doctor as soon as possible, as well as updating his husbandry to accommodate him.

However, I have yet to witness my chameleon drink water. I have had him for several weeks now (a month?), and I mist my tank twice a day. Once before the lights turn on, and once after. However, I’m unsure that my chameleon is interested in drinking the mist from my plants. Is there anything I can do to ensure he’s drinking his water??

 

[LizardLurkin]

You often won't see a chameleon drink (I haven't in the months I've owned one), so we monitor their urates to gauge about how hydrated they are. We generally want a white, creamy color, but a little bit yellow/orange isn't terrible either.
For extra hydration opportunities, you can DIY a dripper with a few materials following this video as inspiration.
Otherwise you can purchase a dripper to place atop the enclosure. It should drip at a rate of 1 or 2 drops per second.

 

[kinyonga]

@Rango_TheManEater …what colour are your chameleon’s urates?

 

[Rango_TheManEater]

@Rango_TheManEater …what colour are your chameleon’s urates?

I honestly haven’t seen a urate often, but the few times that I have, they have been a white-ish color. Like an eggshell white, almost?

 

[kinyonga]

Then the chameleon shouldn’t be dehydrated. Why do you think it is dehydrated?

 

[Rango_TheManEater]

Then the chameleon shouldn’t be dehydrated. Why do you think it is dehydrated?

Just a new chameleon owner making sure that my baby is doing okay. He’s got MBD already, as previously mentioned, so I don’t want anything else going wrong with him.

As I also said, I haven’t personally seen him drink water, but I’ve already been told that this is normal and I may not catch him drinking water often. Thank you for helping, though!

 

[kinyonga]

If the chameleon is dehydrated the urates are usually very orange/yellow. If they are white or almost white they should not be dehydrated. Many are, for sure, secret drinkers.

 

[ehdee6]

I've only seen mine drink when they arrived into their new home when I first got them. Here's a good guide to seeing how healthy your cham is by looking at their poop.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/chameleon-poop-101.120171/