How do I know if my chamleon is drinking?

[Kiki2803]

hi guys!
I have only ever seen kiki drink once and I would like to know if there are any signs that shows if my chameleon is not drinking,
Thanks!

 

[happy]

the easiest way i to know, check her eyes, if sunken in, she isnt drinking, if they are not... she is... you can also tell by the texture of her skin, or rather wrinkles and folds in her skin. you can also try to keep an eye on her, visual confirmation is good. I have a cheap shower head that has a very nice mist setting... if you are unsure, you can place her enclosure in the shower, making sure that you check the temperature of the water that will be "dousing" her, and let it "rain" on her for 20-30 minutes. keep an eye on her. you dont want to drown her. i do this about 1 time a week as a precautionary measure.

 

[Sanababit]

Yes if its urates are orange in color, they mean that your chameleon is not getting hydrated

Sana

 

[Kiki2803]

Thanks for your help!

 

[happy]

Good call, knew i forgot something...

 

[camimom]

for the most part, you wont see a cham drink, unless its a montane species, that drinks water all the time.

The eye sunken thing, while technically correct, is not the best way to tell, because some chams will pull their turrets in when stressed or angry.

the Best and most accurate way is to check urates.

if the urate is yellow or orange, the cham is dehydrated. but you have to check fresh ones, because the older urates can be dried out, and can look yellowish, even if they aren't dehydrated.

 

[JaguarShark]

The easiest and most obvious way is to check the faeces. There is a brown section and a white section. The white section is the urate part. If this is yellowish there is slight dehydration. If it is orange then the chameleon is definitely not drinking properly.
If it's pure white or just a little bit beige you can be happy that the cham is drinking fine.