feces

[erik775]

my chams feces has a little yellow in it along with the white ...what dose that mean???is that normal...i dont really see her drink watter from the dripper well not that ive seen...and i dont see her drinking watter when i mist the cage...but she bites and bites her two plants i have in there for her,,its a hibiscus and a pothos ...

 

[Bokaru]

Usually yellow is uric acid building in the feces. Normally it is from slight dehydration. It happens from time to time. If you want to ensure nipping it in the butt, you may try using a pipette for water for a few days on top of your normal schedule.

I know my cham enjoys drinking from one from time to time.

 

[carol5208]

a LITTLE yellow or orange is not horrible but means that they could use some more hydration. If you are providing a dripper and misting that is really all you can do.Maybe up your mistings and run your dripper more. If the urate(white part) turns really orange then you might want to try putting you chameleon on a plant in the shower and aim the water at the wall so it bounces into the plant to try and get him to drink. Don't blast the cham straight on with the water! Also, this is kinda a last resort to try and get a chameleon rehydrated and doesn't sound like you need to go that route. I never see my chameleon drink either, and it is very frustrating. Try feeding some silkworms and hornworms(if you are not) they are juicy feeders and good for extra hydration.

 

[Miss Lily]

It also depends on how often the cham eliminates too. A cham (such as my Tommy) who only poops once a week or so has some orange in his urates due to the amount of time it's been in the body, thus more water has been absorbed from it. The last bit to leave his body is always nice and white. Amy, on the other hand, always produces a nice sparkling white urate every day!

 

[rcutchens]

My son and I are new to chameleon ownership and have only had his little panther, Rico, for just over a week. The first day he arrived I let him loose in the cage and offered him water from a dripper within the first hour of being released and he was all over it.

He was licking the water droplets/small puddles that were forming on one of the larger horizontal branches at the top of his cage. He also ate a couple crickets the first day and each day after that his appetite increased to where he's now eating anywhere from 8 to 12 crickets a day.

In addition to the dripper we also mist his cage at least 3 to 4 times a day but we haven't really seen him drink water like I did the first day - not even close. It's been frustrating for me too because my initial concern is that he wasn't taking water from either source and that he would get dehydrated. Every now and then we'll see him touch a semi-wet branch or a leaf but nothing convincing. Ideally I'd love to see him camp under the dripper and just lap up the drops for a bit but that's never happened. He's even walked under it allow the drops to drip on his nose, head, back and tail without so much as licking his lips.

The dripper I made is 2.5 qts and it pretty much runs all hours while he's awake. His urates show a good amount of white though and his eyes look good so I'm told not to be concerned.

 

[carol5208]

My son and I are new to chameleon ownership and have only had his little panther, Rico, for just over a week. The first day he arrived I let him loose in the cage and offered him water from a dripper within the first hour of being released and he was all over it.

He was licking the water droplets/small puddles that were forming on one of the larger horizontal branches at the top of his cage. He also ate a couple crickets the first day and each day after that his appetite increased to where he's now eating anywhere from 8 to 12 crickets a day.

In addition to the dripper we also mist his cage at least 3 to 4 times a day but we haven't really seen him drink water like I did the first day - not even close. It's been frustrating for me too because my initial concern is that he wasn't taking water from either source and that he would get dehydrated. Every now and then we'll see him touch a semi-wet branch or a leaf but nothing convincing. Ideally I'd love to see him camp under the dripper and just lap up the drops for a bit but that's never happened. He's even walked under it allow the drops to drip on his nose, head, back and tail without so much as licking his lips.

The dripper I made is 2.5 qts and it pretty much runs all hours while he's awake. His urates show a good amount of white though and his eyes look good so I'm told not to be concerned.

That is correct, as long as his urates look good then don't worry! I NEVER see my chameleon drink, it has been alteast two months or more since I have seen him drink anything. Some chams just don't drink in front of people. I have literally dripped water on his nose for FIVE minutes straight and nothing. He just sits there!!! I mist the cage and continuously run a dripper all day.

 

[rcutchens]

That is correct, as long as his urates look good then don't worry! I NEVER see my chameleon drink, it has been alteast two months or more since I have seen him drink anything. Some chams just don't drink in front of people. I have literally dripped water on his nose for FIVE minutes straight and nothing. He just sits there!!! I mist the cage and continuously run a dripper all day.

Thanks, Carol. This site and its members have been an absolutely fantastic resource for all things related to chameleons and caring for them and I'm grateful to have found it. As I told, Lance, the breeder that we purchased Rico from, I spent a good four to six weeks researching, studying, planning and finally purchasing everything needed to provide a good home and healthy care for Rico and got it all setup and ready to go BEFORE purchasing the chameleon and I learned about 100% of everything I needed to know from this site. I would recommend that anyone interested in owning a chameleon do the same to ensure they are able to provide the best possible home and care for their new family member.

 

[carol5208]

Thanks, Carol. This site and its members have been an absolutely fantastic resource for all things related to chameleons and caring for them and I'm grateful to have found it. As I told, Lance, the breeder that we purchased Rico from, I spent a good four to six weeks researching, studying, planning and finally purchasing everything needed to provide a good home and healthy care for Rico and got it all setup and ready to go BEFORE purchasing the chameleon and I learned about 100% of everything I needed to know from this site. I would recommend that anyone interested in owning a chameleon do the same to ensure they are able to provide the best possible home and care for their new family member.

Ah, if everyone could be like you! I am glad you found this site. I learn something new everyday!! It is a godsend for the chameleon community!