I have a 3-4 month old Veiled that I dont think quite gets it. I mist the cage/leaves daily and have an intricate drip system that slowly drips on several leafy areas of the cage. He is healthy and active and I have seen him drink once properly (drinking droplets on the side of the cage). But other than the one time he normally shoots his tongue at the drips and water droplets on the leaves. I can't imagine that he's getting hydration from shooting the droplets but he appears very healthy. I may be worried about nothing but I'd be happier if I see him drink (normally). Anyone dealt with this before? I owned an adult male Veiled in the past and other than the occassional mistaken identity he rarely shot water droplets.
Veiled not drinking properly
- Thread starter Dmaxey88
- Start date
VeiledOwner87
New Member
my cham does the same thing, she is about 6 months old now, and i have seen her drink drink a few times before. for the past little while when im in the room, she pays very little attention to the dripper, she usually in her uv spot. so i mist the leaves untill she shoots at the drops a couple times. this does get pretty annoying sometimes, especially if im not there to shut the dripper off. but as long as i see her shoot for a few drops im satisfied. to my knowledge. chams will drink when they want too. but i suppose i can get into this thread as well seeing as im curious to know if its sufficient enough water.
Elizadolots
New Member
From what I understand, as long as their urates look good, then you don't have to worry about their drinking technique. Maybe it's fun! Maybe when they feel comfortable about their ability to get water they engage in target practice with the drops? Who knows. If the urates are good then they are getting enough water so if they want to play "catch the drop in mid air" why not?
whitespyder
New Member
my veiled only drinks by shooting too and its very frustrating. I've heard people can train their chams to drink from syringes or droppers but i haven't had any luck for months mostly because i just dont have the patience. I have seen her drink a few times by licking the sprayed water as it accumulates on her face.
if his urates are yellow try feeding him silkworms or other feeders with a high water content or offer him some fruits every once in a while such as strawberries, grapes, and mango. when i have silkworms to feed my girl, her urates are always white! or try the dropper technique if he doesnt mind your presence when he drinks. good luck with your fellow! I hope he learns
if his urates are yellow try feeding him silkworms or other feeders with a high water content or offer him some fruits every once in a while such as strawberries, grapes, and mango. when i have silkworms to feed my girl, her urates are always white! or try the dropper technique if he doesnt mind your presence when he drinks. good luck with your fellow! I hope he learns
eppcheck
New Member
I've had my female veiled for 4 months now and since I've had her I only have seen her drink twice. Her urates are white and if you take a look at my albums she is very healthy. I don't think it's uncommon for veileds to drink in privacy. I've heard of some cham owners never seeing them drink. I assume mine drinks when I'm at work, I have a mistking and plenty of live plants that will hold the water so the opportunity is there. I wouldn't be to concerned just keep in eye on the urates.
Funny thing, is one of the only times I saw her drink was during the first weeks I had her. She actually drank from a bowl of still water that I had kept on the bottom of the enclosure to collect droplets from her dripper. I'm sure you heard that chams don't do this, but she hung down from her tail and was drinking like a dog out of it's water dish.
Funny thing, is one of the only times I saw her drink was during the first weeks I had her. She actually drank from a bowl of still water that I had kept on the bottom of the enclosure to collect droplets from her dripper. I'm sure you heard that chams don't do this, but she hung down from her tail and was drinking like a dog out of it's water dish.
bradleymarky
New Member
my veiled does exactly the same, i have a umbrella plant that holds water and she shoots her tongue at that
i was worried at the start but am ok know
try putting a couple of crickets in a small jelly pot filled with water, mine takes them while i`m holding the pot and gets a bit of water aswell
i was worried at the start but am ok know
try putting a couple of crickets in a small jelly pot filled with water, mine takes them while i`m holding the pot and gets a bit of water aswell
Miss Lily
Chameleon Enthusiast
My first female veiled was the same. I only ever saw her drink from leaves the day I brought her home. I did manage to get her to drink from a dropper eventually and she would drink every night, but I was always woried that she never drank enough. I was also told that they absorb a small amount of water from the humidity in their cages after misting. After she died I had a post mortem done and her kidneys were fine, so she was obviously getting enough water somehow!
You can tell if your cham is drinking enough by the colour of the urates (white part of the poop). If it is white it means the animal is well hydrated. A small amount of yellow in the urate is ok. A very dark yellow or orange urate is a bad sign - they are very dehydrated. But, having said that, my adult male only poops every two weeks or so and the urate that has been in his body since the last poop can be quite orange, but the bit that comes out last is always white, as it should be. The longer the urate is in the body, the more water gets absorbed from it too, thus adding to the orange coloration. I also see my boy drink each time I mist and also from his dripper, so I know that he is drinking and the colour of his urate is down to the length of time it is retained in his body! I wish he would poop more often, just for peace of mind!
You can tell if your cham is drinking enough by the colour of the urates (white part of the poop). If it is white it means the animal is well hydrated. A small amount of yellow in the urate is ok. A very dark yellow or orange urate is a bad sign - they are very dehydrated. But, having said that, my adult male only poops every two weeks or so and the urate that has been in his body since the last poop can be quite orange, but the bit that comes out last is always white, as it should be. The longer the urate is in the body, the more water gets absorbed from it too, thus adding to the orange coloration. I also see my boy drink each time I mist and also from his dripper, so I know that he is drinking and the colour of his urate is down to the length of time it is retained in his body! I wish he would poop more often, just for peace of mind!
ghettomike
New Member
i have only ever seen my 6month old veiled drink 3 times. Once she drank droplets straight out of her mister bottle but would not do it again, once lapping water of her umbrella plant and just last night i saw her shooting drops from her dripper but her urate always looks good. I would try not to worry too much as long as her urate looks good.
VeiledOwner87
New Member
thats all what dawned on me today, i never gave it to much thought. but it all comes down to the urates. my chams is white as snow
