I think he is dehydrated (help a noob please)

[mangopixie]

Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - Ambilobe, male, 7 months old. Has been in my care for 10 days
* Handling - Not at all yet, am letting him get used to me
* Feeding - He eats about 10-15 crickets and 1 superworm a day. I gutload with cricket crack, carrots, lettuce and oranges
* Supplements - Rep-Cal Calcium every day, with d3 twice a month and herpivite twice a month
* Watering - I hand mist for 5 minutes at a time. I don't see him drink.
* Fecal Description - I haven't tested him for parasites. His urate is white and his poop is brown, lighter than I think is healthy



Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Screen Reptibreeze 18X18X36
* Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 and 75 watt bulb for heat
* Temperature - basking temp is 85, ambient air is about 75. Overnight it gets down to about 70. I use a zoomed thermometer with a probe.
* Humidity - Temp ranges from 50-70 which I maintain by hand misting. I have a simple hygrometer in the cage.
* Plants - I have a pothos and same fake plants for extra coverage.
* Placement - The cage is on the floor next to my bedroom window. I moniter the hygrometer and thermometer like a hawk if I open the window.
* Location - Southern Oregon


Current Problem - I am worried that he is dehydrated. I've only seen him drink once, right after I took him out of the box. His first poop was dark but every poop since then has been lighter brown. The first couple of days that I had him I didn't realize I was supposed to mist continuously so I would only mist enough to get the humidity up which would sometimes get as low as 40%. Now that I mist more the humidity doesn't get that low, but I still don't see him drink and his poop his still light. Should I give him a shower?

 

[camimom]

Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - Ambilobe, male, 7 months old. Has been in my care for 10 days
* Handling - Not at all yet, am letting him get used to me
* Feeding - He eats about 10-15 crickets and 1 superworm a day. I gutload with cricket crack, carrots, lettuce and oranges
* Supplements - Rep-Cal Calcium every day, with d3 twice a month and herpivite twice a month
* Watering - I hand mist for 5 minutes at a time. I don't see him drink.
* Fecal Description - I haven't tested him for parasites. His urate is white and his poop is brown, lighter than I think is healthy



Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Screen Reptibreeze 18X18X36
* Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 and 75 watt bulb for heat
* Temperature - basking temp is 85, ambient air is about 75. Overnight it gets down to about 70. I use a zoomed thermometer with a probe.
* Humidity - Temp ranges from 50-70 which I maintain by hand misting. I have a simple hygrometer in the cage.
* Plants - I have a pothos and same fake plants for extra coverage.
* Placement - The cage is on the floor next to my bedroom window. I moniter the hygrometer and thermometer like a hawk if I open the window.
* Location - Southern Oregon


Current Problem - I am worried that he is dehydrated. I've only seen him drink once, right after I took him out of the box. His first poop was dark but every poop since then has been lighter brown. The first couple of days that I had him I didn't realize I was supposed to mist continuously so I would only mist enough to get the humidity up which would sometimes get as low as 40%. Now that I mist more the humidity doesn't get that low, but I still don't see him drink and his poop his still light. Should I give him a shower?

two ways of telling if your cham is deyhdrated
1. the eye turrets are sunken in.
2. the white part of the poop, the urate, is yellow or orange.

while you may not see your cham drink, taht doesnt mean he isnt. I have had mine for 6 months and have only seen him drink 2x.

You can shower if you want to, it wont hurt him. do you kjnow how to shower him properly?

 

[seanUTD]

I will say for a noob you sure do have a great regiment and great husbandry (as far as I can tell from the form)... Like what was said, if you see sunken turrets and skin "pinches" and sluggish movement and an orange urate then worry... If you don't see him drink don't worry he may be a ninja drinker... If your that worried try making a simple dripper that can provide a steady amount of water over time to ensure he is drinking... Though with a dripper you will need a good method of drainage as pooling water will breed bacteria... Hope that helps

 

[mangopixie]

two ways of telling if your cham is deyhdrated
1. the eye turrets are sunken in.
2. the white part of the poop, the urate, is yellow or orange.

while you may not see your cham drink, taht doesnt mean he isnt. I have had mine for 6 months and have only seen him drink 2x.

You can shower if you want to, it wont hurt him. do you kjnow how to shower him properly?

Well his eyes seem fine and the urate is white. However I was under the impression that the brown part is supposed to be dark, almost black?

This is how I think I'm supposed to shower him, feel free to correct anything I'm missing:
Put the plant in the shower and turn the nozzle so it bounces off the wall onto the plant. Lukewarm water. Leave him in there for about 30 minutes. Ya?

 

[seanUTD]

I would say if the urate is white I would not be as worried as you appear to be... The fecal portion will be wet and light when it comes out but will darken as it dries... Therefore I would say with my logic lighter would not be a bad thing... The fecal is not what you need to be worried about unless it is wriggling Be calm lol I think your doing just fine and your little one is just fine

 

[mangopixie]

I will say for a noob you sure do have a great regiment and great husbandry (as far as I can tell from the form)... Like what was said, if you see sunken turrets and skin "pinches" and sluggish movement and an orange urate then worry... If you don't see him drink don't worry he may be a ninja drinker... If your that worried try making a simple dripper that can provide a steady amount of water over time to ensure he is drinking... Though with a dripper you will need a good method of drainage as pooling water will breed bacteria... Hope that helps

Thank you! I did try to do my homework and this forum has been great for that!

 

[mangopixie]

Thanks so much, I'll stop worrying now lol. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right!

 

[sdheli420]

I will say for a noob you sure do have a great regiment and great husbandry (as far as I can tell from the form)... Like what was said, if you see sunken turrets and skin "pinches" and sluggish movement and an orange urate then worry... If you don't see him drink don't worry he may be a ninja drinker... If your that worried try making a simple dripper that can provide a steady amount of water over time to ensure he is drinking... Though with a dripper you will need a good method of drainage as pooling water will breed bacteria... Hope that helps

i was gunna say somthing about your care too..it doesent seem very noob like..more like a seasoned cham keeper...

dont worry too much..most of mine where ninjas untill they got the hang of seeing me alot..