Dehydration

[zero742]

So I think my cham is dehydrated. He looks a little thinner(not necessarily his weight, but his spine is more pronounced I think than it used to be), although he still eats whatever I give him in his cage. The reasons I think he is dehydrated is that he has gone to the bottom of his cage a few times that I have seen today, seems to be a little weaker with his grip, and gapes a little bit more than usual. I've read pedialyte is a good way to get them hydrated and get some energy in them, but how exactly do you give it to them? He doesn't seem interested in the water that comes from his mister and dripper. My only other thought was to let him sit in the shower for a little bit, but I'm not exactly too confident of the water here(although it has gotten better). It tastes to me like there is a little bit higher iron content than other places. Let me know your thoughts.

Zero

 

[Jam]

When my chameleon was dehydrated, we had to take her to the vet (and emergency vet) to have them give her dextrose fluids SubQ. But she was REALLY dehydrated -- her eyes had sunken in and her color was pretty bad. I've also read that you can give them pedialyte, I would use a syringe to do it, and force "drink" it. If you go to a vet, you have to make sure that you use one that has experience/knows what they are doing. When we rushed to emergency the first time with her we ended up being turned away at a couple emergencies because they didn't have experience, and once I finally found one they said that it's difficult to give them fluids, and that it's easy to not do it right and harm them.

 

[zero742]

Ok, so I've never heard of this method before, so maybe I'll have a new claim to fame??? So like I said earlier, my cham is a little dehydrated, but still eating steadily. So I decided to put just a little bit of water in the feeding bowl where I put his silkworms, not enough to drown them, but enough to keep them damp and moist. I understand I can't let the water sit for a long period of time due to the risk of bacteria growth, but usually it doesn't take him long to get to his bowl. Anyways, he just wolfed down 3 1" silkworms soaked in water. Hopefully, this will continue to work and I'll soon have him hydrated again. Possibly a slower method, but hopefully one that will due the trick!

 

[neil nosy be]

Hi zero742

Do silkworms have porous skins which allow them to absorb water,i know silk is but not sure about the worm it's self. Iv'e always used pedialyte and the shower method if you issues with your water try getting a RO unit

Neil

 

[Heika]

I just read a post on another forum from a lady who is concerned about the hydration level of her veiled cham. She has been injecting water into the silks prior to feeding them.

Heika

 

[zero742]

Heika,
So the silks do retain water then I take it? I wonder how long they would live after the injection? I will have to pick up a syringe somewhere tomorrow and try that out. So far he's still doing decent. He's asleep now, up on his favorite perch as high up in the cage as he can possibly get, surrounded in hibiscus leaves. One other quick thing. He just recently started eating the leaves off the hibiscus I have in there. Its the first time I've noticed it since having him(I've had him for about 3 weeks...he's about 9 weeks old now). Is this any indication of dehydration. I know chams eventually take to vegetation, but I wasn't real sure when they start. Thanks everyone!

 

[Brad]

I just read a post on another forum from a lady who is concerned about the hydration level of her veiled cham. She has been injecting water into the silks prior to feeding them.

Interesting idea. How does this affect the worm? Silkworms already have a lot of water content - one reason I like using them. What kind of watering system are you currently using? Improving or modifying your current system might be more practical in the long run.

I know chams eventually take to vegetation, but I wasn't real sure when they start.

Veiled chameleons will sometimes eat plants, but most other chameleon species will not. I think some chameleon experts have stated that the veiled chameleon probably developed\evolved this eating behavior to help fight dehydration (they naturally live in dry areas). Given that, I am still not sure if eating plants directly correlates to a veiled chameleon who is thirsty.

 

[zero742]

Right now I have one dripper and one mister set up. The only thing I am unsure about is what it drips down onto. Right now I have it hitting a few leaves before landing in a shallow plastic bowl, which I empty throughout the day. He still seems to be dehydrated a bit, still showing the same signs as a few days ago. I am having a bit of trouble finding a needle for injections. Any recommendations? Any other thoughts would be great.

 

[neil nosy be]

Hi bret

Sent you that pm regarding pedialyte, also your method of dripping water onto leaves is correct (more is better)

Neil