I've never seen her drink...
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OOOst16
Established Member
well sunken eyes...and orange urate ( the white part of there poop should be white with a lil orane tip...not all orange) are a signe of dehydration...to be honest i hvae seen my cham drink only one time and thats when i brought him home form the pet store...( wich had a water bowl for him to drink and we all know what those mean ...NO MOVING WATER!) so when i got him home i misted and he drank like a fiend....hes now completely recoverd from the idiot pet store. i personaly think they get alot of there hydration from the air and the bugs they eat...i mean a nice fat crix has alot of water in it....but i dono i havent see him drink and hes completely fine....i would asume they do it when were not around out of fear?
Zen Reptiles
Avid Member
The more comfortable a chameleon is in it's surroundings, the more likely it will drink.
So if you change the cage around very often, this might affect how comfortable she is.
Chameleons are very vulnerable when they drink, because they are focusing on the water droplets and making movements, which would make them an easy target for a bird or bigger chameleon.
Any chameleon I've had takes anywhere from 1-4 months to get comfortable in its new cage, and this means NO alterations at all other than the slow plant growth.
8 months is a long time. Maybe she doesn't like the water? Is it tap water? Try some heated filtered water.
So if you change the cage around very often, this might affect how comfortable she is.
Chameleons are very vulnerable when they drink, because they are focusing on the water droplets and making movements, which would make them an easy target for a bird or bigger chameleon.
Any chameleon I've had takes anywhere from 1-4 months to get comfortable in its new cage, and this means NO alterations at all other than the slow plant growth.
8 months is a long time. Maybe she doesn't like the water? Is it tap water? Try some heated filtered water.
skeeta
Established Member
If I take her outside to sun, and patiently drip water from my spray gun on her nose, Skeeta WILL drink for me. Other than that I haven't really seen her drink (or eat for that matter) in nearly 3 years.
Pendergast, on the other-hand, eats from tweezers easily.
As long as they are healthy, you don't have to SEE them eat or drink.
An old myth says chameleons eat air and don't need to drink (don't try it out though)
"In the 3rd century an encyclopedist and collector of odd data, Solinus, whose work happend to have been translated into English in 1587 wrote:
"Throughout all Asia is great store of Chameleons, a fourefooted beast, in making like a Lucert, but that hee hath straight and somewhat longer legges growing to hys belly, with a long tayle wrythed rounde in, with hooked talants finely bowing inwarde, slowe of gate, and in a manner trayling like a Snayle: rough bodyed, wyth such a hyde as we see Crocodiles have, and hollowe eyes suncke farre into his head, which he never shadoweth with twinckling. Moreover, he beholdeth thinges not with rolling the bals of his eies, but with staring continually forward. His mouth is ever gaping, and serveth to do no kind of thing wyth all: for he neyther eateth meate, nor is nourished with drink but liveth onely by drawing in the ayre, which is hys onely sustenaucne. Hys colour is variable, and everie moment changable: so that to what thing he ever beleaneth himsefe, hee becommeth of the same colour."
Pendergast, on the other-hand, eats from tweezers easily.
As long as they are healthy, you don't have to SEE them eat or drink.
An old myth says chameleons eat air and don't need to drink (don't try it out though)
"In the 3rd century an encyclopedist and collector of odd data, Solinus, whose work happend to have been translated into English in 1587 wrote:
"Throughout all Asia is great store of Chameleons, a fourefooted beast, in making like a Lucert, but that hee hath straight and somewhat longer legges growing to hys belly, with a long tayle wrythed rounde in, with hooked talants finely bowing inwarde, slowe of gate, and in a manner trayling like a Snayle: rough bodyed, wyth such a hyde as we see Crocodiles have, and hollowe eyes suncke farre into his head, which he never shadoweth with twinckling. Moreover, he beholdeth thinges not with rolling the bals of his eies, but with staring continually forward. His mouth is ever gaping, and serveth to do no kind of thing wyth all: for he neyther eateth meate, nor is nourished with drink but liveth onely by drawing in the ayre, which is hys onely sustenaucne. Hys colour is variable, and everie moment changable: so that to what thing he ever beleaneth himsefe, hee becommeth of the same colour."
Lovereps
Avid Member
My experience has been the same as OOOst16's. Until today, the only time I saw my cham drink was when I first got him--and he was extremely thirsty then.
Recently, I got an automatic misting system and, from the other room, I spotted him standing in the mist, drinking.
OOOst16 has it right--keep a close eye on your cham's eyes and urates.
BTW, if your cham might be gravid, I hope you have a good laying bin in her cage.
From what I've read here, females should have a laying bin always--just in case they need it.
You don't want to lose your cham to being eggbound!
Recently, I got an automatic misting system and, from the other room, I spotted him standing in the mist, drinking.
OOOst16 has it right--keep a close eye on your cham's eyes and urates.
BTW, if your cham might be gravid, I hope you have a good laying bin in her cage.
From what I've read here, females should have a laying bin always--just in case they need it.
You don't want to lose your cham to being eggbound!
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
That's weird, my Jackson's always drinks infront of me, especially when the water is warm. And he's wild caught.
Obviously she must be drinking, or she would have been a gonner a long time ago lol. If you have a dripper going during the day she probably drinks while she can't see you, and you can't see her.
Obviously she must be drinking, or she would have been a gonner a long time ago lol. If you have a dripper going during the day she probably drinks while she can't see you, and you can't see her.
panthercham
New Member
Mine are shy drinkers and I dont witness it that often. If she is terrified of her mistings make sure you dont mist her directly but around her and on her plants and vines etc this might make it easier. Do you also use a dripper?
If her urates are white and there are no signs of dehydration then she does drink
If her urates are white and there are no signs of dehydration then she does drink
andresaveiro
New Member
mine is a super shy drinker, he is 4 mo old but let me tell you, the warm showers DO WORK. They are amazing in fact. I would try to mist her cage with warm water for over 5 mins. IT WORKED FOR ME!
RexandRain
New Member
I am having this same problem only I think that is has gotten to the point of dehydration. Kratos opens his eye out of his cage but other than that his eye will stay closed. I am going to try a warm shower with him and see if he will drink the shower water. we have well water treated with softener salt so that shouldn't make any difference right?
Miss Lily
Chameleon Enthusiast
The only time I ever saw Lily drink from a leaf was when she first arrived and was really thirsty! After a few months I decided to try offering water out of a syringe (needle-less) and she would drink from that. I knew she was drinking as her urates were always ok, but it does worry you if you don't see them drinking.
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