Newbie to Veiled Chameleon

[Robster]

My son got a juvenile veiled chameleon and is keeping it in a 24x24x36" screen enclosure with a live plant. The cham stays high in the canopy and appears to only eat crickets when delivered to the canopy. We have not seen the cham climb to the base of the plant yet. It has had fed on some meal worms. We are manually misting right now until the mist king arrives. We have yet to see the cham drink which greatly concerns us. We are misting 3x per day right now. He got the cham from Petco who was using a fogger on a acrylic enclosure. This created mass moisture. Having an open screen enclosure makes it tough to maintain a humid environment. Do you have any advice for getting a baby veiled to drink?

 

[carol5208]

Try using a dripper. How long are you misting for? Sometimes it can take chameleons several minutes to start drinking. How long have you had your chameleon? Do you have the proper UVB lighting, in addition to a basking light?

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your veiled. Do you have dripper for him/her? The best way to tell if a Cham is dehydrated is to check the poop. It the urate is nice and white then you don't have a hydration problem. Attached is my for new keepers of veileds and panthers.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Can you post a picture of the enclosure?

 

[Psychobunny]

Chams go through a stress period when they have a change of invironment and may not want to drink or even eat until they feel secure.

Dont be to concerned about not seeing your cham drink, veileds get a lot of the water they need by eating fruits and veggies, so do add those to his diet.
Things with high water content like Romain, apples, melon, blueberries, etc. should be offered.

I never see my 2 veileds drink water, but I know they are properly hydrated by checking their urates.